HDF5 FastMCP - Scientific Data Access for AI Agents | CLIO Kit MCP Server
CLIO Kit is the IoWarp meta-marketplace for scientific computing. It brings together MCP servers, workflow skills, plugins, agent definitions, and community contributions—including plugins from external marketplaces—and enables AI agents to interact with HPC resources, scientific data formats, and research datasets.
Choose individual MCPs, skills, agents and hooks—or a plugin that bundles what your workflow needs. A plugin can include any of these components; it does not need all four.
Documentation · For agents: read here.
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Developed by
Gnosis Research Center
Working with scientific data and HPC resources requires manual scripting and tool-specific knowledge:
Install workflow bundles, use skills to guide your agent, and discover community tools:
MCP servers · Skills · Plugins · Agents · Hooks · Community marketplaces
CLIO Kit is part of the IoWarp platform's tooling ecosystem for AI agents. Its meta-marketplace brings tools and reusable workflows together for scientific computing—from exploring HDF5 datasets and managing Slurm jobs to analyzing results and finding research papers. Built by researchers, for researchers, at Illinois Institute of Technology with NSF support.
Part of IoWarp Platform: CLIO Kit is the platform's meta-marketplace and tooling layer, bringing together MCP servers, skills, workflow plugins, agent definitions, and community marketplace collections.
One launcher for MCP servers. Individual components or workflow bundles. BSD-3-Clause licensed, with automated checks and real installation, MCP, and HPC workflow tests. See the validation guide for tested coverage and environment requirements.
git clone https://github.com/iowarp/clio-kit.git
cd clio-kit
Recommended: Ask your agent:
Read setup.md and set up CLIO Kit for me.
Manual setup: Install this checkout's launcher, then choose an option below. For the no-clone release route (2.11.0 or newer), see selective installation.
uv tool install --force --reinstall --editable ".[verification]"
Install a workflow plugin (bundle) with its MCP servers and skills:
claude plugin marketplace add "$PWD"
claude plugin install clio-hpc@clio-kit
claude mcp list
Restart Claude Code after installation and confirm the servers connect. First launches download dependencies; see startup recovery if a server exceeds the client's connection timeout.
Or install an individual MCP or a skill collection:
claude plugin install clio-hdf5@clio-kit # HDF5 server
claude plugin install clio-scientific-io-skills@clio-kit # Scientific I/O skills
Claude Code uses plugin install for component packages too. CLIO Kit lists
those separately from workflow plugins; see components and plugins.
Install a workflow's skills and MCP configuration together:
clio-kit plugin install clio-scientific-io --client codex --project /path/to/project
Also supports opencode, cursor, antigravity, vscode and claude-code.
This sets up project components; native agents and hooks need client-specific
adapters. See client installation and limits.
Install a bundle or one skill into your project:
# Bundle
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-scientific-io --target /path/to/project/.agents/skills
# Individual skill
clio-kit skill install dataset-explore --target /path/to/project/.agents/skills
Configure the required MCP servers using setup.md. Use your agent’s supported skill directory.
Requires Node.js 22.20.0+. From your working project:
# All skills
npx skills@1.5.25 add /path/to/clio-kit --skill '*' --agent codex --copy
# Individual skill
npx skills@1.5.25 add /path/to/clio-kit --skill dataset-explore --agent codex --copy
Replace codex with claude-code or antigravity. MCP servers require separate configuration.
Choose either the Python or npm installer for each skill. See the skills CLI guide for selecting skills, updates and removal.
# From the CLIO Kit checkout, install the CLI in a persistent tool environment
uv tool install --force --reinstall --editable .
# If uv's executable directory is not on PATH:
uv tool update-shell
# List all 22 available MCP servers
clio-kit mcp-servers
# Run an individual server
clio-kit mcp-server hdf5
clio-kit mcp-server pandas
clio-kit mcp-server slurm
Once 2.11.0 is published, install it with uv tool install 'clio-kit>=2.11.0'
(2.11.0 or newer; earlier releases lack the skill, plugin and doctor commands).
uv tool install creates a persistent, isolated environment; use
uvx --from 'clio-kit>=2.11.0' clio-kit ... for a temporary, one-shot invocation.
