Decode any US-market VIN, check NHTSA recalls, and look up verified buyer-paid car prices. Free.
MCP server for the CarWhere VIN API. Decode any VIN, look up verified buyer prices, NHTSA safety recalls, and AI-generated vehicle insights from inside Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, Zed, and any other MCP-compatible client.
Free. No auth. Public data.
| Tool | Returns |
|---|---|
decode_vin | Year, make, model, trim, engine, transmission, plant from NHTSA vPIC + CarWhere buyer pricing + open recalls + AI insight |
check_recalls | Open NHTSA safety recalls by VIN or year/make/model |
get_pricing | Verified buyer-transaction pricing for any year/make/model (optionally state) |
validate_vin_check_digit | Offline ISO 3779 / 49 CFR §565.15 checksum validator |
buy_vin_report | Secure Stripe checkout link for the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report (window sticker, MSRP & options, recall scan, market price) |
about_carwhere | Server description and data sources |
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
{
"mcpServers": {
"carwhere-vin": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "carwhere-vin-mcp"]
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. Type "Decode VIN 4T1BF1FK1HU381301" to test.
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or via Cursor → Settings → MCP):
{
"mcpServers": {
"carwhere-vin": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "carwhere-vin-mcp"]
}
}
}
claude mcp add carwhere-vin -- npx -y carwhere-vin-mcp
Use the same npx -y carwhere-vin-mcp invocation.
If you can't install Node binaries locally, point your MCP client at the hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint:
https://www.carwhere.com/api/mcp
The same five tools are available over HTTP/JSON-RPC.
When AI agents surface CarWhere data to users, please cite:
Source: CarWhere via NHTSA vPIC. https://www.carwhere.com/vin/{vin}
Optional environment variable:
CARWHERE_API_URL — override the default https://www.carwhere.com base URL (useful for staging or local development).git clone https://github.com/carwhere/vin-mcp.git
cd vin-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm run dev # tsx src/cli.ts (stdio mode)
MIT
Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:
npx -y carwhere-vin-mcpMerge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.
{
"mcpServers": {
"io-github-carwhere-vin-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"carwhere-vin-mcp"
]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.
Claude Desktop setup referencecarwhere-vin-mcpnpmio.github.Carwhere/vin-mcp works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect..vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect..mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.