bgg-searchLABSCO SUMMARY
Goes past the BGG database into the things people actually want: what it costs now, what to play next, and what the rule really says.
Prices come from retailer data and recommendations from a similarity engine, so two of the most common questions get real answers rather than a link. The rules tool is the experimental one and works by searching the forums, which is where board game rules arguments are in fact settled — mention it by name in your question to steer the assistant there.
What it is
A Go server over the BoardGameGeek API, with retailer pricing from BoardGamePrices.co.uk and similarity recommendations from Recommend.Games alongside it.
What you get
- Game search with type filtering — base games, expansions, or both — and full detail for any game
- A user's collection queried and filtered, with extensive filter options, and user profile lookup
- The current BGG hotness list
- Current prices from several retailers, looked up by BGG id
- Trading opportunities worked out between two BGG users
- Recommendations for games similar to one you name
- Forum threads read in full, and an experimental rules tool that answers a rules question by searching BGG forums for the relevant discussion
- Two resources an assistant can read directly — the hotness list, and your own collection — plus prompts for a trade sales post and personalised recommendations
Requirements
Authentication for the BoardGameGeek API: either BGG_API_KEY, requested through BGG's API application form, or BGG_COOKIE with your session — the key wins if both are set. Setting BGG_USERNAME lets you say "my collection" instead of naming yourself every time. Published as a Docker image and listed on the MCP registry; you can also build the Go binary yourself and run it over stdio.
Setup effort
Follow the published steps
USE CASES
01
Settling a rules argument mid-game
Ask the rules question and let it search BGG forums for the thread where it was answered.
02
Deciding what to buy next
Get games similar to one you love, then check what they cost across retailers right now.
03
Making sense of your own shelf
Query your collection with filters — player count, rating, status — instead of scrolling the site.
04
Setting up a trade
Compare two users' collections for matches, then write the sales post from your for-trade list.
05
Keeping up with what people are playing
Read the current hotness list and pull details on anything that looks interesting.
10 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
bgg-detailsbgg-collectionbgg-hotbgg-userbgg-pricebgg-trade-finderbgg-recommenderbgg-thread-detailsbgg-rulesBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
10 tools named in the project's documentation. bgg-rules is experimental; include "use bgg-rules" in your prompt to trigger it. Names are hyphenated (bgg-search), and the bgg://my-collection resource needs BGG_USERNAME.
Requires
BGG_API_KEY in your environment (or BGG_COOKIE instead)
Where it runs
All 6 documented setups run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
Get a BGG API key from BoardGameGeek's API application form (https://boardgamegeek.com/applications) — authentication is required for most tools
Docker path (recommended): paste the docker config block into claude_desktop_config.json / settings.json; <YOUR_BGG_API_KEY> is your BGG API key and <YOUR_BGG_USERNAME> your BoardGameGeek username
Manual path instead — 1) Install Go (https://go.dev/doc/install)
Manual path — 2) Build: make build (output goes to build/bgg-mcp), or directly go build -o build/bgg-mcp
Manual path — 3) Add the binary config block to settings.json / claude_desktop_config.json, pointing command at the binary you built
MCP Clients
Claude Desktop — Docker, Cursor — Docker
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"bgg": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"BGG_API_KEY",
"-e",
"BGG_USERNAME",
"kdaniel/bgg-mcp"
],
"env": {
"BGG_API_KEY": "<YOUR_BGG_API_KEY>",
"BGG_USERNAME": "<YOUR_BGG_USERNAME>"
}
}
}
}The configuration on this page does not set BGG_COOKIE, and it does not need to: the README offers it as the alternative to BGG_API_KEY. To use it, put it in the server's env block instead, as "BGG_COOKIE": "bggusername=user; bggpassword=pass; SessionID=xyz" with your own values. The Docker cards also need -e BGG_COOKIE in args.
VS Code — Docker
VS CODE — DOCKER · JSON
{
"servers": {
"bgg": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"BGG_API_KEY",
"-e",
"BGG_USERNAME",
"kdaniel/bgg-mcp"
],
"env": {
"BGG_API_KEY": "<YOUR_BGG_API_KEY>",
"BGG_USERNAME": "<YOUR_BGG_USERNAME>"
}
}
}
}The configuration on this page does not set BGG_COOKIE, and it does not need to: the README offers it as the alternative to BGG_API_KEY. To use it, put it in the server's env block instead, as "BGG_COOKIE": "bggusername=user; bggpassword=pass; SessionID=xyz" with your own values. The Docker cards also need -e BGG_COOKIE in args.
Claude Desktop — Local Build, Cursor — Local Build
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"bgg": {
"command": "<YOUR_PATH_TO_BUILD_BGG_MCP>",
"args": [
"-mode",
"stdio"
],
"env": {
"BGG_API_KEY": "<YOUR_BGG_API_KEY>",
"BGG_USERNAME": "<YOUR_BGG_USERNAME>"
}
}
}
}Point command at the full path of the build/bgg-mcp binary that make build (or go build -o build/bgg-mcp) wrote in your clone. Use your own BGG API key — or, instead, set BGG_COOKIE to your BGG session cookie; if both are set the key is used. BGG_USERNAME is optional and lets you say "my collection".
The configuration on this page does not set BGG_COOKIE, and it does not need to: the README offers it as the alternative to BGG_API_KEY. To use it, put it in the server's env block instead, as "BGG_COOKIE": "bggusername=user; bggpassword=pass; SessionID=xyz" with your own values. The Docker cards also need -e BGG_COOKIE in args.
VS Code — Local Build
VS CODE — LOCAL BUILD · JSON
{
"servers": {
"bgg": {
"command": "<YOUR_PATH_TO_BUILD_BGG_MCP>",
"args": [
"-mode",
"stdio"
],
"env": {
"BGG_API_KEY": "<YOUR_BGG_API_KEY>",
"BGG_USERNAME": "<YOUR_BGG_USERNAME>"
}
}
}
}Point command at the full path of the build/bgg-mcp binary that make build (or go build -o build/bgg-mcp) wrote in your clone. Use your own BGG API key — or, instead, set BGG_COOKIE to your BGG session cookie; if both are set the key is used. BGG_USERNAME is optional and lets you say "my collection".
The configuration on this page does not set BGG_COOKIE, and it does not need to: the README offers it as the alternative to BGG_API_KEY. To use it, put it in the server's env block instead, as "BGG_COOKIE": "bggusername=user; bggpassword=pass; SessionID=xyz" with your own values. The Docker cards also need -e BGG_COOKIE in args.
