Getting Started

There are two ways to use the MarketCheck MCP Server: connect to the hosted server (no installation needed) or run it locally from source. Both require a MarketCheck API key.

Get Your API Key

Sign up at the MarketCheck Developer Portal to create an account and get your API key.

Option 1: Hosted Server (Recommended)

MarketCheck hosts a production MCP server that you can connect to directly — no cloning, no Python, no dependencies.

For a step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots, see the MCP Connector Setup Guide.

Server URL:

https://api.marketcheck.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

Claude Desktop (Recommended)

Connect in three steps via the Connectors UI:

Step 1 — Add the connector

Navigate to Customize → Connectors and select Add Custom Connector. Fill in:

Click Add to save.

Step 2 — Grant tool permissions

Go to Customize → Connectors → Marketcheck MCP → Tool Permissions. In the Other tools section, click the dropdown and select Always Allow. This grants permission to all MarketCheck tools automatically.

Step 3 — Start chatting

Open a new chat and ask anything — the MarketCheck tools are now available.

Alternative: Using mcp-remote

If you prefer a config-file-based setup, you can use mcp-remote as a local stdio bridge.

Prerequisites: Node.js 18+ is required. Check your version with node --version.

Install mcp-remote globally:

npm install -g mcp-remote

Then add to your config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "marketcheck": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.marketcheck.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / Windsurf

Add https://api.marketcheck.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY as a remote MCP server URL in your editor's MCP settings.

Any HTTP MCP Client

Point your client to https://api.marketcheck.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY.

Option 2: Run Locally

If you prefer to self-host or need to customize the server, you can run it from source.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12+ — The server requires Python 3.12 or later
• MarketCheck API key — Get one from the Developer Portal
• UV package manager (recommended) — Fast Python package manager. Install with curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/MarketcheckHub/marketcheck-api-mcp.git
cd marketcheck-api-mcp

# Using UV (recommended)
uv sync

# Or using pip
pip install -e .

API Key Configuration

Set your API key as an environment variable:

export MARKETCHECK_API_KEY=your_key

Running the Server

STDIO Mode (Default)

Use this mode with desktop MCP clients like Claude Desktop and Cursor:

python server.py

The server communicates through standard input/output. The MCP client manages the server process lifecycle automatically.

HTTP Mode

Use this mode for web applications and remote deployments:

python server.py --mode streamable-http --port 8000

The server starts an HTTP endpoint at http://localhost:8000 that accepts MCP protocol messages.

Additional Options

python server.py --help          # Show all available options
python server.py --debug         # Enable debug logging
python server.py --mode streamable-http --host 0.0.0.0  # Listen on all interfaces (HTTP mode)

Client Configuration (Local)

Claude Desktop

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "marketcheck": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/marketcheck-api-mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "MARKETCHECK_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop with UV

If you installed dependencies with UV, configure Claude Desktop to use UV's Python:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "marketcheck": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/marketcheck-api-mcp", "python", "server.py"],
      "env": {
        "MARKETCHECK_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / Windsurf

These editors support MCP servers through their settings. Add the server configuration in your editor's MCP settings using the same command and arguments as above.

HTTP Client Configuration

For HTTP transport, point your MCP client to the server URL:

http://localhost:8000/mcp

Ensure the MARKETCHECK_API_KEY environment variable is set when starting the server.

Docker Deployment

For containerized deployments:

# Build the image
docker build -t marketcheck-api-mcp .

# Run with HTTP transport (default mode in the container)
docker run -p 8000:8000 \
  -e MARKETCHECK_API_KEY=your_api_key \
  marketcheck-api-mcp

Verify the Setup

Once configured, test by asking your AI assistant a simple question:

"Search for Toyota Camry listings in California"

The assistant should call the search_active_cars tool and return live inventory results. If you see results, the server is working correctly.

Troubleshooting

Environment Variables Reference (Local Only)

See Also

• Tools — Explore all nine tools
• Workflows & Use Cases — Common patterns for vehicle research
• Troubleshooting — Common issues and solutions