qualai-mcp

seanshin0214/qualai-mcp

3.2

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QualAI is an AI-powered qualitative research MCP server designed to enhance qualitative data analysis with advanced AI capabilities while maintaining methodological rigor.

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🔬 QualAI - AI-Powered Qualitative Research MCP Server

Community-driven, RAG-enhanced qualitative research analysis powered by Claude

Transform qualitative research with AI assistance. QualAI is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that brings advanced AI capabilities to qualitative data analysis while maintaining methodological rigor.

💡 Share Your Innovative Research Methods!

QualAI grows stronger with every researcher who contributes.

Have you developed a unique qualitative methodology? A novel coding technique? An innovative analysis approach?

🌟 Share it with the global research community!

When you contribute your methodology to QualAI:

  • ✅ Help thousands of researchers worldwide discover and use your approach
  • ✅ Get cited every time someone uses your methodology
  • ✅ Receive feedback and improvements from peer researchers
  • ✅ Build your reputation as a methodological innovator
  • ✅ Make qualitative research better for everyone

Your innovation can transform how the world does qualitative research.

👉 Contribute Your Methodology | Browse Community Methods

✨ Revolutionary Features

🤖 AI-Native Analysis

  • Automatic coding with semantic understanding
  • Theme extraction with theoretical depth
  • Saturation detection
  • Negative case discovery
  • Inter-coder reliability automation

🌍 Community-Driven Methodologies

  • RAG-powered methodology library: Access community-contributed research methods
  • GitHub integration: Share and discover methodologies from researchers worldwide
  • Validated approaches: Peer-reviewed methodologies with quality ratings
  • Flexible: Use established methods or create your own

🎯 Core Tools (v1.0)

Methodology Management (3)
  • selectMethodology - AI finds the best methodology for your research
  • loadMethodology - Load community methodologies
  • listMethodologies - Browse available methods
Coding Tools (5)
  • autoCoding - AI-powered automatic coding
  • refineCodebook - Optimize your codebook
  • mergeCodesSmart - Intelligent code merging
  • suggestSubcodes - Hierarchical code suggestions
  • validateCoding - Consistency checking
Thematic Analysis (4)
  • extractThemes - Inductive/deductive theme extraction
  • analyzePatterns - Pattern and relationship analysis
  • detectSaturation - Theoretical saturation detection
  • compareThemesAcrossCases - Cross-case comparison
Theory Building (3)
  • buildGroundedTheory - Guided grounded theory development
  • generateConceptMap - Automatic concept mapping
  • analyzeNarrative - Narrative structure analysis
Validation (4)
  • findNegativeCases - Negative case analysis
  • triangulate - Multi-source triangulation
  • calculateReliability - Inter-coder reliability
  • assessQuality - Research quality assessment
Reporting (1)
  • generateReport - Comprehensive analysis reports

Note: v1.0 includes methodology management and knowledge graph. Advanced analysis tools (auto-coding, theme extraction, etc.) are in active development for v1.1.

📋 Prerequisites

System Requirements

  • Node.js: Version 18.0 or higher
  • Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 11+, or Ubuntu 20.04+
  • Disk Space: At least 500 MB free

🐳 Qdrant Vector Database (Optional but Recommended)

QualAI uses Qdrant for semantic methodology search and RAG-enhanced analysis. While QualAI can work without Qdrant (using local keyword search as fallback), installing Qdrant significantly improves methodology recommendations and semantic search capabilities.

Option 1: Docker (Recommended - Easiest)

Using PowerShell (Windows):

# Install Docker Desktop if not already installed
# Download from: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

# Verify Docker is running
docker --version

# Run Qdrant container
docker run -d -p 6333:6333 -p 6334:6334 `
  -v ${PWD}/qdrant_storage:/qdrant/storage `
  --name qualai-qdrant `
  qdrant/qdrant

# Verify Qdrant is running
docker ps | Select-String "qualai-qdrant"

# Test Qdrant connection
curl http://localhost:6333

Using Bash (Linux/macOS):

# Verify Docker is running
docker --version

# Run Qdrant container
docker run -d -p 6333:6333 -p 6334:6334 \
  -v $(pwd)/qdrant_storage:/qdrant/storage \
  --name qualai-qdrant \
  qdrant/qdrant

# Verify Qdrant is running
docker ps | grep qualai-qdrant

# Test Qdrant connection
curl http://localhost:6333

Stop/Start Qdrant:

# Stop Qdrant
docker stop qualai-qdrant

# Start Qdrant again
docker start qualai-qdrant

# Remove Qdrant (if needed)
docker rm -f qualai-qdrant
Option 2: Qdrant Cloud (No Docker Required)

If you don't want to run Docker locally:

  1. Sign up for free at Qdrant Cloud
  2. Create a cluster
  3. Get your API URL and API Key
  4. Use them in the configuration (see below)
Option 3: Run Without Qdrant (Fallback Mode)

QualAI will automatically use local keyword search if Qdrant is not available. No additional setup required, but semantic search will be limited.

