Frequently Asked Questions about FamilySearch MCP Server

Q: What is the FamilySearch MCP Server? A: The FamilySearch MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI tools like Claude or Cursor to interact directly with FamilySearch’s family history data through their APIs.

Q: What are the prerequisites for using the FamilySearch MCP Server? A: You need Node.js 16+ and npm, a FamilySearch developer account with API credentials, and a FamilySearch user account with access to Family Tree data.

Q: How do I install the FamilySearch MCP Server? A: Clone the repository, install dependencies using npm install, and build the project with npm run build.

Q: How do I set up the FamilySearch API credentials? A: Go to FamilySearch Developers, sign in, create a new application, set the redirect URI to https://localhost:8080/oauth-redirect, and copy your Client ID.

Q: How do I run the server? A: Run the command npm start.

Q: How do I configure the server with my FamilySearch API credentials? A: Use the configure tool with your client ID: Configure FamilySearch API credentials with clientId: YOUR_CLIENT_ID_HERE.

Q: How do I authenticate with FamilySearch? A: Use the authenticate tool with your FamilySearch username and password: Authenticate with FamilySearch using username: your_username and password: your_password.

Q: Where are my credentials stored? A: Your credentials are stored securely in ~/.familysearch-mcp/config.json.

Q: What are some available MCP tools? A: Basic tools include say-hello, configure, authenticate, and get-current-user. Family Tree tools include search-persons, get-person, get-ancestors, and get-descendants. Historical Records tools include search-records.

Q: Can you provide some example queries? A: Sure! Here are a few:

• Search for persons with name: "John Smith" birthPlace: "New York"
• Get person with personId: ABCD-123
• Get ancestors for personId: ABCD-123 with generations: 4
• Search records with surname: "Johnson" birthPlace: "England" deathDate: "1880-01-01"

Q: Is the FamilySearch MCP Server secure? A: Yes, your FamilySearch credentials are stored locally on your machine. Never share the ~/.familysearch-mcp/config.json file with others.

Q: What license is the FamilySearch MCP Server released under? A: The FamilySearch MCP Server is released under the ISC license.

Q: How does the FamilySearch MCP Server integrate with UBOS? A: The FamilySearch MCP Server connects AI agents built on the UBOS platform to FamilySearch data, enabling automated genealogy research, personalized family history experiences, and more. UBOS provides a full-stack AI Agent Development Platform, allowing users to orchestrate AI Agents, connect them with enterprise data, and build custom AI Agents to leverage data for Multi-Agent Systems.