Use Semantic MediaWiki with AI

How it works

MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is the standard that lets AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT work with external systems and data.

The new SMW support adds two tools to the server. smw-list-properties lets the assistant discover which properties your wiki uses, together with ready-to-use templates for querying them. smw-query runs a Semantic MediaWiki #ask query and returns the results. Together, they let you explore your data by asking questions, instead of writing query syntax yourself. You describe what you are looking for, the assistant inspects your properties, writes the #ask query, and shows you the answer.

Suppose your wiki catalogs your team. You can ask something like "Which colleagues in the Berlin office speak French?" The assistant discovers the relevant properties, builds a query such as {{#ask: [[Office::Berlin]] [[Speaks::French]] }}, and returns the matching people. From there, you can refine the question, ask for a table that includes their roles, or have it count the results, all without touching wikitext.

The MCP server makes Semantic MediaWiki much more accessible by reducing the learning curve. To create and maintain your data model, you have to create property pages, templates, ask queries, and perhaps forms, all with their own syntax. Even if you know SMW, this is an involved task. Because the MCP server allows your AI to read and edit wiki pages, you can tell the AI what your data model is and instruct it to implement it in your wiki. Then it takes care of the nitty-gritty syntax details and other technical considerations.

The SMW tools only appear on wikis that have Semantic MediaWiki installed, so an assistant always sees the right tools for the wiki it is connected to. The server connects as a specific account, so the assistant only has the access that account has.

Getting started

The SMW tools are part of the extension packs in the MediaWiki MCP Server, which add extension-specific tools on top of the core page reading and editing. See the extension packs documentation for the full list, including support for Cargo and Bucket. The MediaWiki MCP Server page explains how to connect the server to your AI assistant.

Semantic MediaWiki and AI services

At Professional Wiki, we have deep expertise in both Semantic MediaWiki and AI. We maintain Semantic MediaWiki and provide Semantic MediaWiki services, including hosting, development, and consulting. We also help bring AI to your wiki, including MediaWiki MCP Server integration. Get in touch to connect AI to your structured data.

See also

• Semantic MediaWiki 7 Released, the latest major release of the extension we maintain.
• Introducing NeoWiki and More at MUDCon, which includes a recorded demo of the MediaWiki MCP Server.
• MediaWiki Chatbot Extensions Compared, our overview of the AI chatbot options for MediaWiki.