QgisRemoteMCP — QGIS Desktop as an MCP Server

Give any AI assistant a complete GIS workstation — data loading, spatial analysis, cartography, and multi-format export — all running in a live QGIS Desktop instance.

QgisRemoteMCP is an MCP server that exposes a full QGIS Desktop through Docker. The AI loads data, runs analysis, produces maps — while users interact with the same instance in their browser via noVNC.

Project status: Production-ready for single-user local deployments. Multi-user mode (per-user isolated containers with GPU passthrough) is functional but in beta. Developed at Cerema Méditerranée — published to share the approach and invite contributions.

What it does

Everything runs inside Docker — the AI calls MCP tools, QGIS does the work, the user sees results live in their browser. No local QGIS installation needed.

Quick start

1. Run

git clone https://github.com/nic01asFr/QgisRemoteMCP.git
cd QgisRemoteMCP
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --build

2. Verify

curl http://localhost:8100/health
# → {"status":"ok","bridge":true,"server":"QgisRemoteMCP","multi_user":false}

Access control

The REST API, the MCP server and noVNC check every non-loopback call (src/workspace_auth.py). /health and calls from 127.0.0.1 stay open.

In enforce mode, noVNC requires HTTP Basic auth (user hub, password = the token), and x11vnc only listens on the loopback interface.

3. Connect Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qgis": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:8100/mcp"
    }
  }
}

4. Connect Claude Code

The repo includes a .mcp.json — Claude Code picks it up automatically when you open the project directory.

Smart data loading

The core innovation: a structured pipeline that replaces unreliable live WFS connections with fast local GeoPackage files.

1. set_study_zone("Montpellier")         → geocode, store bbox, zoom
2. smart_load("osm_xyz")                 → basemap (streaming)
3. smart_load("bdtopo_batiments")        → 10,000 buildings as local GPKG
4. run_processing / execute_python       → analyse (fast, no network)
5. export_pdf / export_web_map           → deliver

Downloads are cached in /data/cache/ with bbox hash — same area = instant reload for 24h.

Performance (Montpellier, ~10 km bbox)

Available data sources

All sources are free (IGN open data since July 2021). No API key needed. 47 pre-configured in datasources.json.

Vector (WFS → local GPKG)

Basemaps & imagery (streaming)

APIs

ban_geocode (address search), geo_api_communes (commune info), dvf_api (property transactions), panoramax (street imagery), ign_altimetrie (elevation).

Recipes

Pre-built workflow templates — from data loading to styled map export in one command.

# Automated — all steps in one shot
run_recipe(id="risque_inondation", zone="Nimes")

# Manual — follow steps one by one
get_recipe(id="densite_bati", zone="Montpellier")

Export formats

Grist export — universal HTML converter

export_grist has two modes: 1. From QGIS project — exports loaded layers as Grist tables with map widget 2. From any HTML file — takes any Leaflet HTML containing GeoJSON (flood maps, temporal maps, qgis2web) and creates a Grist document with data in tables and the original interactive map as a custom widget

Auto-detected column types: Choice (colored dropdowns), Date (epoch timestamps), Ref (cross-table references). Form-like tables get a Grist Form page.

MCP tools (46)

Smart loading

Core

Async execution

Anything expected to run past 30 s — a heavy native:difference, an extractbylocation over 50 000 features, a wide smart_load — should be submitted rather than awaited. The bridge streams heartbeats, so a frozen Qt main thread is told apart from a dead bridge without waiting for a timeout to expire.

Data & layers

Styling & layout

Recipes

Export

Files

GUI interaction

Project management

MCP resources & prompts

Resources (skill documents)

Prompts

Multi-user mode (beta)

Each authenticated user gets an isolated QGIS container with its own project, data, and noVNC session.

Enable

# .env
MULTI_USER_MODE=true
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
IDLE_TIMEOUT_MINUTES=30

Uncomment the Docker socket volume in docker-compose.yml.

How it works

Agent A (Bearer: qgis_xxx)  →  Gateway (:8100)  →  Container-A (172.22.0.3:8080)
Agent B (Bearer: qgis_yyy)  →  Gateway (:8100)  →  Container-B (172.22.0.4:8080)

• POST /api/auth/register → get API key (qgis_...)
• All MCP calls with Authorization: Bearer qgis_xxx → routed to user's container
• Containers auto-start on first call, auto-stop after idle timeout
• Per-user data isolation (/data/users/<user_id>/)
• GPU automatically passed to workers when available (NVIDIA Container Toolkit)

Endpoints (multi-user)

GPU support

GPU is automatically detected at startup and passed through to all containers for compute workloads (GDAL CUDA, PyTorch, heavy raster processing). QGIS rendering stays on CPU (Xvfb limitation).

