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Connect National Archives Catalog to ChatGPT and Claude

Set it up once and it works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and any other client you love. It all runs safely in the background, so you can relax and focus on what really matters. Pull primary source history directly into your AI agent.

Ask AI about this Connector

Developed, maintained, and hosted by Vinkius.

MCP VERIFIED · PRODUCTION READY · VINKIUS GUARANTEED

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Works with modern AI clients that support MCP, including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and more.

ChatGPTClaudeCursorPerplexityGeminiMicrosoft CopilotRaycastMeta AI

Your AI does the work. We keep it safe and sound.

No other AI tool gives you this. Your workflow runs in the client you already love, your account stays protected, and you decide what the agent can and cannot do. It is the whole reason to make the switch.

Each Connector lives inside our infrastructure, the same place where your workflow runs. The three things below are already part of it, working quietly in the background so you never have to think about them. Nothing to add, nothing to set up, nothing to worry about.

A futuristic MCP client docking bay
V8 Isolate01

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed V8 runtime — no access to your files, your system, or other servers. A Connector never sees past its own request.

Kill Switch02

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

One action deactivates every Connector, revokes every token, and ends every session at once. AI Governance keeps the record.

FinOps per User03

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

Every user keeps their own connections and credentials, isolated from everyone else. Anything that would cross your spending limit is held for your approval, not billed.

Three controls, built into the layer your AI connects through.

Curated set · 40 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 10

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 01

    Search records by tag

    This capability searches the National Archives for records associated with specific tags.

  2. 02

    Create comment

    Use this to add a new comment to a specific record.

  3. 03

    Create tag

    This capability allows your agent to add a new tag to a record.

  4. 04

    Create transcription

    Use this to submit a new transcription for a record.

Capability set02 / 10

05-08

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 05

    Delete comment

    This capability removes or deactivates an existing comment.

  2. 06

    Delete contributions

    Use this to remove or deactivate multiple user contributions at once.

  3. 07

    Delete tag

    This capability deletes or deactivates a specific tag.

  4. 08

    Fetch coords

    This utility fetches JSON data from S3 using a provided URL.

Capability set03 / 10

09-12

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 09

    Get tags by naid

    Retrieve all tags associated with a specific National Archives Identifier.

  2. 10

    Get tags by userid

    This capability pulls all tags created by a specific user.

  3. 11

    Get transcription

    Retrieve a single transcription using its unique ID.

  4. 12

    Get transcriptions by naid

    This capability pulls all transcriptions linked to a specific record ID.

Capability set04 / 10

13-16

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 13

    Get user

    Retrieve public profile data for a specific user.

  2. 14

    Get user notifications

    This capability pulls a list of notifications for a specific user.

  3. 15

    Search records by contribution

    Search for records that are linked to specific user contributions.

  4. 16

    Update comment

    Use this to edit an existing comment on a record.

Capability set05 / 10

17-20

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 17

    Update transcription

    This capability adds or updates a transcription for a record.

  2. 18

    Get announcements

    Retrieve a list of all catalog announcements.

  3. 19

    Get comment

    Retrieve a single comment using its ID.

  4. 20

    Get comments by naid

    Pull all comments associated with a specific record ID.

Capability set06 / 10

21-24

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 21

    Get comments by userid

    Retrieve all comments made by a specific user.

  2. 22

    Get contributions by target naid

    Pull all contributions tied to a specific record ID.

  3. 23

    Get contributions by userid

    Retrieve all contributions made by a specific user ID.

  4. 24

    Get justifications

    Retrieve a list of justifications used for administrative actions.

Capability set07 / 10

25-28

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 25

    Get latest announcements

    Pull the most recent active announcements from the catalog.

  2. 26

    Get record children

    Retrieve the immediate child records of a specified parent ID.

  3. 27

    Get record stats

    Retrieve statistics regarding user contributions.

  4. 28

    Get tag

    Retrieve the details of a single tag by its ID.

Capability set08 / 10

29-32

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 29

    Get transcription history

    Retrieve the history of transcriptions for records.

  2. 30

    Get transcriptions by userid

    Pull all transcriptions created by a specific user.

  3. 31

    Get users

    Retrieve public account data, filterable by email, username, or role.

  4. 32

    Search comments

    Search through the catalog's comment data.

Capability set09 / 10

33-36

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 33

    Search contributions

    Search for specific user contribution data.

  2. 34

    Search records

    Search for records using specific URL parameters.

  3. 35

    Search records by comment

    Find records based on the content of their comments.

