Auto.dev MCP server

@auto.dev/sdk

SDK, CLI, and MCP server for the auto.dev vehicle data APIs — VIN decoding, listings search, specs, recalls, payments, and more.

Quick Start

npx @auto.dev/sdk login
npx @auto.dev/sdk decode 1HGCM82633A004352

Or install globally for the auto shorthand:

npm install -g @auto.dev/sdk
auto login
auto decode 1HGCM82633A004352

auto login opens a browser for OAuth — no API key needed. Your token is stored locally and used by the CLI and MCP server automatically.

Alternatively, set an API key directly:

export AUTODEV_API_KEY=sk_ad_...

Get a free key at auto.dev/pricing.

CLI

auto decode <vin>                   # VIN decode
auto photos <vin>                   # vehicle photos
auto listings --make Toyota --year 2024 --price 10000-40000 --state CA
auto specs <vin>                    # detailed specifications
auto build <vin>                    # OEM build data
auto recalls <vin>                  # safety recalls
auto open-recalls <vin>             # unresolved recalls
auto payments <vin> --price 35000 --zip 90210 --down-payment 5000
auto apr <vin> --year 2024 --make Honda --model Accord --zip 90210 --credit-score 750
auto tco <vin> --zip 90210          # total cost of ownership
auto taxes <vin> --price 35000 --zip 90210
auto plate <state> <plate>          # license plate to VIN
auto usage                          # account usage stats
auto docs [query]                   # search bundled API docs
auto explore [endpoint]             # browse params and mappings

All commands support --json, --yaml, --raw, and --api-key <key> flags. Use npx @auto.dev/sdk in place of auto if not installed globally.

API metadata is stripped by default — you get clean vehicle data. Use --raw to see the full API response.

Configuration

auto config set raw true    # always show full responses
auto config get raw         # check current value
auto config list            # show all settings

Settings are stored in ~/.auto-dev/config.json.

MCP Server

Auto.dev exposes its full vehicle data API as native Model Context Protocol tools. Two paths — pick one:

Path	Best for	Install
Remote — https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp	Hosted clients (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT), zero setup	None — just add the URL
Local stdio — this SDK	CLI users, low-latency, offline-friendly	npm i -g @auto.dev/sdk

Both expose the same tools. Remote authenticates via OAuth (one click). Stdio uses auto login or AUTODEV_API_KEY.

Fastest path — auto-install stdio

npx @auto.dev/sdk mcp install

Auto-configures Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor with the stdio MCP server.

Quickstart by Client

Claude Code

Remote:

claude mcp add -s user -t http auto-dev https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp

Then run /mcp and select Authenticate for auto-dev.

Stdio:

npx @auto.dev/sdk mcp install

Claude Desktop

Remote: Settings → Connectors → Add Custom Connector

• Name: auto-dev
• URL: https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp

Stdio: npx @auto.dev/sdk mcp install (auto-configures claude_desktop_config.json). Restart Claude Desktop.

Cursor

Remote: Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "auto-dev": {
      "url": "https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Stdio: npx @auto.dev/sdk mcp install.

Windsurf

Remote: Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "auto-dev": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Stdio: npx @auto.dev/sdk mcp install.

VS Code Copilot

Remote: Add to .vscode/mcp.json (workspace) or user settings:

{
  "servers": {
    "auto-dev": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Requires VS Code 1.99+ with Copilot Agent mode.

Full setup guide: docs.auto.dev/v2/mcp-quickstart — covers more clients and troubleshooting.

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description	Plan
auto_decode	Decode a VIN	Free
auto_photos	Vehicle photos	Free
auto_listings	Search listings with filters	Free
auto_specs	Vehicle specifications	Growth
auto_build	OEM build data	Growth
auto_recalls	Safety recalls	Growth
auto_payments	Payment calculations	Growth
auto_apr	Interest rates	Growth
auto_tco	Total cost of ownership	Growth
auto_open_recalls	Open/unresolved recalls	Scale
auto_plate	License plate to VIN	Scale
auto_taxes	Taxes and fees	Scale
auto_docs	Search bundled API documentation	—
auto_config_set	Set a config value (e.g. raw: true)	—
auto_config_get	Get a config value or list all settings	—

SDK

npm install @auto.dev/sdk

import { AutoDev } from '@auto.dev/sdk'

const auto = new AutoDev({ apiKey: process.env.AUTODEV_API_KEY })
// API metadata is stripped by default. Pass raw: true to get full responses:
// const auto = new AutoDev({ apiKey: process.env.AUTODEV_API_KEY, raw: true })

// VIN decode
const vehicle = await auto.decode('1HGCM82633A004352')

// Search listings
const listings = await auto.listings({
  'vehicle.make': 'Toyota',
  'vehicle.year': '2024',
  'retailListing.price': '10000-40000',
})

// Payment calculation
const payments = await auto.payments('1HGCM82633A004352', {
  price: '35000',
  zip: '90210',
  downPayment: '5000',
})

// Total cost of ownership
const tco = await auto.tco('1HGCM82633A004352', { zip: '90210' })

// Plate to VIN
const plate = await auto.plate('CA', 'ABC1234')

All methods return:

{
  data: T,            // endpoint-specific response
  meta: {
    requestId: string,
    tier: string,
    usage?: { remaining: number }
  }
}

SDK Methods

Method	Tier	Description
decode(vin)	Free	Decode VIN — make, model, year, trim
photos(vin)	Free	Vehicle photos
listings(filters?)	Free	Search listings with filters
specs(vin)	Growth	Detailed vehicle specifications
build(vin)	Growth	OEM build and trim data; a 207 partial answer (build: null, vehicle, catalog, reason) when no record builds the VIN, see isPartialBuild
recalls(vin)	Growth	Safety recalls
payments(vin, opts?)	Growth	Monthly payment calculations
apr(vin, opts?)	Growth	Interest rates by credit profile
tco(vin, opts?)	Growth	Total cost of ownership
openRecalls(vin)	Scale	Open/unresolved recalls
plate(state, plate)	Scale	License plate to VIN
taxes(vin, opts?)	Scale	Taxes and fees
usage()	—	Account usage statistics

Subpath Exports

import { AutoDev } from '@auto.dev/sdk' // SDK client
import { createMcpServer } from '@auto.dev/sdk/mcp' // MCP server
import { AutoDevClient } from '@auto.dev/sdk/core' // low-level client

Plans & Pricing

Plan	Monthly	Endpoints
Free	$0, no card	Decode, Listings, Photos
Growth	$299/mo + data fees	+ Specs, Build, Recalls, Payments, APR, TCO
Scale	$599/mo + data fees	+ Open Recalls, Plate-to-VIN, Taxes & Fees

Free includes 1,000 API calls/month as a hard cap — requests stop at the limit and there are no data fees. Growth and Scale bill all API calls. See auto.dev/pricing for per-call data costs.

Documentation

Full docs at docs.auto.dev

License

MIT