AI automation · MCP connectors
UK and Ireland Firm Check: a free MCP server for company register checks
UK and Ireland Firm Check is a free, open-source MCP server built and run by Softblues (softblues.io), an AI adoption partner that makes UK and Irish firms AI-native. It lets an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot Studio look up a company in official public registers: Companies House, HMRC's VAT register, the Irish Companies Registration Office and the EU VIES VAT service. The assistant gets the facts with a link to each source and the time they were retrieved. The server only reads public data, needs no sign-up, and leaves every decision to a person.
Status: live. UK VAT checks use HMRC's test service until HMRC approves production access.
Key facts
| What it does | Checks a UK or Irish company in public registers from inside your AI assistant, and returns a short brief with a source link for every fact |
|---|---|
| Registers | Companies House, HMRC VAT, CRO (Ireland), EU VIES. FCA Register: link only. We point you to the FCA Register for a manual check |
| Price | Free. No account, no API key, no sign-up |
| Works with | Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot Studio and any client that supports remote MCP servers |
| Data | Read-only. We do not store your requests or keep the register results |
| Built by | Softblues, London. Hosted in the UK (London region) |
What does UK and Ireland Firm Check do?
It answers the first questions you ask before signing with a new supplier, introducer or client: does this company exist, is it active, who runs it, who controls it, and is its VAT number real? You ask your assistant in plain English. The assistant calls the registers through our server and writes up what it found.
A typical check covers:
- the company profile: number, status, type, incorporation date, registered office, accounts and confirmation statement due dates
- current directors and persons with significant control
- recent filings and any insolvency history
- whether a UK or Irish VAT number is valid, and the name it is registered to
Every result says which register it came from, links to the record and shows when it was retrieved. Anything worth a second look comes back as a plain fact, for example "Accounts overdue since 30 June 2026" or "Name on the VAT record differs from Companies House". The server never scores a firm or says whether you should work with it. That call stays with you.
Which registers does it check?
| Register | What you get | Status | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies House (UK) | Profile, officers, persons with significant control, filing history, insolvency | Live | Public register published under the Companies Act 2006 |
| HMRC Check a UK VAT number | Valid or not, registered name and address | Live | HMRC API terms of use |
| Companies Registration Office (Ireland) | Company name, number, status, type, registration date, address | Live | CC BY 4.0, see attribution below |
| EU VIES | Irish VAT number valid or not, name and address | Live | European Commission VIES service |
| FCA Financial Services Register | Authorisation status, permissions, requirements, disciplinary history | Link only: we point you to the FCA Register for a manual check | Subject to FCA terms |
| Central Bank of Ireland registers | Not checked automatically | Manual link | We point you to the register for a manual check |
How do I connect it to my AI assistant?
Use this address: https://firmcheck.softblues.io/mcp
No login or key is needed.
Claude (claude.ai, desktop, mobile): Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. Paste the address above. Once we are listed in the Claude connectors directory you can add it from there instead.
Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http firm-check https://firmcheck.softblues.io/mcpChatGPT: add it as a connector in developer mode with the same address. A listing in the ChatGPT app directory is in progress.
Microsoft Copilot Studio and other clients: add a remote MCP server using Streamable HTTP and the address above.
What tools does the server provide?
| Tool | What it returns |
|---|---|
ch_search_companies | UK companies matching a name |
ch_get_company | One UK company's profile, including insolvency history when there is any |
ch_list_officers | Current directors and secretaries (name, role, appointment dates) |
ch_list_psc | Persons with significant control (name, type of control, dates) |
ch_get_filing_history | Recent filings with links |
uk_vat_check | Whether a UK VAT number is valid, with the registered name |
ie_vat_check | Whether an Irish VAT number is valid, with the registered name |
cro_search_companies | Irish companies matching a name |
cro_get_company | One Irish company's record |
firm_check_summary | A one-page brief across the registers above, with sources and points to check by hand |
All tools are read-only. For people, we return only name, role and dates. No dates of birth, nationalities or home addresses.