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/seanshin0214/qualai-mcp.git
cd qualai-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Configure Claude Desktop

Basic Configuration (Without Qdrant)

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualai": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YOUR-USERNAME\\Documents\\qualai-mcp\\dist\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}
With Qdrant (Recommended for Best Performance)

If you installed Qdrant using Docker locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualai": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YOUR-USERNAME\\Documents\\qualai-mcp\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "QDRANT_URL": "http://localhost:6333",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-your-openai-api-key",
        "QUALAI_GITHUB_REPO": "qualai-community/methodologies"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you're using Qdrant Cloud:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qualai": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YOUR-USERNAME\\Documents\\qualai-mcp\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "QDRANT_URL": "https://your-cluster.cloud.qdrant.io:6333",
        "QDRANT_API_KEY": "your-qdrant-api-key",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-your-openai-api-key",
        "QUALAI_GITHUB_REPO": "qualai-community/methodologies"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables Explained:

  • QDRANT_URL: Qdrant server URL (default: http://localhost:6333)
  • QDRANT_API_KEY: Required only for Qdrant Cloud (optional for local Docker)
  • OPENAI_API_KEY: For generating text embeddings (required if using Qdrant)
  • QUALAI_GITHUB_REPO: Community methodologies repository (default: qualai-community/methodologies)

Restart Claude Desktop

That's it! QualAI is now available in Claude.

💬 First time? Try this:

"I have 15 interview transcripts about remote work experiences.
Help me choose the right methodology and start coding."

🌍 Community Methodologies

Current Methodologies (10)

Built-in:

  1. Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014) - Complete 4-stage process with memo writing
  2. Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) - 6-phase systematic approach
  3. Discourse Analysis (Gee, 2014) - Language-in-use and power relations analysis
  4. Narrative Analysis - Story structure and meaning-making
  5. Phenomenography - Variation in ways of experiencing phenomena
  6. Ethnography - Cultural and social patterns in context
  7. Hermeneutic Analysis - Interpretive understanding and hermeneutic circle
  8. Case Study (Yin/Stake) - In-depth contextual investigation
  9. Action Research - Participatory change-oriented inquiry
  10. Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan) - Significant events analysis

Community Contributed:

  • Be the first to contribute!

Contributing Your Methodology

Your methodology could help thousands of researchers worldwide.

Step 1: Create Your Methodology

Use our template (see CONTRIBUTING.md)

Step 2: Test Locally
# Place in methodologies/ directory
cp your-methodology.json qualai-mcp/methodologies/

# Restart QualAI and test
Step 3: Share with Community
  1. Fork qualai-community/methodologies
  2. Add your methodology with documentation
  3. Create Pull Request
  4. Community peer review (2+ reviewers)
  5. Merged and available to all! 🎉
Recognition
  • Your name appears in methodology metadata
  • Automatic citation generation
  • Contributor leaderboard
  • Usage statistics (opt-in)

Ready to contribute? See

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Claude Desktop               │
│  (User Interface & Conversations)   │
└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
               │ MCP Protocol
┌──────────────▼──────────────────────┐
│         QualAI MCP Server           │
│                                     │
│  ┌────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │  Methodology Orchestrator  │   │
│  └────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                     │
│  ┌─────────┬─────────┬──────────┐ │
│  │ Coding  │ Thematic│ Theory   │ │
│  │ Engine  │ Engine  │ Engine   │ │
│  └─────────┴─────────┴──────────┘ │
│                                     │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │   RAG System (Qdrant)       │  │
│  │   - Community methodologies │  │
│  └─────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                     │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │   Knowledge Graph (SQLite)  │  │
│  └─────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
               │
               ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   GitHub: qualai-community          │
│   Community Methodologies Registry  │
│   - YOUR methodology! 🌟            │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

🤝 Contributing

We welcome all forms of contribution!

Ways to Contribute

  1. 📖 Share Methodologies: Most valuable contribution!
  2. 🐛 Report Bugs: Help us improve
  3. 💡 Suggest Features: Shape QualAI's future
  4. 📝 Improve Docs: Help others learn
  5. 💻 Submit Code: Enhance functionality

📊 Roadmap

v1.0 (Current) ✅

  • 10 built-in methodologies
  • RAG-powered methodology selection
  • Knowledge graph for research data
  • 20 analysis tools

v1.1 (Q1 2025)

  • Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
  • Conversation Analysis
  • Content Analysis
  • 15+ total methodologies
  • Enhanced auto-coding with GPT-4

v1.2 (Q2 2025)

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Multi-language support (Korean, Spanish, Chinese)
  • 25+ community methodologies
  • Export to ATLAS.ti, NVivo formats

v2.0 (Q3 2025)

  • Web interface
  • 50+ community methodologies
  • Live interview transcription

📄 License

MIT License - see

📞 Support & Community

🌟 Final Call to Action

To Researchers Using QualAI: Your research benefits from methodologies shared by others. Consider giving back!

To Methodology Innovators: Your unique approach could revolutionize how thousands conduct research. Share it!

To the Qualitative Research Community: Together, we're building the world's most comprehensive, open, and accessible methodology library.

Let's transform qualitative research together.

→ Start Contributing Today

Made with ❤️ by researchers, for researchers

Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-11-02