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Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon

Official registry Search and web

Search and read the Pāli Canon: Pāli root texts with Russian and English translations.

Source code Website Documentation

What can you do with Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon?

  • Search across the Pāli Canon with SQLite/FTS5
  • Reader routes for clean URLs such as /dn22 and /dn22:12.1
  • Segment-aware links and scroll targets
  • Support for offline mirror data and environment-based path resolution
  • Legacy compatibility with older PHP/Apache frontends

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

Remote (streamable-http)
Claude Code 
claude mcp add --transport http dhamma-gift-p-li-canon 'https://api.dhamma.gift/mcp'
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dhamma-gift-p-li-canon": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://api.dhamma.gift/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. dg-node
  2. Features
  3. Quick start
  4. Deployment checks
  5. Deployment notes for Apache/PHP
  6. Project structure
  7. License

dg-node

Node.js backend for searching and reading Pāli Canon texts using SuttaCentral Bilara and DhammaGift translations.

This project powers the search index, reader endpoints, static assets, and compatibility layer for the legacy Dhamma.Gift stack. The production server runs on Fastify; the older Express-based implementation is kept only for legacy support.

Architecture and development rules: CLAUDE.md

Features

  • Search across the Pāli Canon with SQLite/FTS5
  • Reader routes for clean URLs such as /dn22 and /dn22:12.1
  • Segment-aware links and scroll targets
  • Support for offline mirror data and environment-based path resolution
  • Legacy compatibility with older PHP/Apache frontends

Quick start

git pull
npm install
npm run build-search-db   # build dg.db (SQLite/FTS5) from fresh Bilara data
npm start                 # run the production server (dg-fastify.js), port 3000

build-search-db should be rerun whenever source texts or translations change on disk. The server reads data directly from disk and rebuilds the search index as needed.

Data paths such as SC_BILARA, DG_OFFLINE, and offline mirrors are resolved automatically based on the runtime environment (Termux, Windows development, local server, etc.).

unused/dg-light.js and unused/dblight.js (npm run start:express) are legacy Express + grep services and are not used in production. See CLAUDE.md for details.

Deployment checks

curl "http://localhost:3000/search?q=kacchapa&scope=dhamma&langs=ru,en"
curl -I "http://localhost:3000/assets/js/datatables/datatables.min.js"   # 200 from public/overrides/js/datatables, not from the legacy repo
curl -I "http://localhost:3000/dn22"                                  # reader via clean URL
curl -I "http://localhost:3000/dn22:10.5"                             # segment link (scroll to 10.5)

Manual browser checks:

  • /nodejs/res/?q=kacchapa&scope=dhamma — search, DataTables, export
  • /dn22 — full-text reader
  • Pāli / Russian toggle (three modes: Pāli + translation → Pāli only → translation only) — should actually hide/show content correctly
  • /?q=dn22#12.1 (legacy format) — should continue to work alongside /dn22:12.1

Deployment notes for Apache/PHP

If the public Dhamma.Gift site is currently hosted by Apache/PHP while Node runs as a separate backend proxied only to /search, note the following:

  • search requests may route to the Node backend
  • static files and reader routes may still be served by Apache/PHP
  • root-domain routing can differ from the local development environment
  • dg-fastify is the modern backend, while legacy PHP pages remain in parallel for compatibility

Project structure

dg-fastify.js         — production server (Fastify + SQLite/FTS5, dg.db): /search, /api/text/:suttaId,
                         static files (search/, reader/, siteroot/assets/), offline mirrors,
                         clean URLs (/dn22, /dn22:12.1)
unused/dg-light.js    — legacy Express + grep server, not used in production (see CLAUDE.md)
unused/dblight.js     — build script for dg-light.js → dg_db_light.json (legacy, not needed with dg.db)
search/               — search page (DataTables); legacy URL remains /nodejs/res/... (see CLAUDE.md)
reader/               — reader frontend (reader-template.html + megareader.js)
configs/              — project JSON configs (openapi, reader/*, search/*), see CLAUDE.md
docs/                 — project documentation and compatibility notes (SPA plans, backward compatibility)
siteroot/             — root-site publication: assets/ (legacy assets), 4nt/config/login/,
                         memo/read (legacy tools), see CLAUDE.md

License

See the repository license and project-specific notes in the root of the project.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon?

Search and read the Pāli Canon: Pāli root texts with Russian and English translations.

How do I install Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon?

It runs as a remote server. In Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http dhamma-gift-p-li-canon 'https://api.dhamma.gift/mcp'. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon need an API key?

Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.

Is Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon open source?

Its code is public on GitHub, but the repository does not declare a standard license.

Who maintains Dhamma.Gift — Pāli Canon?

It is published by dhammagift. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.