How do I use VIN MCP?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@VIN MCP decode VIN 1HGCM82633A004352 and check for any open recalls" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

VIN MCP

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

License: MIT Node.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:

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