x-feed-mcp

A least-privilege, read-only Model Context Protocol server that returns recent tweets from a set of tracked X (Twitter) accounts.

It exposes one tool, get_recent_tweets, and nothing else:

• It can read the most recent tweets from a set of handles, using a logged-in session.

• It cannot post, reply, like, follow, DM, read your home timeline, or write anything. Only reading tracked handles is implemented.

The tracked handles are passed dynamically by the caller on each call, so the set can grow over time without redeploying. It authenticates with a cookie-derived API key (via rettiwt-api), no paid X API tier, and, importantly, no automated password login: you log in by hand once and encode the resulting cookies.

Honest limitations (read before relying on it)

• Against X's Terms of Service. Programmatic access via session cookies breaks X's ToS. Use a dedicated throwaway account, never your personal one; expect it to be flagged/banned eventually.

• Cookies expire. The session dies periodically (days to weeks, sooner if flagged). When it does, the tool returns a clear "session expired" error and you must log in again, regenerate X_API_KEY, and update it. Low-maintenance, not zero-maintenance.

• Brittle upstream. It depends on X's internal endpoints via rettiwt-api; X changes break it until the library updates.

If you need durability, prefer official RSS/news feeds. This server is the pragmatic option when you specifically want to read a curated set of X accounts and accept the upkeep.

Related MCP server: X API FastMCP Server

Requirements

• Node.js 20+.

• A dedicated X account, logged in.

Configuration

For remote (HTTP) deployment, also: MCP_TRANSPORT=http, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN (bearer secret), optional PORT, and optional keepalive (KEEPALIVE_URL / RENDER_EXTERNAL_URL, KEEPALIVE_MINUTES).

Generating X_API_KEY

Log into your dedicated account, open the browser console, and run:

btoa("auth_token=YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN;ct0=YOUR_CT0;twid=YOUR_TWID;")

Get each value from DevTools → Application → Cookies → https://x.com (auth_token ~40 chars, ct0 long, twid looks like u%3D<userid>). The console prints a long base64 string, that is your X_API_KEY (a few hundred characters). It grants full access to that account, so keep it to the throwaway and never commit it.

The tool: get_recent_tweets

Handles are fetched in small batches (X caps from: operators per search query), merged, de-duplicated, and sorted newest-first. Output is a compact text list of author, timestamp, text, and URL.

Remote deployment (HTTP transport)

Run as an always-on service and add it to Claude as a custom connector. The /mcp endpoint requires a bearer token (MCP_AUTH_TOKEN), reachable as an Authorization: Bearer header or as /mcp/<token> in the path for connector UIs that only take a URL. GET /health is unauthenticated (health check + keepalive). A render.yaml blueprint is included; set secrets in the host dashboard, never in the file.

Local development

npm install
npm run build
npm test                                   # unit + HTTP tests (no network)
npm run test:feed                          # live: default handles
npm run test:feed -- 20 @sama @OpenAI      # live: count + explicit handles
npm run test:users -- @sama @AnthropicAI   # live: probe specific handles

The live scripts hit real X endpoints and need a valid X_API_KEY.

Security

See SECURITY.md. The cookie key is read only from the environment, never logged, and grants full access to the connected account, keep it on a dedicated throwaway. Revoking it (log the account out of all sessions) immediately disables this integration.

License

MIT