DigitAI XML-MCP: XML Processing with Claude Desktop

AI-powered XML analysis using Saxon-HE (XPath 3.1, XQuery 3.1, XSLT 3.0) through Claude Desktop's natural language interface.

Installation (5 minutes)

Prerequisites

Python 3.12 (Download)
Claude Desktop (Download)

Instructions (5 minutes)

Clone the repository.

git clone https://github.com/newtfire/digitxml-mcp.git

Set up a Python virtual environment.

cd digitxml-mcp
python3.12 -m venv .venv

# MacOS:
source .venv/bin/activate  

# Windows: 
source .venv\Scripts\activate

Install dependencies.
```
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
Verify installation.
```
python3.12 diagnose.py
```

Configure Claude Desktop.

# MacOS: 
nano ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

# Windows:
nano %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the "mcpServers" section below the preferences (replace with YOUR path):

{
  "preferences": {
    "sidebarMode": "chat",
    "coworkScheduledTasksEnabled": false
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "digitxml-mcp": {
      "command": "/Users/USERNAME/Documents/GitHub/repos/digitxml-mcp/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": [
        "/Users/USERNAME/Documents/GitHub/repos/digitxml-mcp/mcp_server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Smoke Test

Restart Claude Desktop (completely quit and reopen)
Ask Claude: What XML tools do you have available?
You should see: xpath_query, xquery_query, xslt_transform...

What You Can Do

Basic Queries

Find all ingredients in syllabubRecipe.xml
Count the number of paragraphs in chapter1.xml
Extract all @id attributes from the document

Advanced Analysis

Use XQuery to find ingredients not mentioned in any recipe step
Check if all @ref attributes point to valid @id values
Generate a report of all element types and their frequencies

Transformations

Add @unit="cups" to all quantity elements without units
Convert all dates from MM/DD/YYYY to ISO format
Create an HTML table of contents from section headings

Validation

Validate manuscript.xml against the TEI schema
Find all elements that don't follow the schema rules
Check for duplicate @xml:id values

Multi-File Features

Switch Between Files

What XML files are in my workspace?
Switch to chapter2.xml
Which file am I currently using?

Upload Files

Drag any XML file into Claude chat:

[drag file] Validate this against my schema
[drag file] Find all person names in this document

Batch Processing

For each XML file in my workspace:
  - Validate against schema
  - Count elements
  - Generate summary report

Configuration

config.json

All paths are relative to the installation directory (no absolute paths needed!):

{
  "xml_data_path": "./data/syllabubRecipe.xml",
  "xml_schema_path": "./schemas/recipe.rnc",
  "backup_dir": "./backups",
  "log_dir": "./logs"
}

Directory Mode

Work with multiple files:

{
  "xml_data_path": "./data/",
  "default_file": "syllabubRecipe.xml",
  "xml_schema_path": "./schemas/",
  "backup_dir": "./backups"
}

Available Tools

Tool	Purpose	Example
`xpath_query`	XPath 3.1 queries	Find all `<title>` elements
`xquery_query`	XQuery 3.1 queries	Complex data extraction
`xslt_transform`	XSLT 3.0 transforms	Modify document structure
`get_structure_summary`	Analyze structure	Document overview
`find_irregularities`	Validation checks	Find issues
`apply_transformation`	Safe transforms	With validation
`batch_corrections`	Multiple fixes	Systematic updates
`switch_xml_file`	Change files	Work with different docs
`list_workspace_files`	Browse files	See available XMLs
`create_backup`	Save state	Before changes
`reload_document`	Refresh	After external edits

Example Workflows

Workflow 1: Find Inconsistencies

You: Check if all ingredients in the recipe are actually used in the steps

Claude: [Uses XQuery to cross-reference]
        Found 8 ingredients
        6 are mentioned in steps
        2 unused: vanilla, nutmeg
        
        Would you like me to suggest where to add them?

Workflow 2: Batch Validation

You: For each XML file in data/, validate against schema and report errors

Claude: Processing 5 files...
        
        ✓ syllabubRecipe.xml - Valid
        ⚠ chapter1.xml - Missing required @id on line 45
        ✓ chapter2.xml - Valid
        ✗ notes.xml - Not well-formed (unclosed tag line 12)
        ✓ metadata.xml - Valid

Workflow 3: Transform Documents

You: Add a @created attribute with today's date to all <chapter> elements

Claude: [Generates XSLT]
        Preview of changes:
        
        Before: <chapter title="Introduction">
        After:  <chapter title="Introduction" created="2026-02-10">
        
        Apply to all 15 chapters? (I'll create a backup first)

