# TARGET Checklist MCP

Scores how fully a target trial emulation study reports each item the TARGET guideline asks for, and returns a per-subitem matrix with quotes.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI
- Author: Black-Swan-Causal-Labs
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/Black-Swan-Causal-Labs/target-mcp
- Updated: 2026-08-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/target-checklist-mcp

## What it does

The server ingests a manuscript in PDF, text or docx, optionally bundled with supplements, and maps its sections with source tags. It then scores 39 leaf subitems carved out of the 21 published TARGET items. The spec lives in a versioned YAML with verdict boundaries and applicability rules, and it is validated on load.

Default scaffold mode keeps the agent in the loop as the scorer: the server hands it a prompt and schema, then checks the submitted verdicts for leaf coverage, allowed vocabulary and verbatim evidence tied to resolved spans. Judge mode runs headless with its own pinned model call, so a batch pass over a corpus stays reproducible. Output goes to the published checklist form or to a Word file.

Read the tally as reporting completeness only. There is no pass/fail verdict, and a matrix of verdicts is not a claim of TARGET compliance. Install with `uvx`; no repo clone needed. The optional fan-out skill speeds up scoring by running leaves in parallel, but it needs a client that can spawn subagents — Codex and other non-Claude clients skip it and fall back to the single-pass path.

## Requirements
- Needs: Python and uv (commands run via uvx)

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add target-mcp -- uvx target-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from target-mcp <command>

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add target-checklist-mcp -- uvx target-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from target-mcp <command>

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "target-checklist-mcp": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "target-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from target-mcp <command>

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "target-checklist-mcp": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "target-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from target-mcp <command>

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add target-checklist-mcp uvx target-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from target-mcp <command>

## When to use it
- score a manuscript against every TARGET item
- produce a checklist with quoted evidence per row
- measure item-level completeness across a batch of papers
- generate a blind coding sheet for manual review
- compare leaf verdicts to a gold standard and compute agreement

## Example prompts
- Parse `study.pdf` with `supplement.pdf` and score it against TARGET
- Fetch an open-access paper by PMCID and assess reporting completeness
- Render the finished checklist as a docx file

## Similar
- [k2f-checklist](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/k2f-checklist.md) — skill · 677 installs
- [launch-checklist](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/launch-checklist.md) — skill · 1700 installs
- [speckit-checklist](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/speckit-checklist.md) — skill · 1500 installs
- [nature-paper-card](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/nature-paper-card.md) — skill · 10500 installs
- [design-qa-checklist](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/design-qa-checklist.md) — skill · 2200 installs
- [dd-checklist](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/dd-checklist.md) — skill · 1300 installs

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