Getting Started

This page guides you through installing and configuring the simap MCP server for use with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or other MCP-compatible clients. It covers installation methods and basic setup verification.

For an overview of what the simap MCP server does, see Overview. This is a parent page; for deep technical details on specific setups, see the child pages:

• Installation Methods — Detail the three installation approaches: npx, global npm install, and building from source. Note that Node.js >=22 is now required (bumped from >=20 in v1.3.0; Node 20 reached end-of-life on 2026-04-30).
• Configuring for Claude — Show how to configure Claude Desktop and Claude Code to use the simap-mcp server, plus other MCP clients (Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, Zed) using the collapsible details blocks introduced in v1.2.1.

Prerequisites

Before installing the simap MCP server, ensure you have:

Requirement	Version	Notes
Node.js	≥ 22	Required to run the server. Node 20 reached EOL on 2026-04-30 package.json47-49
MCP Client	Any	Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, or Zed
npm	Latest	Comes bundled with Node.js

No simap account or API key is required as the API is public and read-only README.md38

Sources: package.json47-49 README.md34-38

Installation Methods

The simap MCP server can be installed using three methods, each suited for different use cases. For a detailed walkthrough of each, see Installation Methods.

Installation Method Comparison

Method	Command	Use Case
npx	npx -y @digilac/simap-mcp	Quick start, no global install needed README.md42-43
Global	npm install -g @digilac/simap-mcp	Faster startup for frequent use README.md182-186
Source	npm run build	Development and custom modifications README.md203-210

Sources: README.md40-225 package.json8-14

Configuring for Claude

Once installed, you must register the server with your MCP client. Detailed JSON structures and file paths for macOS, Windows, and Linux are available in Configuring for Claude.

Claude Desktop

Edit your claude_desktop_config.json to include the simap server definition. The recommended configuration uses npx README.md51-60

Claude Code (CLI)

Add the same configuration block to your global settings at ~/.claude/settings.json README.md67-80

Sources: README.md44-82

Server Startup and Communication

When an MCP client starts, it launches the simap MCP server as a child process. The entry point is defined as dist/index.js in the bin field of package.json package.json7-10

Lifecycle Diagram: Natural Language to Code Entity Space

The server utilizes the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk to handle JSON-RPC communication over standard I/O package.json55 It relies on zod for strict input validation of tool parameters, which was updated to ^4.4.3 in v1.2.4 to improve discriminatedUnion and preprocess handling package.json56-57

Sources: package.json7-10 package.json54-57

Verification

Verify your setup by asking your AI assistant a question that triggers the simap tools. Mention "in simap" to ensure proper tool routing README.md229-230:

1. Restart Client: Fully quit and restart your client (e.g., Claude Desktop or Cursor) to load the new configuration README.md62-100
2. Test Query: Ask "Show me new tenders published today in simap" README.md231
3. Check Capabilities: Ask "What simap tools do you have access to?". The assistant should list 14 tools including search_tenders, get_tender_details, and various nomenclature tools README.md17-32

Sources: README.md15-33 README.md227-235

Troubleshooting

• Node Version: Ensure node --version returns ≥ 22. Node.js 20 is no longer supported as of v1.3.0 package.json47-49
• Build Status: If running from source, ensure npm run build has been executed to generate the dist/ directory package.json11-12
• Pathing: For source installations, use absolute paths in your configuration to avoid resolution errors README.md213-223
• Debug Mode: If tools fail silently, enable verbose stderr logging by setting SIMAP_MCP_DEBUG=1. This logs full outbound URLs and response metadata to stderr.
• JSON Syntax: Ensure your configuration file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json) is valid JSON. A missing comma or bracket will prevent the client from loading any MCP servers.

Sources: package.json11-14 package.json47-49 README.md202-225