Planning Center

An MCP Server for Planning Center APIs

python

3

GitHub Stars

python

Language

6 months ago

First Indexed

2 months ago

Catalog Refreshed

Documentation & install

Readme and setup notes from the catalogue, plus a client-ready config you can copy for your MCP host.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zeatful-planning-center-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "planning-center-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PLANNING_CENTER_SECRET": "YOUR_SECRET",
        "PLANNING_CENTER_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
      }
    }
  }
}

This MCP server provides tools to query and filter Planning Center People data through a robust Model Context Protocol interface. You can retrieve lists of people by background checks, roles, age ranges, genders, household membership, family names, memberships, or perform targeted searches, then drill down to detailed person records. It is designed to simplify integrating Planning Center data into your workflows and apps via MCP.

How to use

You interact with this MCP server by connecting a compatible MCP client to its exposed tools. The server offers a set of endpoints that return filtered lists of people or detailed information about a specific person. To accomplish common tasks, you will select the appropriate tool, provide any required parameters (such as a family name, age range, or membership type), and then consume the resulting data in your application or automation.

How to install

Prerequisites: ensure you have Python installed and a runtime for your MCP server requests. You will also need a Runtime/Tooling that can execute MCP servers such as uv (UltraV8) for running Node or Python agents.

Step 1: Install the MCP runtime and dependencies.

Step 2: Prepare environment variables with your Planning Center credentials.

Step 3: Run the MCP server using one of the provided entry methods.

Configuration and startup options

The server can be started in multiple ways, either via a dedicated MCP entry or by directly running the Python implementation. The following runtime examples show the two common start methods.

uv run planning-center-mcp

uv run python main.py

Security and credentials

Store Planning Center API credentials in a dedicated environment file. Do not commit credentials to version control. Use the provided example file as a template and fill in your client ID and secret.

Rate limiting and reliability

Planning Center enforces a rate limit of 100 requests per minute. The MCP server tracks requests and will surface an appropriate error if the limit is exceeded. If you approach the limit, stagger requests or implement backoff in your integration.

Troubleshooting

Authentication issues: verify that your Planning Center credentials are correct in your environment configuration. If you encounter connection problems, check network access and the Planning Center API status.

Available tools

list_people_with_approved_background_checks

Retrieve all people who have approved background checks.

list_people_with_role

Find people who have a specific role.

list_people_by_age_range

Filter people by a specified age range.

list_people_by_gender

Filter people by gender.

list_people_with_household

Get people who belong to a household.

list_people_in_family

Find people by a family/last name.

list_people_with_membership

Get people with a specific membership type.

search_people

Search for people by name, email, or other identifying information.

get_person_details

Get detailed information about a specific person.