PG&E Data Portals MCP Server for Claude Desktop 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.
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{
"mcpServers": {
"pge-data-portals": {
// Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About PG&E Data Portals MCP Server
Connect PG&E Data Portals to any AI agent and programmatically search, discover, and query PG&E's public energy datasets through natural conversation.
Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect PG&E Data Portals to your AI workflow. Add Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 10 tools in the chat interface. ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.
What you can do
- Dataset Search — Search the complete PG&E Data Portals catalog for energy-related datasets
- Energy Usage — Query electricity and gas consumption data by ZIP code and date range
- EV Adoption — Access electric vehicle registration and adoption trends by geographic area
- Solar Generation — Retrieve solar energy production and net energy metering (NEM) statistics
- Energy Efficiency — Analyze program participation, energy savings achieved, and cost-effectiveness
- Grid Infrastructure — Access distribution circuit, substation, and grid capacity data
- Date Range Queries — Filter any dataset by specific time periods for trend analysis
- Dataset Metadata — Get schema information and field descriptions for all datasets
The PG&E Data Portals MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect PG&E Data Portals to Claude Desktop via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the PG&E Data Portals MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
Open Claude Desktop Settings
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP Server
Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server
Start using PG&E Data Portals
Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat. your 10 tools are now available
Why Use Claude Desktop with the PG&E Data Portals MCP Server
Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with PG&E Data Portals through the Model Context Protocol.
Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client. it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available
Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface
Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions
Enterprise-grade security with local config storage. your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to Vinkius Edge network
PG&E Data Portals + Claude Desktop Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the PG&E Data Portals MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation
Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies. all through natural language
Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary
Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation
PG&E Data Portals MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect PG&E Data Portals to Claude Desktop via MCP:
get_dataset_schema
Use this to understand what columns and data types are available before querying. The datasetId is obtained from search_datasets or list_all_datasets. Get the schema/metadata for a specific PG&E dataset
list_all_datasets
Each dataset includes name, description, ID, and metadata. Use this as a starting point to explore what data is available from PG&E — includes energy usage, EV adoption, solar generation, energy efficiency programs, and grid infrastructure datasets. List all available datasets in the PG&E Data Portals catalog
query_by_date_range
Specify the dataset ID and start/end dates to retrieve records within that time period. Use this for time-series analysis across any dataset type. Dataset ID from search_datasets. Dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. This is useful for year-over-year comparisons and trend analysis. Query any PG&E dataset filtered by a specific date range
query_dataset
Optional filters can be passed as key-value pairs to narrow results (e.g., zip_code, year, region). Use this to retrieve actual data records from any dataset in the PG&E Data Portals. Dataset IDs are obtained from search_datasets or list_all_datasets. Query a specific PG&E dataset with optional filters
query_energy_efficiency
), and investment amounts. Use this to analyze program effectiveness and ROI of energy efficiency initiatives. Optional programType filters by program category. Year is YYYY format. Query PG&E energy efficiency program data
query_energy_usage
Returns electricity usage aggregated by customer segment (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural). Use this to analyze energy consumption patterns in specific geographic areas over time. ZIP code format: 5-digit (e.g., "94102"). Dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. Query PG&E energy consumption data by ZIP code and date range
query_ev_adoption
Use this to analyze EV adoption trends, identify high-adoption areas, and correlate with charging infrastructure. ZIP code is 5-digit format. Year is YYYY format (e.g., "2024"). Query electric vehicle adoption data by ZIP code and year
query_grid_infrastructure
Use this to understand grid capacity, identify areas needing upgrades, or analyze reliability metrics. Region filters by geographic area. dataType can filter by specific infrastructure type. Query PG&E grid infrastructure and distribution data
query_solar_generation
Use this to analyze solar adoption and production trends. Region can be a county name or service area identifier. Year is YYYY format. Query solar energy generation data by region and year
search_datasets
Use this to discover available datasets before querying specific data. Returns dataset names, descriptions, IDs, and metadata. Optional query parameter filters results by keyword. Search the PG&E Data Portals catalog for energy datasets
Example Prompts for PG&E Data Portals in Claude Desktop
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with PG&E Data Portals immediately.
"List all available PG&E datasets."
"Show me electricity usage for ZIP code 94102."
"Show EV adoption trends by ZIP code for 2024."
Troubleshooting PG&E Data Portals MCP Server with Claude Desktop
Common issues when connecting PG&E Data Portals to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not appearing after restart
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).Authentication error
Tools not showing in chat
PG&E Data Portals + Claude Desktop FAQ
Common questions about integrating PG&E Data Portals MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?
claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?
Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?
mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?
Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?
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Connect PG&E Data Portals to Claude Desktop
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.