Connect Claude to your Universe/UniData database using natural language.
u2-mcp is an MCP server that lets AI assistants like Claude query and interact with Rocket Universe and UniData MultiValue databases. Ask questions in plain English and get real answers from your data.
The first MCP server for the Pick/MultiValue database family.
Instead of writing RetrieVe queries, just ask Claude:
| You Ask | Claude Does |
|---|---|
| "How many customers are in California?" | Queries the database and tells you "1,247 customers" |
| "Show me order ORD001" | Reads the record and displays all fields |
| "What files are available?" | Lists all files in your account |
| "Describe the CUSTOMERS file" | Shows field definitions from the dictionary |
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ Claude Desktop │◄───►│ u2-mcp │◄───►│ Universe/UniData│
│ (You ask here) │ │ (Translates) │ │ (Your data) │
└─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘
- You ask Claude a question about your database
- Claude calls u2-mcp with the appropriate tool
- u2-mcp queries your Universe/UniData server
- Results come back through Claude in a readable format
New to MCP? See What is MCP? for a complete explanation.
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| What is MCP? | Understanding MCP and how u2-mcp works |
| Installation | Complete installation guide |
| Quickstart | Get running in 10 minutes |
| Configuration | All configuration options |
| Tools Reference | Detailed tool documentation |
| Usage Examples | Common usage patterns |
| OAuth Setup | Claude.ai integration with SSO |
- Connection Management - Connect to Universe/UniData servers with connection pooling and SSL support
- File Operations - Read, write, and delete records while preserving MultiValue semantics
- Query Execution - Run RetrieVe/UniQuery statements with safety controls
- Dictionary Access - Explore file structures and field definitions
- BASIC Subroutine Calls - Execute cataloged BASIC programs
- Transaction Support - Full transaction management with commit/rollback
- AI-Optimized - Built-in query examples and syntax help for better LLM interactions
pip install u2-mcpOr using uvx for isolated execution:
uvx u2-mcp- Python 3.10+
- Access to a Rocket Universe or UniData server
- The
uopypackage (installed automatically as a dependency)
Set environment variables for your database connection:
export U2_HOST=server.example.com
export U2_USER=username
export U2_PASSWORD=password
export U2_ACCOUNT=MYACCOUNT
export U2_SERVICE=uvcs # or 'udcs' for UniDataAdd to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"u2": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["u2-mcp"],
"env": {
"U2_HOST": "server.example.com",
"U2_USER": "user",
"U2_PASSWORD": "password",
"U2_ACCOUNT": "MYACCOUNT"
}
}
}
}Once connected, you can use natural language to interact with your Universe database:
- "List all customers in California"
- "Read record CUST001 from the CUSTOMERS file"
- "Show me the dictionary for the ORDERS file"
- "Count all open invoices over $1000"
connect- Establish connection to Universe/UniData serverdisconnect- Close connectionslist_connections- Show active connections
list_files- List available files in the accountread_record- Read a single record by IDread_records- Read multiple recordswrite_record- Write/update a recorddelete_record- Delete a recordget_file_info- Get file statistics
execute_query- Run RetrieVe/UniQuery statementsexecute_tcl- Run TCL/ECL commandsget_select_list- Execute SELECT and return record IDs
list_dictionary- List dictionary itemsget_field_definition- Get field detailsdescribe_file- High-level file description
call_subroutine- Call BASIC subroutinesbegin_transaction/commit_transaction/rollback_transaction- Transaction management
save_knowledge- Save learned information about the databaselist_knowledge- List all saved knowledge topicsget_knowledge_topic- Retrieve specific topicsearch_knowledge- Search across saved knowledgedelete_knowledge- Remove a knowledge topic
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
U2_HOST |
Server hostname or IP | Required |
U2_USER |
Username | Required |
U2_PASSWORD |
Password | Required |
U2_ACCOUNT |
Account name | Required |
U2_SERVICE |
Service type (uvcs or udcs) |
uvcs |
U2_PORT |
Server port | 31438 |
U2_SSL |
Enable SSL | false |
U2_TIMEOUT |
Connection timeout (seconds) | 30 |
U2_READ_ONLY |
Disable write operations | false |
U2_MAX_RECORDS |
Maximum SELECT results | 10000 |
U2_BLOCKED_COMMANDS |
Comma-separated blocked TCL commands | DELETE.FILE,CLEAR.FILE |
U2_KNOWLEDGE_PATH |
Custom path for knowledge file | ~/.u2-mcp/knowledge.md |
The MCP server includes a knowledge persistence feature that allows Claude to save and recall learned information about your database across sessions. This eliminates repetitive discovery work and speeds up future interactions.
