<img src="https://precleared.dev/icon.png" width="56" alt="">

# Precleared: cold-email legality checks for AI agents

[![smithery badge](https://smithery.ai/badge/gabrielaoimevbore/precleared)](https://smithery.ai/servers/gabrielaoimevbore/precleared)

**Is your agent allowed to send that?** Precleared answers before the email goes out: a per-address verdict on cold marketing email, the rule quoted, what the footer must include, and a signed receipt anyone can verify. Covers the UK (PECR and UK GDPR), the US (CAN-SPAM), Canada (CASL), Germany (UWG), France (CPCE), Australia (Spam Act), Ireland (S.I. 336/2011), the Netherlands (Telecommunicatiewet), Spain (LSSI), Italy (Privacy Code), Latvia (Information Society Services Law), the United Arab Emirates (PDPL), Egypt (Personal Data Protection Law) and Qatar (Personal Data Privacy Protection Law).

It sits between the step that finds an address (Hunter, Apollo, Clay) and the step that sends (Gmail, Outlook, Instantly, lemlist). One call per new contact, before the first email. It is not needed for invoices, receipts or other transactional email.

- Site and docs: https://precleared.dev/docs
- MCP server (streamable HTTP): `https://precleared.dev/mcp`
- REST: `POST https://precleared.dev/api/v1/check`
- OpenAPI: https://precleared.dev/openapi.json
- Rules, with sources: https://precleared.dev/rules

## Plugin and agent skill

This repository is also a Claude plugin and an [Agent Skills](https://agentskills.io) skill. The plugin connects your agent to the hosted MCP server and adds `cold-email-check`, a skill that tells the agent when to run a check (before the first cold email to a new address, not for invoices or replies), how to fill in the facts without guessing, what to do with each verdict and where to keep the receipt.

**Claude Code:**

```bash
claude plugin marketplace add gabrielaoimevbore-beep/precleared-mcp
claude plugin install precleared@precleared
```

If you added the Precleared MCP server separately before, remove it so the tools don't appear twice.

**Claude.ai, the desktop app and Cowork:** Customize, Plugins, Add, Add marketplace, enter `gabrielaoimevbore-beep/precleared-mcp`, then add Precleared and connect its connector from the plugin's Connectors tab.

**Cursor, Codex, OpenCode and other agents that read skills:**

```bash
npx skills add gabrielaoimevbore-beep/precleared-mcp
```

The skill uses the Precleared MCP tools when they are connected. Otherwise it runs `skills/cold-email-check/scripts/check.mjs` (Node 18 or later, no dependencies), which calls the REST API for one address or a whole list:

```bash
node skills/cold-email-check/scripts/check.mjs --email jane@acme.co.uk --sender GB --source SOURCE --pitch "bookkeeping software"
node skills/cold-email-check/scripts/check.mjs --file leads.csv --sender GB --source SOURCE --out leads-checked.csv
```

SOURCE is where the addresses came from: `published`, `bought`, `scraped`, `given` or `unknown`. It changes the verdict, so give the real answer. The script sends each address and the facts given for it to precleared.dev, with `PRECLEARED_API_KEY` if you set it. Nothing else leaves your machine, and nothing is sent to the recipient.

## Add it to your client

**Cursor:** [Add to Cursor](cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=precleared&config=eyJ1cmwiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcmVjbGVhcmVkLmRldi9tY3AifQ==)

**VS Code:** [Add to VS Code](vscode:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%20%22precleared%22%2C%20%22type%22%3A%20%22http%22%2C%20%22url%22%3A%20%22https%3A//precleared.dev/mcp%22%7D)

**Claude Code:**

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http precleared https://precleared.dev/mcp
```

**Claude.ai and the Claude desktop app:** Settings, Connectors, Add custom connector, paste `https://precleared.dev/mcp`.

**Claude directory:** https://claude.ai/directory/precleared (one click, no setup).

**Smithery:** connect through https://smithery.ai/servers/gabrielaoimevbore/precleared. The key is an optional connection setting there.

**Official MCP registry:** `dev.precleared/contact-check`

**Local server over stdio (this repository):** for clients that only run local servers.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "precleared": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:gabrielaoimevbore-beep/precleared-mcp"],
      "env": { "PRECLEARED_API_KEY": "pc_live_..." }
    }
  }
}
```

Or with Docker: `docker build -t precleared-mcp . && docker run -i --rm -e PRECLEARED_API_KEY=pc_live_... precleared-mcp`. The key is optional either way. Any client can also bridge the hosted endpoint with `npx mcp-remote https://precleared.dev/mcp --transport http-only`.

