# VirtualFlyBrain

MCP server linking assistants to Virtual Fly Brain neuroanatomy, connectomics, and gene expression records for Drosophila melanogaster.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 9
- Author: VirtualFlyBrain
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/VirtualFlyBrain/VFB3-MCP
- Updated: 2026-10-21
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/virtualflybrain

## What it does

The server exposes Drosophila brain data directly to AI assistants. It retrieves neuron metadata, queries structural terms, and maps FlyBase drivers or split-GAL4 lines to canonical identifiers without manual lookup.

Integration tools query synaptic wiring across Hemibrain and FAFB connectome datasets. The server fetches predicted or curated neurotransmitters for specific cell types and traverses ontology graphs using `subclass_of` or `part_of` relationships.

Hosted remotely at `https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org`, the endpoint operates statelessly. You do not need API tokens or accounts to query it.

## Requirements
- Remote server: `https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org`

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http vfb3-mcp https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
codex mcp add virtualflybrain --url https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "virtualflybrain": {
            "url": "https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org"
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "virtualflybrain": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org"
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
gemini mcp add -t http virtualflybrain https://vfb3-mcp.virtualflybrain.org
```

## When to use it
- inspect synaptic connections across Hemibrain and FAFB datasets
- resolve split-GAL4 lines and FlyBase symbols into VFB entities
- retrieve curated and predicted neurotransmitters for neuron classes
- traverse fruit fly anatomy hierarchies along `part_of` axes

## Example prompts
- Look up connectivity for neuron VFB_00101567 in the adult brain
- Find all sensory neurons terminating in the antennal lobe
- Resolve the split-GAL4 combination and show its target components

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