The release separates the small launcher from component downloads: one MCP
fetches only that server, one skill fetches only its files, and a workflow selects
its components. Server dependencies stay isolated and locked. See
selective installation for release, checkout and native plugin routes.
The --branch option is for development, not an immutable release installation.
The wheel also includes machine-readable tool contracts for JARVIS, Slurm, Spack and Scientific Catalog, with SHA-256 digests for downstream verification:
clio-kit mcp-contracts
clio-kit mcp-contract clio-kit-jarvis-user-v3.7.2
clio-kit mcp-contract clio-kit-slurm-user-v3
clio-kit mcp-contract clio-kit-spack-user-v2.3
clio-kit mcp-contract clio-kit-scientific-catalog-user-v1.1
These are broad workflow plugins. Each combines its MCP servers and skills.
| Bundle | Purpose | MCP servers |
|---|---|---|
clio-hpc | Build software and run cluster jobs | spack, lmod, jarvis, slurm, node-hardware |
clio-performance | Diagnose slow jobs and inspect logs | darshan, chronolog, parallel-sort |
clio-scientific-io | Explore scientific data files | hdf5, adios, parquet, compression |
clio-analysis | Analyze results and create figures | pandas, plot, paraview |
clio-geoscience | Work with maps, terrain and waveforms | geo, terrain, seismology |
clio-research | Find papers and datasets | arxiv, ndp, scientific-catalog, web |
Some servers require additional system software. See setup and prerequisites. See plugin composition for primary bundles and task plugins that combine components across them.
For a complete dataset-report workflow—HDF5, Pandas, Plot, a skill, evidence review and a verification hook:
claude plugin install clio-dataset-report@clio-kit
See dataset reports for inputs and verification limits.
Skills provide workflow instructions and guidance for interpreting results. Claude Code users can install skills or agent definitions separately:
claude plugin install clio-skills@clio-kit
claude plugin install clio-agents@clio-kit
The shared installer supports Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, Antigravity and VS Code. Codex, Claude Code and OpenCode also have adapters for the scientific agents and Dataset Report hooks. See client support.
Add the optional Clio Coder coding and research skills, including Materio procedures:
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-coder --target .agents/skills
# Or through Claude Code:
claude plugin install clio-coder-skills@clio-kit
Individual skills also work: clio-kit skill install clio-kit-scientific-debugging --target .agents/skills.
Adapted Clio Coder skills use the clio-kit- prefix to distinguish them from upstream originals.
See Clio Coder integration for upstream packages and native plugin support.
Contribute a package folder under plugins/, skills/, agents/ or hooks/;
website builds and CI update the catalogues automatically. See the folder contribution guide.
Add skills here, or list a plugin maintained in your own repository:
clio-kit plugin init my-plugin
clio-kit plugin validate my-plugin
clio-kit plugin submit my-plugin --repo owner/name
submit generates a community entry for a pull request. External servers can use any language; servers hosted inside CLIO currently support Python, Node.js and Go.
Add an optional Claude Code hook with clio-kit plugin init my-plugin --hook. See the hook guide.
See the contribution guide and community guide for requirements and submission details.
Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"clio-hdf5": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "hdf5"] },
"clio-adios": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "adios"] },
"clio-parquet": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "parquet"] },
"clio-compression": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "compression"] }
}
}
Install the workflow skills from your project:
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-scientific-io --target .cursor/skills
See Cursor MCP docs and skills docs.
From the CLIO Kit checkout, install the workflow plugin with its MCPs and skills:
claude plugin marketplace add "$PWD"
claude plugin install clio-scientific-io@clio-kit
claude mcp list
Skills-only and agent plugins:
claude plugin install clio-skills@clio-kit # scientific workflow skills, no MCP servers
claude plugin install clio-agents@clio-kit # workflow planner and evidence reviewer
See setup.md for details.
