PurpleAir MCP Server for Claude Code 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development. Add PurpleAir as an MCP server in one command and Claude Code will discover every tool at runtime. ideal for automation pipelines, CI/CD integration, and headless workflows via Vinkius.
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Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install PurpleAir and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
# Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
claude mcp add purpleair --transport http "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 PurpleAir MCP Server
Access the world's largest hyperlocal air quality dataset through PurpleAir — a global network of over 50,000 low-cost air quality sensors measuring PM2.5, PM10.0, temperature, humidity, pressure, and more. Connect PurpleAir to your AI agent to monitor real-time air quality, track wildfire smoke, analyze pollution trends, and access historical data for any location — all through natural conversation.
Claude Code registers PurpleAir as an MCP server in a single terminal command. Once connected, Claude Code discovers all 10 tools at runtime and can call them headlessly. ideal for CI/CD pipelines, cron jobs, and automated workflows where PurpleAir data drives decisions without human intervention.
What you can do
- Real-Time Air Quality — Get current PM2.5 readings from sensors near any address or coordinate.
- Historical Analysis — Retrieve time-series data for trend analysis, pollution events, and compliance reporting.
- Geographic Mapping — Find all sensors within a bounding box for city-wide or regional air quality mapping.
- Wildfire Smoke Tracking — Monitor PM2.5 spikes during wildfire events across affected areas.
- Indoor Air Quality — Access indoor sensor data for workplace health and HVAC optimization.
- CSV Export — Download historical data in CSV format for spreadsheet analysis.
- Location-Based Queries — Find the closest sensor to any GPS coordinate.
- Sensor Filtering — Filter sensors by type (indoor/outdoor), fields, and update recency.
The PurpleAir MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Code 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 PurpleAir to Claude Code via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the PurpleAir MCP Server with Claude Code.
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
Add the MCP Server
Run the command above in your terminal
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
Start using PurpleAir
Ask Claude: "Using PurpleAir, show me...". 10 tools are ready
Why Use Claude Code with the PurpleAir MCP Server
Claude Code provides unique advantages when paired with PurpleAir through the Model Context Protocol.
Single-command setup: `claude mcp add` registers the server instantly. no config files to edit or applications to restart
Terminal-native workflow means MCP tools integrate seamlessly into shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and automated DevOps tasks
Claude Code runs headlessly, enabling unattended batch processing using PurpleAir tools in cron jobs or deployment scripts
Built by the same team that created the MCP protocol, ensuring first-class compatibility and the fastest adoption of new protocol features
PurpleAir + Claude Code Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Code combined with the PurpleAir MCP Server delivers measurable value.
CI/CD integration: embed PurpleAir tool calls in your deployment pipeline to validate configurations or fetch secrets before shipping
Headless batch processing: schedule Claude Code to query PurpleAir nightly and generate reports without human intervention
Shell scripting: pipe PurpleAir outputs into other CLI tools for data transformation, filtering, and aggregation
Infrastructure monitoring: run Claude Code in a cron job to query PurpleAir status endpoints and alert on anomalies
PurpleAir MCP Tools for Claude Code (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect PurpleAir to Claude Code via MCP:
get_indoor_sensors
These sensors measure air quality inside buildings, homes, and enclosed spaces. Useful for indoor air quality assessments, HVAC monitoring, and workspace health studies. Get all indoor PurpleAir sensors
get_outdoor_sensors
These are sensors measuring ambient outdoor air quality. Returns current PM2.5, temperature, humidity and other measurements for each sensor. Useful for regional air quality monitoring, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution studies. Get all outdoor (outside) PurpleAir sensors
get_pm25_sensors
5 (fine particulate matter) measurements. PM2.5 is the most important air quality indicator — particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers that can penetrate deep into lungs and bloodstream. Returns current PM2.5 concentrations along with location data. Essential for health advisories, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution monitoring. Get sensors with PM2.5 measurements
get_sensor_data
Returns PM2.5, PM1.0, PM10.0 particle concentrations, temperature, humidity, pressure, VOC levels, and other measurements depending on the sensor model. Use the fields parameter to specify which measurements to return. Essential for monitoring air quality at a specific location. Get real-time data from a specific PurpleAir sensor
get_sensor_history
Returns time-series data for the requested fields (PM2.5, temperature, humidity, etc.) at regular intervals. Use start_timestamp and end_timestamp (Unix timestamps) to define the time range. The average parameter controls data aggregation (e.g. 60 for 1-minute averages, 3600 for hourly). Essential for analyzing air quality trends, identifying pollution events, and compliance reporting. Get historical air quality data from a PurpleAir sensor
get_sensor_history_csv
Same functionality as get_sensor_history but returns data as CSV instead of JSON. Use for offline analysis, charting, or compliance reporting. Requires start_timestamp and end_timestamp parameters. Get historical sensor data in CSV format for analysis
get_sensors_by_bounding_box
Provide the northwest (nwlat, nwlng) and southeast (selat, selng) corner coordinates. Perfect for mapping air quality across a city, neighborhood, or region. Returns all sensors in the area with current readings. Use with fields parameter to customize returned data. Get all sensors within a geographic bounding box
get_sensors_by_index
Provide comma-separated sensor indices in the show_only parameter. Useful when you already know the sensor indices from a previous query and want to get fresh readings without fetching all sensors. Get data for specific sensor(s) by their indices
get_sensors_near_me
Internally uses a bounding box around the point to find nearby sensors. Useful for identifying the closest PurpleAir monitor to any address or coordinate. Returns sensors sorted by proximity with current air quality readings. Find PurpleAir sensors near a specific location
list_sensors
Use the location_type parameter to filter by sensor type (outside=0, inside=1). Use the fields parameter to specify which data fields to return (e.g. name,latitude,longitude,pm2.5_atm,temperature,humidity). By default returns basic sensor info. Use show_only to filter by specific sensor indices (comma-separated). Use modified_since (Unix timestamp) to get only sensors updated after a specific time. Results include sensor metadata and real-time air quality measurements. List PurpleAir air quality sensors with optional filters
Example Prompts for PurpleAir in Claude Code
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Code agent to start working with PurpleAir immediately.
"What's the air quality near San Francisco right now?"
"Show me the PM2.5 trend for sensor 12345 over the last 24 hours."
"Find all outdoor sensors in Los Angeles and show me their PM2.5 readings."
Troubleshooting PurpleAir MCP Server with Claude Code
Common issues when connecting PurpleAir to Claude Code through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Command not found: claude
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeConnection timeout
PurpleAir + Claude Code FAQ
Common questions about integrating PurpleAir MCP Server with Claude Code.
How do I add an MCP server to Claude Code?
claude mcp add --transport http "" in your terminal. Claude Code registers the server and discovers all tools immediately.Can Claude Code run MCP tools in headless mode?
How do I list all connected MCP servers?
claude mcp in your terminal to see all registered servers and their status, or type /mcp inside an active Claude Code session.Connect PurpleAir with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect PurpleAir to Claude Code
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.