Bible

You can run a Bible passage MCP server that exposes passage retrieval through multiple deployment modes, enabling direct integration with AI assistants via stdio, networked HTTP MCP, or a full HTTP REST+MCP server configuration. This makes it simple to fetch Bible verses across translations in your apps, editors, or chat assistants.

How to use

Choose the deployment mode that fits your integration needs. For direct AI assistant use, run the server in stdio mode so it talks over stdin/stdout. For remote access via MCP, run in MCP mode over HTTP. If you want REST endpoints in addition to MCP, run in rest mode to enable both REST and MCP over HTTP.

Key capability you will use is the get_passage tool to fetch Bible verses. You can request single or multiple passages (separated by semicolons) and specify the translation version. The server supports multiple versions such as ESV, NIV, KJV, NASB, NKJV, NLT, AMP, and MSG.

Health checks and service information are available when you run the REST+MCP server, so you can monitor the service status from your orchestration or integration tooling. When testing with an AI assistant, you can point the MCP client at the HTTP MCP endpoint or interact directly via stdio for local development.

How to install

Prerequisites include Python 3.10 or newer and the uv package manager.

Install uv on Linux/macOS or Windows.

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Alternatively, install uv using Python’s pip package manager.

pip install uv

After installation, restart your terminal session to ensure uv is accessible.

Step 1: Install dependencies for the Bible MCP server.

# From this directory
cd mcp-bible

# Install dependencies
uv sync

Step 2: Configure environment (optional) by copying and editing the example environment file.

cp .env.example .env
vi .env

Step 3: Run the server in your preferred mode.

# Stdio mode (default)
uv run mcp-bible

# Explicit stdio mode
uv run mcp-bible --mode stdio

# MCP-only HTTP mode
uv run mcp-bible --mode mcp --port 3000 --no-auth

# REST + MCP HTTP mode
uv run mcp-bible --mode rest --port 3000 --no-auth

Configuration and endpoints

Mode details and endpoints you will use include a dedicated MCP endpoint and REST API. In MCP mode, you access the MCP protocol over HTTP at the endpoint that corresponds to the port you choose (for example, http://localhost:3000/mcp). In REST+MCP mode, you get both the MCP endpoint and standard REST endpoints, with a docs page at /docs and health checks at /health.

Environment variables you may configure relate to transport, authentication, and binding. Common options include enabling or disabling authentication, selecting the host and port, and toggling between stdio and HTTP modes.

Notes and troubleshooting

Test MCP tool availability by connecting an AI assistant to the proper endpoint and issuing a passage request such as a single verse or multiple verses separated by semicolons, specifying the translation as needed.

If you run into startup or connection issues, verify that the port you configured is open and that authentication settings (if enabled) are correctly applied. Health checks and service info endpoints help diagnose status.

Security and testing considerations

When running in production, consider enabling authentication and applying appropriate access controls for the MCP and REST endpoints. Use the health and info endpoints to monitor service health and readiness in your deployment environment.

A dedicated test workflow exercises all modes and ensures the MCP tools retrieve passages correctly across supported translations.

Available tools

get_passage

Retrieve Bible passages across translations. Supports multiple passages separated by semicolons (e.g., "John 3:16; Romans 8:28").