When Claude discovers useful information about your database (file purposes, field meanings, working queries), it can save this knowledge using the save_knowledge tool. This information is stored in a markdown file and automatically available in future conversations via the u2://knowledge resource.
- File descriptions - What each file contains (e.g., "AR-CUST is the customer master file")
- Field mappings - Which fields contain what data (e.g., "Field 1 is customer name")
- Query patterns - Queries that produced good results
- Data formats - Date formats, code meanings, conversion notes
- Relationships - How files relate to each other
Knowledge is stored in ~/.u2-mcp/knowledge.md by default. You can customize this location using the U2_KNOWLEDGE_PATH environment variable:
{
"env": {
"U2_KNOWLEDGE_PATH": "/path/to/custom/knowledge.md"
}
}After Claude discovers that AR-CUST contains customer records:
Claude: I found that AR-CUST is the customer master file. Let me save this for future reference.
[Calls save_knowledge("AR-CUST file", "Customer master file. Key is customer number. Field 1=name, Field 2=address...")]
In the next conversation, Claude will already know this and won't need to rediscover it.
For team environments, you can run u2-mcp as a centralized HTTP server instead of local stdio mode. This allows:
- Single database connection for the whole team
- Shared knowledge base
- Centralized credential management
- Access from any MCP-compatible client
# Basic HTTP server on default port 8080
u2-mcp --http
# Custom host and port
u2-mcp --http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 3000
# Or using environment variables
export U2_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0
export U2_HTTP_PORT=3000
u2-mcp --httpFROM python:3.12-slim
RUN pip install u2-mcp
ENV U2_HOST=your-universe-server
ENV U2_USER=username
ENV U2_PASSWORD=password
ENV U2_ACCOUNT=MYACCOUNT
ENV U2_HTTP_PORT=8080
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["u2-mcp", "--http"]docker build -t u2-mcp-server .
docker run -p 8080:8080 u2-mcp-server| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
U2_HTTP_HOST |
Host to bind HTTP server to | 0.0.0.0 |
U2_HTTP_PORT |
Port for HTTP server | 8080 |
U2_HTTP_CORS_ORIGINS |
Allowed CORS origins (comma-separated or *) |
* |
The HTTP server exposes an SSE (Server-Sent Events) endpoint at /sse. MCP clients that support remote servers can connect to:
http://your-server:8080/sse
Note: As of late 2024, Claude Desktop only supports local stdio MCP servers. HTTP/SSE mode is for:
- Custom MCP clients
- Future Claude Desktop versions with remote server support
- Integration with other AI tools that support MCP over HTTP
Deploy u2-mcp as a Custom Connector in Claude.ai with enterprise authentication via your identity provider (Duo, Auth0, Okta, etc.).
- Deploy u2-mcp with OAuth enabled:
u2-mcp --streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080- Configure OAuth in your
.env:
U2_AUTH_ENABLED=true
U2_AUTH_ISSUER_URL=https://u2-mcp.example.com
U2_IDP_PROVIDER=duo
U2_IDP_DISCOVERY_URL=https://sso-xxx.sso.duosecurity.com/oidc/CLIENT_ID/.well-known/openid-configuration
U2_IDP_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
U2_IDP_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret- Add to Claude.ai: Go to Settings → Connectors → Add Custom Connector → Enter your URL
Users authenticate through your IdP and can then query your database directly from Claude.ai.
- Cisco Duo - Enterprise MFA and SSO
- Auth0 - Flexible identity platform
- Any OIDC Provider - Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, Keycloak, etc.
See the OAuth Guide for detailed setup instructions.
- Credentials are never logged
- Configurable command blocklist prevents dangerous operations
- Optional read-only mode for safe exploration
- Honors Universe's built-in security model
See SECURITY.md for reporting security vulnerabilities.
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
- Quickstart Guide - Get running in 10 minutes
- What is MCP? - Understanding MCP and how u2-mcp works
- Installation Guide - Detailed installation instructions
- Configuration Reference - All environment variables
- Tools Reference - Complete tool documentation
- Usage Examples - Common usage patterns
- OAuth & Claude.ai Integration - Deploy as a Claude.ai Custom Connector
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.
- Rocket Software for the
uopypackage - Anthropic for the Model Context Protocol specification
- The MultiValue database community