Troubleshooting

"File not found" Errors

Check paths are relative:

✓ "./data/file.xml"
✗ "/Users/you/data/file.xml"

Verify files exist:

ls -la data/

MCP Server Not Connecting

Run diagnostic:

python diagnose.py

Check Claude Desktop logs:

macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\

Test server manually:

source .venv/bin/activate
python mcp_server.py
# Should start without errors

Import Errors

Activate virtual environment:

source .venv/bin/activate  # or .venv\Scripts\activate
pip list | grep saxonche   # Should show saxonche 12.9.0

Technical Details

Architecture

Claude Desktop (UI)
      ↓ MCP Protocol
MCP Server (Python)
      ↓ Calls
Saxon-HE Engine
      ↓ Processes
Your XML Files

Technologies

Saxon-HE 12.9 - Industry-standard XML processor
XPath 3.1 - Advanced querying with functions
XQuery 3.1 - FLWOR expressions, modules
XSLT 3.0 - Streaming, try/catch, packages
Relax NG - Schema validation (via jingtrang)
MCP - Model Context Protocol for tool integration

Key Features

✅ Portable paths - Works on any computer without config changes
✅ Read-only safe - Works even in restricted filesystems
✅ Multi-file - Switch between documents dynamically
✅ Upload support - Drag & drop processing
✅ Natural language - No need to remember syntax
✅ Safe operations - Automatic backups before changes
✅ Professional grade - Saxon-HE is industry standard

Project Structure

digitxml-mcp/
├── mcp_server.py              # MCP server (use this!)
├── saxon_mcp_server.py        # Saxon engine wrapper
├── config.json                # Configuration
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
├── diagnose.py               # Installation checker
│
├── data/                      # Your XML files
│   └── syllabubRecipe.xml            # Example
│
├── schemas/                   # Validation schemas
│   └── recipe.rnc            # Example Relax NG
│
├── backups/                   # Automatic backups
└── logs/                      # Server logs

Use Cases

Digital Humanities

TEI document processing
Manuscript validation
Cross-reference checking
Metadata enrichment

Technical Documentation

DocBook transformation
Link validation
Format conversion
Content management

Data Quality

Batch validation
Schema compliance
Consistency checking
Error reporting

Publishing

Multi-format output
Content transformation
Quality assurance
Automated workflows

Advanced Features

Custom Namespaces

Edit saxon_mcp_server.py:

self.xpath_proc.declare_namespace('tei', 'http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0')

Pattern Matching

Show me all files matching "chapter*.xml"
List files in subdirectory data/manuscripts/

Cross-File Analysis

Extract character names from chapter1.xml
Now check if these characters appear in chapter2.xml
Generate a character consistency report

Resources

Saxon Documentation: https://www.saxonica.com/documentation/
XPath 3.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/
XQuery 3.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/xquery-31/
XSLT 3.0: https://www.w3.org/TR/xslt-30/
Relax NG: https://relaxng.org/
MCP Protocol: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/

Support

Need help?

Run python diagnose.py to check installation
Check logs for error messages
Verify paths are relative in config.json
Test server manually: python mcp_server.py

Ready to process XML with AI? Configure Claude Desktop and start asking questions in natural language! 🚀

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 15 Commits
data		data
documentation		documentation
outputs		outputs
schemas		schemas
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
config.json		config.json
diagnose.py		diagnose.py
mcp_server.py		mcp_server.py
requirements.txt		requirements.txt
saxon_mcp_server.py		saxon_mcp_server.py

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DigitAI XML-MCP: XML Processing with Claude Desktop

Installation (5 minutes)

Prerequisites

Instructions (5 minutes)

Smoke Test

What You Can Do

Basic Queries

Advanced Analysis

Transformations

Validation

Multi-File Features

Switch Between Files

Upload Files

Batch Processing

Configuration

config.json

Directory Mode

Available Tools

Example Workflows

Workflow 1: Find Inconsistencies

Workflow 2: Batch Validation

Workflow 3: Transform Documents

Troubleshooting

"File not found" Errors

MCP Server Not Connecting

Import Errors

Technical Details

Architecture

Technologies

Key Features

Project Structure

Use Cases

Digital Humanities

Technical Documentation

Data Quality

Publishing

Advanced Features

Custom Namespaces

Pattern Matching

Cross-File Analysis

Resources

Support

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