**Any MCP client (JSON):**

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "precleared": {
      "url": "https://precleared.dev/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer pc_live_..." }
    }
  }
}
```

The `Authorization` header is optional, and `X-API-Key: pc_live_...` works too. Without a key you get 100 free checks a day over the hosted MCP endpoint (10 over REST), shared by everyone on the same IP address. A free key from https://precleared.dev/get-key gives you your own 100 a day over MCP (25 over REST); a £39 pack adds 2,000 checks that never expire.

### Claude Managed Agents

A ready-made agent definition that checks every recipient before drafting is in [examples/claude-managed-agents](examples/claude-managed-agents).

## What is in this repository

`index.js` is a small MCP server (Node 18 or later, one dependency) that exposes the same tools as the hosted endpoint and fulfils them through the public REST API. Nothing is stored locally and nothing is sent to the recipient. The hosted endpoint at `https://precleared.dev/mcp` is the canonical server: without a key it allows 100 checks a day, while the REST API behind this local server allows 10 a day per network, so add a free key if you run it locally at any volume.

```bash
npm install
npm test        # runs the server and the skill script against a fake API on localhost, no network needed
PRECLEARED_API_KEY=pc_live_... node index.js
```

Environment: `PRECLEARED_API_KEY` (optional), `PRECLEARED_API_BASE` (default `https://precleared.dev/api/v1`), `PRECLEARED_TIMEOUT_MS` (default 30000).

The plugin lives beside it: `.claude-plugin/` holds the plugin and marketplace manifests, `.mcp.json` points at the hosted server, and `skills/cold-email-check/` holds the skill and its script. `node test/skill.mjs` tests the script against a fake API.

## Tools

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `contact_check` | Takes a recipient email or domain, your sender country (GB, US, AE or CA), the pitch, where the address came from and, if you have them, the company name, the person's name and the draft email. Returns `verdict` (ok_to_email, consent_needed, blocked or unknown), `confidence`, the rule quoted with its source, `footer_text` (what the email's footer must include, not wording to paste), `next_step`, the facts used, `email_check` when a draft was passed (does the footer have an opt-out, the sender's identity and, where needed, a postal address; the draft is not stored) and a signed `receipt`. Not needed for transactional email such as invoices. |
| `verify_receipt` | Takes a receipt id and returns the receipt with its hashes, Ed25519 signature and public key. |
| `suppress_contact` | Adds an address or a whole domain to the key's opt-out list, or removes it. Every later `contact_check` on a listed address answers `blocked`, free of charge. Needs `PRECLEARED_API_KEY`. |

## Example

```bash
curl https://precleared.dev/api/v1/check \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"recipient_email":"jane@acme.co.uk","sender_country":"GB","address_source":"published"}'
```

```json
{
  "verdict": "ok_to_email",
  "confidence": "high",
  "reasons": [{ "rule_key": "gb_corporate_ok", "text": "Under PECR the consent rule for marketing email applies to individual subscribers only...", "source_title": "PECR 2003 regulation 22(1) and ICO Guide to PECR" }],
  "footer_text": "Say who you are and who the email is from, include a valid postal address, and give a simple free way to stop further emails (PECR regulation 23).",
  "next_step": "Send. Log the receipt against the lead.",
  "receipt": { "id": "cc_rcpt_...", "signature": "...", "key_version": "k1", "verify_url": "https://precleared.dev/api/v1/receipt?id=cc_rcpt_..." }
}
```

## What the receipt proves

That Precleared was asked this question, with these facts, at this time, and gave this answer. Every receipt has a public page at `https://precleared.dev/r/<id>` and can be verified offline with the public key at https://precleared.dev/api/v1/public-key. It is decision support with sources, not legal advice.

## Privacy and terms

https://precleared.dev/privacy · https://precleared.dev/terms