Requirements: - NVIDIA GPU - NVIDIA Container Toolkit - No configuration needed — auto-detection with graceful fallback to CPU

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 QgisRemoteMCP Container                      │
│                                                              │
│  supervisord                                                 │
│  ├── Xvfb :99              (virtual display 1920x1080)      │
│  ├── fluxbox               (window manager)                 │
│  ├── QGIS Desktop ◄──────────────────┐                     │
│  │   └── qgis_bridge.py  (startup)   │ UNIX socket         │
│  ├── x11vnc → noVNC       (:6080)    │                     │
│  ├── api_server.py         (:8080) ──┘                     │
│  ├── main_mcp.py           (:8100)                          │
│  └── stream_server.py      (:8081)                          │
│                                                              │
│  /data/          user files, projects, exports              │
│  /data/cache/    smart_load GPKG cache (24h)                │
│  /app/skills/    MCP resource documents                     │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Communication flow

MCP Client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, any MCP client)
  │ JSON-RPC over Streamable HTTP (:8100)
  ▼
main_mcp.py (MCP Server, 46 tools)
  │ HTTP → api_server.py (:8080) → UNIX socket
  ▼
qgis_bridge.py (runs inside QGIS, Qt main thread)
  │ PyQGIS API (iface, QgsProject, processing)
  ▼
QGIS Desktop (Xvfb :99) → x11vnc → noVNC (:6080) → browser

Workflow context

Every mutating tool response includes a _context with: - phase: setup / analysis / cartography / export (auto-detected) - study_zone: current zone name - layers: loaded layers with feature counts - hint: suggested next action

This guides the AI through structured workflows without hard restrictions.

Customization — skills, templates, recipes, data sources

QgisRemoteMCP is designed to be specialized for specific domains. All customization is file-based — no code changes needed.

Skills (MCP Resources)

Skills are Markdown documents in skills/ that teach the AI how to work. The LLM reads them on demand via skill:// URIs.

skills/
├── smart_loading.md     # Data loading pipeline, CRS, caching
├── pyqgis.md            # PyQGIS scripting patterns
├── processing.md        # Processing algorithms (native, GDAL, GRASS)
├── cartography.md       # Symbology, labels, layouts, PDF export
├── helpers.md           # Ready-made Python helpers reference
├── data_sources.md      # French national datasets
├── recipes.md           # Workflow recipes reference
└── external_services.md # Vision services (Moondream, SAMGeo3, DepthPro)

To add a skill: create skills/my_domain.md, then register it in main_mcp.py: - Add to RESOURCES[] with a skill://my-domain URI - Add to the _SKILL_MAP dict

Example: a skills/environnement.md skill could document environmental analysis patterns (species habitats, noise mapping, air quality), making the AI an environmental GIS specialist.

Print layout templates (.qpt)

QGIS print layout templates in templates/:

Templates use QGIS expressions for dynamic labels: [% @title %], [% @subtitle %], [% @data_sources %]. Variables are set by apply_layout_template().

To add a template: create a .qpt file in QGIS Layout Manager → Export as Template. Place it in templates/. It's automatically available via list_layout_templates and apply_layout_template.

Web map templates (Leaflet HTML)

Three specialized Leaflet templates in templates/web/:

Templates are plain HTML/JS with placeholder markers (__LAYERS_DATA__, __TITLE__) replaced at export time by the bridge.

To create a custom template: copy an existing one, modify the HTML/JS, and register it in qgis_bridge.py as a new export action.

Recipes (JSON workflows)

Recipes are step-by-step GIS workflows in recipes/:

{
  "id": "densite_bati",
  "name": "Carte de densité du bâti",
  "description": "Hex grid density analysis...",
  "tags": ["urbanisme", "densité"],
  "parameters": {
    "zone": {"type": "string", "required": true}
  },
  "steps": [
    {"action": "set_study_zone", "params": {"target": "{zone}"}},
    {"action": "smart_load", "params": {"id": "bdtopo_batiments"}},
    {"action": "run_processing", "params": {"algorithm": "native:creategrid", ...}},
    {"action": "set_layer_style", "params": {...}}
  ]
}

To add a recipe: create a JSON file in recipes/. It's automatically available via list_recipes, get_recipe, and run_recipe. Parameters like {zone} are substituted at runtime.

Data sources catalog

datasources.json contains 47 pre-configured French data sources. Each entry:

{
  "id": "bdtopo_batiments",
  "name": "Bâtiments (BD TOPO)",
  "category": "topography",
  "type": "wfs",
  "url": "https://data.geopf.fr/wfs/ows",
  "typename": "BDTOPO_V3:batiment",
  "description": "Buildings with usage, height, materials"
}

To add a source: add an entry to datasources.json. Supported types: wfs (downloaded as GPKG via smart_load), wms, wmts, xyz (streaming), api (custom).

Specialization patterns

To create a domain-specific QGIS MCP server:

1. Add domain skills — skills/urbanisme.md, skills/hydrologie.md, etc.
2. Add domain data sources — extend datasources.json with relevant WFS/WMS
3. Create domain recipes — automated workflows for common analyses
4. Design layout templates — branded .qpt with your organization's logo and style
5. Customize web templates — adapt Leaflet HTML templates for your visualization needs

The same Docker image serves all specializations — everything is configured through mounted files.

