MCP server · Privacy
Redacta MCP server
by nickjlamb
Hide patient names and NHS numbers in medical text before your AI reads it, then put them back later.
Redacta is a helper that swaps patient details like names, NHS numbers and dates of birth for labels such as [PATIENT_NAME_1] before the text goes to an AI. It is handy for anyone who works with clinical or patient documents and wants to use AI without exposing real identities. You get the cleaned text plus a short report of what was hidden.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with what you paste in. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to a service. This one connects your AI to Redacta, a tool that finds and hides patient identifiers in medical text. So when you ask your AI to clean a document, it quietly calls Redacta behind the scenes and hands you back the safe version.
What this MCP server does
You paste a clinical note or document into your AI and ask it to redact or de-identify the text. The AI passes that text to Redacta, which scans it for things like names, NHS numbers, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers. Redacta swaps each one for a labelled token such as [NHS_NUMBER_1] and leaves the medical meaning untouched. It also writes a short report listing what it found and changed. Later, you can give it the token map back and ask it to restore the real details locally.
What you can do with it
- Hide patient names, NHS numbers and dates of birth in a clinical note
- Get a short report of every identifier that was replaced
- Run a stricter HIPAA Safe Harbor pass that also hides all dates and ages
- Restore the original details from a token map after the text has been processed elsewhere
- Check the cleaned text for anything that slipped through
What it gives back to you
You get the cleaned text with labelled tokens in place of the real identifiers, plus a short redaction report listing what was found and replaced. If you ask for re-identification, you get the original text back with the real values restored. Everything shows up right in the chat.
Before you start
What you need
- The Claude desktop app or another tool that supports MCP servers
- Node.js installed on your computer (the free program that runs npx commands)
Good to know
Redacta is a strong first line of defence but not a guarantee, so always read the redaction report before sharing text with anyone.
Install it with your AI
Add Redacta MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Redacta MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,361 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
People who handle clinical or patient documents, such as clinicians, medical writers, researchers and health data teams, who want to use AI without exposing real identities.
