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VIN MCP

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VIN MCP

Free VIN decoder for humans and AI. No API keys. No accounts. No limits.

License: MITNode.js 18+MCP Compatible

mcp.vin -- Try it now

What It Does

Enter a 17-character VIN and get a comprehensive vehicle report by aggregating six free data sources into a single response:

Source Data Provided
NHTSA vPIC Make, model, year, trim, body class, engine specs, transmission, drive type, weight, plant info, 140+ decoded fields
NHTSA Recalls Open recalls with campaign number, component, summary, consequence, and remedy
NHTSA Complaints Consumer complaints with crash, fire, injury, and death statistics
NHTSA Safety Ratings NCAP star ratings for overall, frontal, side, and rollover crash tests
EPA Fuel Economy City/highway/combined MPG, annual fuel cost, CO2 emissions, EV range and charge time
IMAGIN.studio Stock vehicle photos from multiple angles

Additionally, VIN validation (checksum, WMI country/manufacturer decode, model year) is computed locally with zero API calls.

Quick Start -- Connect via MCP

Claude Code (stdio)

Add to your .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vin-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or if you have the repo cloned locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vin": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/vin-mcp/server.mjs"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop / claude.ai (HTTP)

Use the hosted MCP endpoint:

https://mcp.vin/mcp

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vin": {
      "url": "https://mcp.vin/mcp"
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools

Tool Description Input
decode_vin Full VIN decode with specs, recalls, complaints, safety ratings, fuel economy, and photos { vin: string }
validate_vin Quick local validation -- checksum, WMI country/manufacturer, model year. No external API calls { vin: string }
lookup_recalls Look up recalls by VIN or by make/model/year { vin?: string, make?: string, model?: string, year?: number }
batch_decode Decode up to 50 VINs in a single request via NHTSA batch API { vins: string[] }

REST API

All endpoints are available at https://mcp.vin or on your self-hosted instance.

Method Endpoint Description
GET /api/vin/:vin Full decode -- all 6 sources aggregated
GET /api/vin/:vin/validate Quick checksum and format validation
GET /api/vin/:vin/recalls Recall data only
GET /api/vin/:vin/complaints Consumer complaints only
GET /api/vin/:vin/safety NCAP safety ratings only
GET /api/vin/:vin/fuel EPA fuel economy only
GET /api/vin/:vin/photo Redirects to vehicle photo URL
POST /api/batch Batch decode (body: { "vins": ["VIN1", "VIN2", ...] }, max 50)

Rate limits: 30 requests/minute per IP for most endpoints, 60/minute for validation and photos, 5/minute for batch.

Example:

curl https://mcp.vin/api/vin/1HGCM82633A004352

Direct VIN URLs also work -- visit https://mcp.vin/1HGCM82633A004352 to see the web report.

Self-Hosting

git clone https://github.com/keptlive/vin-mcp.git
cd vin-mcp
npm install
node server.mjs --http --port 3200

The server starts in HTTP mode with:

  • Web frontend at http://localhost:3200
  • REST API at http://localhost:3200/api/vin/{vin}
  • MCP endpoint at http://localhost:3200/mcp

For stdio mode (Claude Code integration without a web server):

node server.mjs

How VINs Work

A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a 17-character code assigned to every vehicle manufactured since 1981. Each position encodes specific information:

1 H G C M 8 2 6 3 3 A 0 0 4 3 5 2
|_____| |___| | | | |_| |_________|
  WMI    VDS  | | | |yr  Sequential
              | | | plant
              | | check digit
              | vehicle attributes
              manufacturer ID
  • Positions 1-3 (WMI): World Manufacturer Identifier -- country and manufacturer
  • Positions 4-8 (VDS): Vehicle Descriptor Section -- model, body, engine, transmission
  • Position 9: Check digit -- validates the VIN using a weighted algorithm
  • Position 10: Model year code (A-Y, 1-9 on a 30-year cycle)
  • Position 11: Assembly plant
  • Positions 12-17: Sequential production number

The letters I, O, and Q are never used in VINs to avoid confusion with 1, 0, and 9.

Tech Stack

  • Runtime: Node.js 18+
  • Server: Express 5
  • MCP SDK: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk with stdio and Streamable HTTP transports
  • Frontend: Vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Caching: In-memory LRU with TTL (1h for decodes, 6h for recalls, 24h for ratings and fuel data)
  • External dependencies: Zero API keys required -- all data sources are free public APIs

License

MIT

Built for mcp.vin

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