Use OrionAI from other AI assistants (MCP)

OrionGIS has an MCP server, in beta. MCP (the Model Context Protocol) is the standard way AI assistants connect to other tools. Once connected, an assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot can use OrionGIS data in its answers.

#What the assistant can do

Everything runs as you: the assistant sees only what you can see in OrionGIS. In this beta it cannot change or delete anything. Spatial analysis only ever adds a new dataset, private to you. Catalogue tools return public datasets only for now, not your private uploads.

Each tool call uses one OrionAI credit from your plan, the same as asking the Ask OrionAI panel.

#Connect

1. Open your profile and find Use OrionAI from another AI assistant under OrionAI.
2. Type a name for the key (for example Claude Desktop) and click Create key.
3. Copy the key. It is shown only once.
4. Add the server to your assistant:
   • Server URL: https://orionterrametrics.com/api/mcp
   • Authentication: a header Authorization: Bearer <your key>

#Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http oriongis https://orionterrametrics.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <your key>"

#Claude Desktop, Cursor and other clients that take a JSON config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "oriongis": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://orionterrametrics.com/api/mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer ${ORIONGIS_KEY}"],
      "env": { "ORIONGIS_KEY": "<your key>" }
    }
  }
}

Clients that only connect through a sign-in page (OAuth) are not supported yet in the beta.

#Try asking

• "Using OrionGIS, which of my forms got the most submissions this week, and is anything flagged?"
• "Find population and health facility data for Kisumu in OrionGIS."
• "Run a spatial analysis in OrionGIS: count health facilities per ward in Nairobi."

#Keep your keys safe

A key acts as you. Don't share it or put it in shared files. On your profile you can see when each key was last used, and Revoke removes it at once. You can have up to 10 keys.