What can I ask it?
- "Run a firm check on Tesco PLC."
- "Who are the current directors of company 00445790, and when were they appointed?"
- "We are about to sign with an Irish supplier, CRO number 368047. What do the registers say?"
- "Is the VAT number on this invoice valid, and does the name match the company?"
- "Has this company filed its accounts on time? Show me the last five filings."
What does it not do?
It is a first check, and nowhere near a full due diligence process. It does not screen sanctions lists, politically exposed persons or adverse media. It does not verify identity, give a risk score or tell you whether a firm is safe to deal with. It does not write to any system. If your firm has anti-money laundering or KYC obligations, they stay with you and your existing tools. Use the source links to confirm anything that matters directly in the register.
How is it secured?
- Read-only. No tool can change data anywhere.
- No sign-in surface to attack, and no user accounts.
- We return the minimum personal data the registers hold, and keep none of it.
- Our logs record the tool name, the result status, the time taken and a scrambled version of the caller's IP address that changes daily. They never record what you asked or what came back.
- Each IP address is rate limited, so one heavy user cannot take the service down for everyone else.
- Register API keys are held as secrets on our side and never appear in code.
The full checklist will be published with the source code.
To report a security issue, email info@softblues.io with 'Security' in the subject.
What happens to the information I send?
Your AI assistant sends us only the tool request, for example a company name or a VAT number. We do not see your conversation. We send the identifier to the relevant register, return the answer, and discard both. The details are in the privacy notice and the terms of use.
Who built it, and why?
Softblues built it. We are a London software company working with firms in the UK and Ireland, and financial services is our first sector. We connect AI assistants to the systems firms already run, and MCP is how we do it. We use it before we sell it, so we built a public server, made it free, and opened the code.
If you want the same thing for your own systems, a connector from Claude or Copilot to your CRM, document store or case management, see MCP connectors. For the way we run our own company on connected AI agents, read the Softblues Claude operating system case study.
Softblues is an OpenAI Select Partner, Certified in the Claude Partner Network, a Google Cloud partner at Services Select tier, and a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
Built and maintained by Ivan Pylypchuk, CEO of Softblues.
Frequently asked questions
What is an MCP server?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant call outside tools and data. An MCP server is the piece that exposes those tools. UK and Ireland Firm Check is a remote MCP server: your assistant connects to it over the internet, so nothing needs installing.
Is UK and Ireland Firm Check really free?
Yes. Softblues pays for hosting and the register access. There is no paid tier, no account and no API key.
Does Softblues see my conversation with Claude or ChatGPT?
No. The assistant sends only the tool call, such as a company number. Your conversation stays with your assistant provider under its own terms.
Is the information up to date?
Companies House, HMRC and VIES are checked live on each request. The Irish CRO data comes from the CRO's open data file, which we refresh daily, and each result shows the dataset date.
Can I rely on the brief for compliance?
Use it as a fast first check. It is not legal, regulatory or financial advice, and it does not replace your KYC or AML procedures. Confirm anything that matters in the register itself using the links provided.
Does it check the FCA Register?
Not automatically. The brief links to the FCA Register so you can check a firm's authorisation yourself.
Can I run it myself?
Yes. The code will be published under the MIT licence. You can run your own copy with your own register API keys.
Can Softblues build a connector like this for our own systems?
Yes. Softblues builds and secures MCP connectors between AI assistants and a firm's own systems, such as a CRM, SharePoint or a case management tool. Start with MCP connectors.
Who do I contact about a problem?
Email info@softblues.io with the tool name and roughly when it happened. We cannot see your questions in our logs, so the more detail you give, the faster we can help.
Sources and attribution
Contains Irish Public Sector Data licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Company data comes from Companies House, the HMRC VAT number check, the Companies Registration Office and the European Commission's VIES service.
UK and Ireland Firm Check is run by Softblues Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by Companies House, HMRC, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Companies Registration Office, the Central Bank of Ireland or the European Commission.
Last updated: 21 October 2026