get-vehicle-specsLABSCO SUMMARY
One thread from a plate in a photo to a number you would pay.
The tools are built to chain: read the plate off an image, decode it to a VIN, pull the history and the recalls, then ask what it is worth at this mileage and condition. Each step hands the next its input, so a pre-purchase check is a conversation rather than four tabs.
What it is
CarsXE's own hosted server over its vehicle data API. Twelve tools cover identification, specification, history and valuation, and each answers in grouped Markdown meant to be read in a chat rather than parsed.
What you get
- A 17-character VIN decoded into full specifications — year, make, model, engine, dimensions, colours, equipment — with a separate decoder for international VINs and their emissions data
- A licence plate decoded to a VIN and the basics, with state and country to disambiguate it
- Both identifiers readable out of a photo: plates recognised from an image URL with confidence scores and bounding boxes, and a VIN lifted off a dashboard shot by OCR
- A full history report — junk and salvage records, insurance, title brands, odometer readings, owner count
- Open safety recalls by VIN, each with date, description, risk, remedy and status
- Estimated market value by VIN, adjusted for state, mileage and a condition of excellent, clean, average or rough, broken out as retail, trade-in and MSRP
- Lien and theft records: lienholder, theft entries, recovery dates and status
- Vehicle information by year, make, model and trim when there is no VIN to hand, and images by make and model filtered on year, trim, colour, angle and background
- OBD codes decoded into a diagnosis, for the check-engine light rather than the paperwork
- Live data on every call — each query hits the CarsXE API rather than a cache
Requirements
A CarsXE API key on an active subscription. The hosted endpoint at https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp speaks streamable HTTP and takes the key as an X-API-Key header, an Authorization bearer token, or a query parameter; Claude Desktop and other stdio-only clients reach it through mcp-remote. Hosted clients such as the Claude.ai custom connector can use OAuth 2.1 instead — dynamic client registration, browser sign-in, then authorization code with PKCE, with access tokens good for an hour and refresh tokens rotated on every use.
Setup effort
Paste a URL with a key — add the endpoint to your client
USE CASES
01
Checking a used car before you buy it
Decode the plate to a VIN, read the history and any open recalls, then ask what it is worth at the mileage and condition on offer.
02
Identifying a car you only have a photo of
Read the plate out of the image, look it up in the right state, and pull images of that model to confirm you have the right one.
03
Working from the VIN plate on a dashboard
Extract the VIN by OCR from the photo and take it straight into the full specification.
04
Making sense of a check-engine light
Decode the OBD code for its diagnosis and read the vehicle's specification alongside it to see what that system is on this car.
05
Confirming a title is clean
Check lien and theft records against the VIN, then read the history report for brands and odometer entries.
06
Researching a model you do not own yet
Look it up by year, make, model and trim for features, options and available colours, and decode a foreign VIN if the car is an import.
12 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
decode-vehicle-plateinternational-vin-decoderget-market-valueget-vehicle-historyget-vehicle-imagesget-vehicle-recallsrecognize-plate-imagevin-ocrget-year-make-modeldecode-obd-codeget-lien-theftBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
12 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- A CarsXE API key on an active subscription, from https://api.carsxe.com/dashboard/developer
- npx on PATH — only for the Claude Desktop and Windsurf blocks, which reach the endpoint through mcp-remote
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Add the endpoint to your client.
Server setup
ENDPOINT URL
https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcpMCP Clients
Claude Desktop, Windsurf
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"carsxe": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote@latest",
"https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp",
"--header",
"X-API-Key: <YOUR_API_KEY>"
]
}
}
}VS Code
VS CODE · JSON
{
"servers": {
"CarsXE": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Claude Code
CLAUDE CODE · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"carsxe": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Gemini CLI
GEMINI CLI · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"carsxe": {
"httpUrl": "https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Kiro CLI
KIRO CLI · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"carsxe": {
"url": "https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"X-API-Key": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
},
"disabled": false
}
}
}Codex
CODEX · TOML
[mcp_servers.carsxe]
url = "https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp"
http_headers = { "X-API-Key" = "<YOUR_API_KEY>" }Claude.ai
Add https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp as a custom connector in Claude.ai
Click Connect, then sign in on the CarsXE consent page in your browser
