---
slug: "ra-mcp"
source_type: "readme"
source_url: "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/ai-riksarkivet/ra-mcp@main/README.md"
repo: "https://github.com/ai-riksarkivet/ra-mcp"
source_file: "README.md"
branch: "main"
---
<div align="center">
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# ra-mcp

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A [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server and CLI for searching and browsing transcribed historical documents from the Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet). Provides full-text search across millions of AI-transcribed pages, complete page transcriptions, handwritten text recognition, interactive document viewing, and archival research guides — all as MCP tools that any LLM client can use.

## Quick Start (MCP)

**Streamable HTTP** — works with ChatGPT, Claude, and any MCP-compatible client:

```
https://riksarkivet-ra-mcp.hf.space/mcp
```

**Claude Code:**

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http ra-mcp https://riksarkivet-ra-mcp.hf.space/mcp
```

**IDE (mcp.json):**

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ra-mcp": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://riksarkivet-ra-mcp.hf.space/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

**Claude.ai (web & desktop) — no install:** it's a *remote* server, so add it as a custom connector by URL. Settings → **Connectors** → **Add custom connector** → paste `https://riksarkivet-ra-mcp.hf.space/mcp` → **Add**. The ra-mcp tools then appear in new chats. (Requires a plan with custom connectors: Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise.)

**ChatGPT (Pro/Business/Enterprise):** Settings → **Connectors** (or enable **Developer mode**) → add a connector pointing at the same URL. See OpenAI's connector docs for the current flow.

> The interactive **document / PDF viewers** are MCP App UIs — they render inline only in clients that support MCP UI resources (e.g. Claude). Other clients still get all the text/search/browse tools; they just won't embed the viewer.
>
> The `.claude/` skills and the `plugins/ra-mcp-tools` plugin are **Claude Code** add-ons (`/install-plugin AI-Riksarkivet/ra-mcp plugins/ra-mcp-tools`). They aren't used by claude.ai or ChatGPT, which call the MCP tools directly.

## Quick Start (CLI)

The `ra` command imports the search, browse, and TUI sub-apps unconditionally, so install the `cli` and `tui` extras to get a working CLI:

```bash
uv pip install "ra-mcp[cli,tui]"
```

```bash
# Search transcribed documents
ra search "trolldom"
ra search "Stockholm troll*"

# Browse specific pages
ra browse "SE/RA/310187/1" --pages "7,8,52" --search-term "trolldom"

# Interactive terminal browser
ra tui "trolldom"
```

## Documentation

For architecture, development setup, deployment, tool reference, CLI reference, and more:

**[ai-riksarkivet.github.io/ra-mcp](https://ai-riksarkivet.github.io/ra-mcp/)**

## License

[Apache 2.0](https://github.com/AI-Riksarkivet/ra-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE)