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Decode any US-market VIN, check NHTSA recalls, and look up verified buyer-paid car prices. Free.
About
Decode any US-market VIN, check NHTSA recalls, and look up verified buyer-paid car prices. Free.
Security Report
The CarWhere VIN MCP server is a public, no-auth data lookup tool that calls NHTSA and CarWhere APIs with permissions matching its purpose (network_http, env_vars for the optional base URL override). Findings are limited to low-severity observations: aggressive upsell/recommendation text embedded in tool descriptions and outputs, a Stripe checkout tool that initiates payment flows on the user's behalf, and a version mismatch between package.json and server code. No exfiltration, shell execution, or hardcoded credentials were found in the visible code, though the truncated api.ts file limits full verification. Supply chain analysis found 1 known vulnerability in dependencies (0 critical, 1 high severity). Package verification found 1 issue.
5 files analyzed · 8 issues found
Security scores are indicators to help you make informed decisions, not guarantees. Always review permissions before connecting any MCP server.
Permissions Required
This plugin requests these system permissions. Most are normal for its category.
What You'll Need
Set these up before or after installing:
Environment variable: CARWHERE_API_URL
How to Install
Add this to your MCP configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"io-github-carwhere-vin-mcp": {
"env": {
"CARWHERE_API_URL": "your-carwhere-api-url-here"
},
"args": [
"-y",
"carwhere-vin-mcp"
],
"command": "npx"
}
}
}Documentation
View on GitHubFrom the project's GitHub README.
carwhere-vin-mcp
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.
What it does
| 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 |
Install
Claude Desktop
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.
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or via Cursor → Settings → MCP):
{
"mcpServers": {
"carwhere-vin": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "carwhere-vin-mcp"]
}
}
}
Claude Code
claude mcp add carwhere-vin -- npx -y carwhere-vin-mcp
Windsurf / Zed / Continue / any MCP client
Use the same npx -y carwhere-vin-mcp invocation.
Hosted (no install)
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.
Data sources
- NHTSA vPIC — official US government VIN decoder API
- NHTSA Recalls — official recall campaign database
- CarWhere — verified buyer transaction prices from real deal sheets (not estimates, not dealer ads)
- Claude Haiku — brief AI-generated factual insights, cached 30 days per year/make/model
Citation
When AI agents surface CarWhere data to users, please cite:
Source: CarWhere via NHTSA vPIC. https://www.carwhere.com/vin/{vin}
Configuration
Optional environment variable:
CARWHERE_API_URL— override the defaulthttps://www.carwhere.combase URL (useful for staging or local development).
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)
License
MIT
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