IBANforge

MCP Integration

IBANforge includes a built-in MCP server (Model Context Protocol) that lets AI agents validate IBANs and look up BIC codes as tool calls. This means Claude, GPT, or any MCP-compatible agent can use IBANforge directly.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that allows AI assistants to use external tools. Instead of asking the user to copy-paste API results, the agent calls the tool directly and gets structured data back.

Setup for Claude Desktop

Add IBANforge to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ibanforge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tsx", "src/mcp/server.ts"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/ibanforge"
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/ibanforge with the actual path to your local IBANforge repository.

After saving, restart Claude Desktop. You should see the IBANforge tools in the tools menu.

Available tools

validate_iban

Validate a single IBAN and return detailed information.

Input:

{
  "iban": "CH9300762011623852957"
}

Output: Full validation result including country, bank code, account number, and BIC institution data (same as the /v1/iban/validate endpoint).

batch_validate_iban

Validate multiple IBANs at once.

Input:

{
  "ibans": [
    "CH9300762011623852957",
    "DE89370400440532013000"
  ]
}

Output: Array of validation results with a summary count (same as /v1/iban/batch).

lookup_bic

Look up institution details by BIC/SWIFT code.

Input:

{
  "code": "UBSWCHZH80A"
}

Output: Institution name, country, city, branch, and LEI data (same as /v1/bic/:code).

Example agent conversation

Once configured, you can ask Claude naturally:

You: Is this IBAN valid? CH93 0076 2011 6238 5295 7

Claude: Let me validate that IBAN for you. [calls validate_iban]

Yes, that IBAN is valid. It belongs to UBS Switzerland AG in Zurich, Switzerland. The account number is 011623852957 and the bank's LEI is BFM8T61CT2L1QCEMIK50.

You: Can you check these 3 IBANs from our supplier invoice?

Claude: I'll validate all three at once. [calls batch_validate_iban]

2 out of 3 are valid. The third one (FR76...) has a checksum error — it looks like a digit was transposed.

Running the MCP server standalone

You can also run the MCP server directly:

cd /path/to/ibanforge
npm run mcp

This starts the server using stdio transport, which is the standard for local MCP integrations. The server reads JSON-RPC messages from stdin and writes responses to stdout.

Supported clients

Any MCP-compatible client can use IBANforge tools:

  • Claude Desktop — native MCP support
  • Claude Code — CLI with MCP support
  • Continue.dev — VS Code AI extension
  • Custom agents — any app using the MCP SDK

Notes

  • The MCP server runs locally and accesses the BIC database directly — no API calls or payments needed
  • All three tools return the same structured data as the REST API
  • The server uses the stdio transport protocol (no HTTP server involved)