| name | portaljs-connect-ckan |
| description | Wire a scaffolded PortalJS portal to a CKAN backend over its API. Generates a tiny server-side fetch client (no runtime dependency) and feeds the /search catalog and /@namespace/slug showcases from CKAN instead of datasets.json. Use when connecting an existing portal to a live CKAN instance instead of a static manifest. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:*), Bash(npx:*), WebFetch |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | Datopian <hello@datopian.com> |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Claude Code with PortalJS portals (Next.js 14, React 18, Node 18+). Runs from any project via the plugin, a personal ~/.claude/commands install, or a portaljs clone. |
| tags | ["portaljs","data-portal","ckan","backend","api","catalog"] |
PortalJS — Connect CKAN
Overview
Connect an existing portaljs-catalog portal to a live CKAN backend for the "decoupled /
any backend" path. The portal stops reading the static datasets.json manifest (and files
in /public/data/) and instead feeds its two data surfaces — the /search catalog and
the /@namespace/slug showcases — straight from a CKAN instance's REST API
(package_search / package_show) through a generated fetch client. Output is plain,
editable Next.js code with no runtime dependency — never @portaljs/ckan, whose bundle
wires React UI components to React 18 internals and crashes at import under the template's
React 19. Pages fetch CKAN server-side in getStaticProps/getStaticPaths, so the catalog
is pre-rendered at build time and the site can still be statically deployed. Run this right
after portaljs-new-portal to swap a freshly scaffolded portal's sample data over to CKAN.
Prerequisites
- A scaffolded PortalJS portal (see
portaljs-new-portal) with package.json, pages/,
datasets.json, pages/search.tsx, and pages/[owner]/[slug].tsx present.
- A CKAN base URL that is publicly reachable, e.g.
https://demo.dev.datopian.com.
- Node 18+ and npm available in the portal directory (no new packages are installed).
Instructions
The canonical, full step-by-step workflow is
.claude/commands/portaljs-connect-ckan.md —
the single source of truth. Read and follow it when executing. Summary:
- Gather input from
$ARGUMENTS — CKAN base URL (required), org filter (optional), group
filter (optional), portal directory (default .). If the URL is missing, interview the
user; never dead-end with a missing-input error.
- Validate the target directory is a
portaljs-catalog portal; if not, suggest
portaljs-new-portal instead of failing silently.
- Verify the CKAN backend is reachable via
package_search?rows=1, and validate each org
filter via organization_show; on failure, explain and re-prompt rather than dead-ending.
- Generate
lib/ckan.ts — a self-contained server-side fetch client wrapping
package_search and package_show, with DMS, ORG_FILTER, GROUP_FILTER, and
MAX_DATASETS as editable constants.
- Rewire
pages/search.tsx to list datasets from package_search, linking each to
/@namespace/slug via datasetHref; leave pages/index.tsx untouched.
- Overwrite
pages/[owner]/[slug].tsx to pre-render one page per dataset via
getStaticPaths and fetch details with package_show, previewing tabular resources
through the existing Table component.
- Verify the build with
npx next build; fix any error before reporting success.
- Report what changed: client, catalog, showcase, filters, and static page count.
Output
- Created:
lib/ckan.ts (fetch wrapper client — no dependency added to package.json).
- Modified:
pages/search.tsx (catalog reads package_search); pages/[owner]/[slug].tsx
(showcase reads package_show, overwritten to drop the datasets.json source).
- Unchanged:
pages/index.tsx (still the static search-first landing page).
- Verified:
npx next build succeeds and prints the static page count.
- Result:
/search and /@namespace/slug are served from the CKAN backend; the
DMS env var can override the base URL at deploy time without editing code.
Error Handling
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Missing CKAN URL | User invoked the skill with no $ARGUMENTS | Ask for the base URL (and optional org/group filter); never error out. |
package_search request fails or times out | URL isn't a reachable CKAN root | Tell the user, ask them to confirm the URL, and retry. |
| Org filter not found | organization_show returns success: false | List valid orgs from organization_list and ask which one was meant. |
| Catalog renders empty after connecting | Wrong org/group filter name in lib/ckan.ts | Clear or correct the filter constants and rebuild. |
next build fails | Typo in substituted CKAN_URL or bad TypeScript edit | Print the log, fix the first error, and re-run before reporting success. |
<Table> fails to load a resource | CKAN resource host blocks CORS | Note that the Download link still works; prefer datastore-backed resources. |
Examples
Example 1 — Public CKAN demo, no filters
/portaljs-connect-ckan url=https://demo.dev.datopian.com
Example 2 — Restrict the catalog to one organization
/portaljs-connect-ckan url=https://demo.dev.datopian.com org=my-org
Example 3 — Filter by group and target a specific portal directory
/portaljs-connect-ckan url=https://data.example.gov group=education dir=./my-portal
Resources