Project structure

QgisRemoteMCP/
├── main_mcp.py              # MCP Server (46 tools, 12 resources, 3 prompts)
├── qgis_app.html            # MCP App (interactive QGIS in conversation)
├── datasources.json         # 47 pre-configured French data sources
├── src/
│   ├── qgis_bridge.py       # Runs inside QGIS (47 actions, Qt main thread)
│   ├── qgis_helpers.py      # Python helpers (geocode, smart loading, etc.)
│   ├── api_server.py        # FastAPI REST API (file upload/download, commands)
│   ├── stream_server.py     # MJPEG stream
│   ├── auth.py              # Authentication (multi-user mode)
│   └── container_manager.py # Per-user Docker containers (multi-user mode)
├── skills/                  # MCP Resources (AI skill documents)
├── recipes/                 # Workflow recipes (JSON)
├── templates/               # Print layouts (.qpt) + web map templates (Leaflet)
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── supervisord.conf
├── entrypoint.sh
├── requirements.txt
├── .env.example
├── CLAUDE.md                # AI assistant instructions
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
└── LICENSE                  # MIT

Development

Source files are mounted as volumes in dev — edit locally, restart to apply:

docker compose restart qgisremotemcp
docker compose logs -f qgisremotemcp

QGIS bridge changes require a full restart (loaded at QGIS startup via PYQGIS_STARTUP).

Testing

# Health
curl http://localhost:8100/health

# Execute Python
curl -X POST http://localhost:8081/api/execute \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"code": "result[\"version\"] = Qgis.version()"}'

# Run a recipe
curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"run_recipe","arguments":{"id":"risque_inondation","zone":"Nimes"}}}'

What works, what doesn't

Stable (single-user, Docker)

• Full MCP server: 46 tools, 11 resources, 3 prompts, SSE streaming
• Smart data loading pipeline: WFS → GPKG with pagination, R-tree, caching
• All export formats: PDF, Leaflet (standard/flood/temporal), QField, Grist
• PyQGIS scripting with helpers module (geocode, overpass, smart loading)
• ~730 Processing algorithms (native, qgis, GDAL, GRASS, 3d) — SAGA n'est pas installe, et QGIS a retire son provider du coeur depuis la 3.30
• MCP App: interactive QGIS in conversation (noVNC + file management)
• Workflow recipes: 5 pre-built analysis templates
• Print layouts: A3/A4 with dynamic labels

Beta — functional, needs hardening

• Multi-user mode: per-user Docker containers with auth, session isolation, and idle cleanup. Tested with 2 concurrent users. Not yet tested at scale or in production.
• GPU passthrough: auto-detected and passed to workers for CUDA/compute. Works with NVIDIA Container Toolkit. Xvfb rendering stays CPU.
• Grist HTML→Grist converter: works with all tested Leaflet HTML files but edge cases may exist with unusual GeoJSON structures.

Known limitations

• QGIS rendering uses Mesa llvmpipe (CPU) — Xvfb cannot use GPU for OpenGL
• Single-file MCP server (main_mcp.py, ~2300 lines) — intentional for deployment simplicity
• In-memory sessions in multi-user mode — no persistence across gateway restarts
• No automated tests yet
• French-focused data sources (IGN, BD TOPO) — extend datasources.json for other countries

Compatible MCP clients

Tested with: - Claude Desktop (Windows, macOS) - Claude Code (CLI, VS Code, JetBrains) - Any MCP client supporting Streamable HTTP transport

Tech stack

• QGIS 3.40+ · PyQGIS · Processing · GDAL/OGR 3.8
• Python 3.12 · FastAPI · uvicorn · httpx · MCP SDK
• Docker · supervisord · Xvfb · fluxbox · x11vnc · noVNC
• MCP transport: Streamable HTTP (spec 2025-03-26)
• No database: all state in QGIS project + filesystem

Contributing

We welcome contributions — bug reports, feature ideas, or merge requests.

Particularly interested in

• Additional data sources — extend datasources.json for non-French datasets
• New recipes — workflow templates for common GIS analyses
• Testing — automated tests, CI/CD pipeline
• Multi-user hardening — HTTPS, rate limiting, session persistence
• Documentation — usage guides, video demos, tutorials

How to contribute

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feat/my-feature)
3. Test with a real QGIS container (docker compose up -d)
4. Submit a merge request

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

External vision services (optional)

Configure via MOONDREAM_URL, SAMGEO3_URL, DEPTHPRO_URL in .env.

Credits

• QGIS — https://qgis.org
• noVNC — https://novnc.com
• MCP — https://modelcontextprotocol.io
• IGN Geoplateforme — https://data.geopf.fr
• GDAL/OGR — https://gdal.org

License

MIT — Nicolas LAVAL, Cerema Méditerranée