  4. 36

    Search records by text

    Search for records using extracted text data.

Capability set10 / 10

37-40

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 40 available through National Archives Catalog.

  1. 37

    Search records by transcription

    Find records by searching through their transcriptions.

  2. 38

    Search tags

    Search for specific tag data within the catalog.

  3. 39

    Search transcriptions

    Search through the catalog's transcription data.

  4. 40

    Update user

    Use this to update information for a specific user.

Real work

What teams actually run

01

Academic Research

A researcher asks the agent to find all documents related to a specific military unit from the Civil War.

02

Curriculum Building

A teacher has the agent find high-resolution historical photos for a classroom presentation.

03

Family History Tracing

A genealogist uses the agent to search through transcriptions to find a specific ancestor's name.

04

Archival Mapping

A user explores a specific collection by asking the agent to list all sub-records under a main file.

Automate a task

Put National Archives Catalog to work on one thing.

Step-by-step automations your AI runs through this Connector: the workflow, the prompts to start with, and the exact capabilities behind each move.

One connector, every AI

National Archives Catalog works with the most popular AI clients.

These are the most popular clients, each with a step-by-step guide: one link, set up once, with governance and visibility built in. And because everything runs on the MCP standard, the same connection also works in any other compatible client — nothing to rebuild.

ClaudeClaudeChatGPTChatGPTGeminiGeminiPerplexityPerplexityGrokGrokMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft CopilotCursorCursorVS CodeVS CodeWindsurfWindsurfJetBrainsJetBrainsClineClineLangChainLangChainVercel AI SDKVercel AI SDKLovableLovableZ.aiZ.aiRaycastRaycastQwen CodeQwen CodeKimi CodeKimi CodeLe ChatLe Chat

Building your own app? The connector is yours to use.

You don't need a client to put National Archives Catalog to work: the same hosted connection plugs into your own applications and agent code, with the same governance on every request. Build with it, chat with it — one connection for both.

Observed, not estimated

1233ms average. Fast in production.

National Archives Catalog is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1432ms
Oct 3Today
Fastest day
892ms
Slowest day
1432ms
14-day trend
Stable-1%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 40 capabilities arrive ready to run.

Preview access · not provider authentication

The vk_preview_* token belongs to Vinkius preview infrastructure. It lets Claude discover and display the capabilities of National Archives Catalog, so you can see the experience inside your AI.

It does not authenticate your account with National Archives Catalog. Actions requiring credentials or live account data may not run until you activate the Connector and authorize the service.

National Archives Catalog Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CAN62kfCWXF7RUif0QgtxGGIjnr0OJgIUTdW3cA4/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — National Archives Catalog capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "national-archives-catalog-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CAN62kfCWXF7RUif0QgtxGGIjnr0OJgIUTdW3cA4/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the guide. How to connect

Guided setup for Claude? Set up National Archives Catalog in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work National Archives Catalog owners hand off.

This MCP is built for anyone performing deep historical or genealogical research using primary source materials.

  • 01

    Historians

    They hand off the task of finding specific primary source documents and metadata to the agent.

  • 02

    Educators

    They use the agent to find historical photos and records to build lesson plans.

  • 03

    Genealogists

    They rely on the agent to search through millions of records and transcriptions for family history.

FAQ

Questions National Archives Catalog owners ask.

  • 01

    What is the National Archives Catalog MCP?

    It is a capability that lets your AI client interact directly with the US National Archives (NARA) to search and manage historical records.

  • 02

    Do I need a NARA API key?

    Yes, you will need to enter your NARA API key to authenticate the connection.

  • 03

    Can I add my own notes to the records?

    Yes, you can use the MCP to create, update, or delete comments and tags on records within the catalog.

  • 04

    Which AI clients can I use with this?

    You can use this MCP with any compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.

  • 05

    How does the search work?

    Your agent can search using text, tags, comments, or transcriptions to find specific historical context.

  • 06

    Can I search for records specifically by the text in their transcriptions?

    Yes. Use the search_records_by_transcription capability. This is particularly useful for handwritten documents that have been digitized and transcribed by volunteers.

  • 07

    How do I see the individual items within a larger archival series?

    Use the get_record_children capability with the parent NaId. This will list the immediate sub-records or files contained within that specific collection or series.

  • 08

    Can I contribute to the archives by adding tags via the AI?

    Yes, the create_tag capability allows you to add descriptive tags to a record using its National Archives Identifier (NaId), helping improve searchability for the community.

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