Add to .vscode/mcp.json for GitHub Copilot:
{
"servers": {
"clio-hdf5": { "type": "stdio", "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "hdf5"] },
"clio-adios": { "type": "stdio", "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "adios"] },
"clio-parquet": { "type": "stdio", "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "parquet"] },
"clio-compression": { "type": "stdio", "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "compression"] }
}
}
Install the workflow skills from your project:
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-scientific-io --target .github/skills
Start the servers with MCP: List Servers. The Codex extension uses the Codex configuration below. See VS Code MCP docs and skills docs.
Edit claude_desktop_config.json through Settings → Developer → Edit Config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"clio-hdf5": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "hdf5"] },
"clio-adios": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "adios"] },
"clio-parquet": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "parquet"] },
"clio-compression": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "compression"] }
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. This config adds MCP servers only; CLIO's native skill and agent plugins target Claude Code. See Claude Desktop MCP docs.
Add the MCP servers for Codex CLI or its IDE extension:
codex mcp add clio-hdf5 -- clio-kit mcp-server hdf5
codex mcp add clio-adios -- clio-kit mcp-server adios
codex mcp add clio-parquet -- clio-kit mcp-server parquet
codex mcp add clio-compression -- clio-kit mcp-server compression
codex mcp list
Install the workflow skills from your project:
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-scientific-io --target .agents/skills
Check /mcp and /skills in Codex. To install a complete supported workflow, use
clio-kit plugin install clio-dataset-report --client codex --project .; review
its hooks with /hooks before running it.
See Codex MCP docs and
skills docs.
Open MCP Servers → Manage MCP Servers → View raw config and add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"clio-hdf5": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "hdf5"] },
"clio-adios": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "adios"] },
"clio-parquet": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "parquet"] },
"clio-compression": { "command": "clio-kit", "args": ["mcp-server", "compression"] }
}
}
Install the workflow skills from your project:
clio-kit skill install --bundle clio-scientific-io --target .agents/skills
Reload the MCP configuration. For Antigravity CLI, start the first session from
this project with agy --new-project so its local skills and MCP configuration
are loaded. Reopen it with agy --project <project-name-or-id>.
Reuse .agents/skills if already installed for Codex.
CLIO does not yet ship a native Antigravity plugin.
See Antigravity MCP docs and
skills docs.
The version below identifies each MCP server's contract and runtime release,
independently of the containing clio-kit wheel version. JARVIS 3.7 and SLURM 3.0 have contracts
redesigned for agent use. Spack is at 2.3, while the other
contracts retain their existing 2.x identities until a focused upgrade.
The Spack install contract makes concretization explicit: reuse=true passes
spack install --reuse, while reuse=false passes spack install --fresh.
Agents should discover first, install only when needed, then pass the exact
spack_locate result to JARVIS for runtime loading. A find with no installed
match is normal typed data (count=0, packages=[]); locate reports the
distinct not_installed semantic, while real Spack failures remain errors.
