MCP setup

The MCP server connects AI assistants to live Companies House data. 17 tools for search, company profiles, officers, filings, ownership, charges, insolvency, and due diligence.

Get an API key

Register at developer.company-information.service.gov.uk — free, takes about 30 seconds.

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "companies-house": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "companies-house-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport stdio --env COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY=your-key-here companies-house -- npx -y companies-house-mcp

Or add to ~/.claude.json manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "companies-house": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "companies-house-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "companies-house": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "companies-house-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed

Add to ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "companies-house": {
      "source": "custom",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "companies-house-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "COMPANIES_HOUSE_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

What to ask

Once connected, ask naturally:

• "Look up Tesco on Companies House"
• "Who are the directors of Anthropic Limited?"
• "Run a due diligence check on company 07670541"
• "Show me the filing history for BrewDog"
• "What other companies is this director involved with?"
• "Does this company have any outstanding charges?"
• "Map the ownership structure of this holding company"
• "Are there any insolvency proceedings against this company?"

Tools

17 tools available. See the full tools reference →.

CLI

For terminal access without an AI assistant, install companies-house-cli. See the CLI reference →.