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Vinkius
Claude DesktopIDE
Why use PurpleAir MCP Server with Claude Desktop?

Bring Air Quality
to Claude Desktop

Create your Vinkius account to connect PurpleAir to Claude Desktop and start using all 10 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.

MCP Inspector GDPR Free for Subscribers
Get Indoor SensorsGet Outdoor SensorsGet Pm25 SensorsGet Sensor DataGet Sensor HistoryGet Sensor History CsvGet Sensors By Bounding BoxGet Sensors By IndexGet Sensors Near MeList Sensors
ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

Compatible with every major AI agent and IDE

ClaudeClaude
ChatGPTChatGPT
CursorCursor
GeminiGemini
WindsurfWindsurf
VS CodeVS Code
JetBrainsJetBrains
VercelVercel
+ other MCP clients
PurpleAir

What is the 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.

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.

How it works

  1. Subscribe to this server
  2. Enter your PurpleAir API Read Key
  3. Start querying air quality data through Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client

Who is this for?

  • Environmental Scientists — track pollution trends and validate air quality models.
  • Public Health Officials — issue health advisories during poor air quality events.
  • Wildfire Response Teams — monitor smoke impacts in real-time across affected communities.
  • Real Estate Professionals — assess air quality for property evaluations.

Built-in capabilities (10)

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

Why Claude Desktop?

Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect PurpleAir 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.

  • 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

See it in action

PurpleAir in Claude Desktop

AI AgentVinkius
High Security·Kill Switch·Plug and Play
Enterprise Security

Why run PurpleAir with Vinkius?

The PurpleAir connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 10 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.

You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.

View full PurpleAir details →
PurpleAir
Fully ManagedNo server setup
Plug & PlayNo coding needed
SecurePrivacy protected
PrivateYour data is safe
Cost ControlBudget limits
Control1-click disconnect
Auto-UpdatesMaintenance free
High SpeedOptimized for AI
Reliable99.9% uptime
Your credentials and connection tokens are fully encrypted

* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure

01 / Catalog

Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents

Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.

02 / Credentials

Connect securely in under 30 seconds

Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.

03 / Guardian

Complete visibility into every agent action

Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.

04 / FinOps

Optimize spending and track token ROI

Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.

Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Complete visibility into every agent action
Optimize spending and track token ROI

Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working

This dashboard is included when you connect PurpleAir using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.

Why Vinkius

PurpleAir and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.

Professionals who connect PurpleAir to Claude Desktop through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.

4,000+MCP Integrations
<40msResponse time
100%Fully managed
Raw MCP
Vinkius
Ready-to-use MCPsFind and configure each manually4,000+ MCPs ready to use
Connection SetupManual coding & server setup1-click instant connection
Server HostingYou host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime)100% hosted & managed by Vinkius
Security & PrivacyStored in plaintext config filesBank-grade encrypted vault
Activity VisibilityBlind execution (no logs or tracking)Live dashboard with real-time logs
Cost ControlRunaway AI token spend riskAutomatic budget limits
Revoking AccessMust delete files or code to stop1-click disconnect button
The Vinkius Advantage

How Vinkius secures PurpleAir for Claude Desktop

Every request between Claude Desktop and PurpleAir is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.

< 40msCold start
Ed25519Signed audit chain
60%Token savings
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

01

How do I find air quality near my address?

Use the get_sensors_near_me tool with your latitude and longitude. Alternatively, search for sensors by bounding box using get_sensors_by_bounding_box with corner coordinates. The API will return nearby sensors with current PM2.5, temperature, and humidity readings.

02

Can I get historical air quality data?

Yes. Use get_sensor_history with a sensor index and time range (Unix timestamps). You can specify which fields to retrieve (PM2.5, temperature, humidity) and set an averaging interval (e.g. 3600 for hourly averages). For spreadsheet analysis, use get_sensor_history_csv to get data in CSV format.

03

What does PM2.5 mean and why is it important?

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles can penetrate deep into lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³ annual average. PurpleAir sensors measure PM2.5 in real-time, making them essential for health advisories and pollution monitoring.

04

How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?

When Claude Desktop starts, it reads the 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.

05

What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?

Claude Desktop handles disconnections gracefully. if the server is unreachable at startup, the tools simply won't appear. Once the server becomes available again, restarting Claude Desktop will re-establish the connection. There is no timeout penalty or error loop.

06

Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?

Yes. You can add as many servers as you need in the 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.

07

Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?

Claude Desktop can handle hundreds of tools per server. However, for optimal LLM performance, Vinkius servers are designed to expose focused, well-documented tool sets rather than overwhelming the model with too many options.

08

Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?

Yes. Claude Desktop supports both SSE (Server-Sent Events) and the newer Streamable HTTP transport that Vinkius uses. Simply provide the server URL. Claude auto-negotiates the transport protocol.

09

Server not appearing after restart

Ensure the JSON is valid (no trailing commas). Check the file path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).

10

Authentication error

Verify your Vinkius token is correct. Go to cloud.vinkius.com to regenerate it if needed.

11

Tools not showing in chat

Click the 🔌 icon at the bottom of the chat input. If it shows 0 tools, the server may still be connecting. wait a few seconds.

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