| 📦 Package | 📌 Ver | 🔧 System | 📋 Description | ⚡ Install Command |
|---|---|---|---|---|
adios | 2.2.5 | Data I/O | Read data using ADIOS2 engine | clio-kit mcp-server adios |
arxiv | 2.2.5 | Research | Fetch research papers from ArXiv | clio-kit mcp-server arxiv |
chronolog | 2.0.3 | Logging | Log and retrieve data from ChronoLog | clio-kit mcp-server chronolog |
compression | 2.2.5 | Utilities | File compression with gzip | clio-kit mcp-server compression |
darshan | 2.2.5 | Performance | I/O performance trace analysis | clio-kit mcp-server darshan |
geo | 2.3.1 | Geospatial | Render GeoJSON vector layers with basemaps | clio-kit mcp-server geo |
hdf5 | 2.2.6 | Data I/O | HPC-optimized scientific data with 27 tools, AI insights, caching, streaming | clio-kit mcp-server hdf5 |
jarvis | 3.7.4 | Workflow | Durable pipeline, bounded package discovery, progress, artifact, and service-runtime management | clio-kit mcp-server jarvis |
lmod | 3.0.1 | Environment | Environment module management | clio-kit mcp-server lmod |
ndp | 2.2.5 | Data Protocol | Search and discover datasets across CKAN instances | clio-kit mcp-server ndp |
node-hardware | 2.3.0 | System | System hardware information | clio-kit mcp-server node-hardware |
pandas | 2.3.0 | Data Analysis | CSV data loading and filtering | clio-kit mcp-server pandas |
parallel-sort | 2.3.0 | Computing | Large file sorting | clio-kit mcp-server parallel-sort |
paraview | 2.2.5 | Visualization | Scientific 3D visualization and analysis | clio-kit mcp-server paraview |
parquet | 2.2.5 | Data I/O | Read Parquet file columns | clio-kit mcp-server parquet |
plot | 2.2.5 | Visualization | Generate plots from CSV data | clio-kit mcp-server plot |
seismology | 2.3.1 | Seismology | Analyze SAC waveforms and archives | clio-kit mcp-server seismology |
scientific-catalog | 1.1.4 | Discovery | Operator-owned scientific dataset discovery | clio-kit mcp-server scientific-catalog |
slurm | 3.0.2 | HPC | Job submission and management | clio-kit mcp-server slurm |
spack | 2.3.1 | Package Management | Structured package discovery, installation, and location | clio-kit mcp-server spack |
terrain | 2.2.5 | Geospatial | Analyze DEMs and terrain point clouds | clio-kit mcp-server terrain |
web | 2.1.3 | Web | Web search and URL fetch, with queryable, cancellable fetch tasks; DOI and document conversion need a remote service | clio-kit mcp-server web |
"What datasets are in climate_simulation.h5? Show me the temperature field structure and read the first 100 timesteps."
Tools used: open_file, analyze_dataset_structure, read_partial_dataset, list_attributes
"Submit simulation.py to Slurm with 32 cores, 64GB memory, 24-hour runtime. Monitor progress and retrieve output when complete."
Tools used: slurm_submit, slurm_list, slurm_describe
"Find the latest papers on diffusion models from ArXiv, get details on the top 3, and export citations to BibTeX."
Tools used: search_arxiv, get_paper_details, export_to_bibtex, download_paper_pdf
"Load sales_data.csv, clean missing values, compute statistics by region, and save as Parquet."
Tools used: load_data, handle_missing_data, groupby_operations, save_data
"Create a line plot showing temperature trends over time from weather.csv with proper axis labels."
Tools used: line_plot, data_info
If clio-kit mcp-server <server-name> fails:
# Verify server name is correct
clio-kit mcp-servers
# Common names: hdf5, pandas, slurm, arxiv (not hdf5-mcp, pandas-mcp)
For development or local testing:
cd mcp-servers/hdf5
uv sync --all-extras --dev
uv run hdf5-mcp
Install uv package manager:
# Linux/macOS
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Windows
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
# Or via pip
pip install uv
Then install CLIO Kit persistently and expose uv's tool directory:
uv tool install --force --reinstall --editable .
uv tool update-shell
Open a new shell after update-shell, then check it resolved:
clio-kit mcp-servers
NSF (National Science Foundation) - Supporting scientific computing research and AI integration initiatives
we welcome more sponsorships. please contact the Principal Investigator
Full Guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:
uvx clio-kitMerge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.
{
"mcpServers": {
"io-github-iowarp-hdf5-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"clio-kit"
]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.
Claude Desktop setup referenceclio-kitpypiCLIO Hdf5 works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect..vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect..mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.