Google Flights MCP

An MCP server that lets Claude, ChatGPT and any other MCP client search Google Flights: prices, stops, durations, cheapest day in a range, nearby-airport comparison and a deep link to book.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. See Legal before using it.

Tools

Every search result includes a google_flights_url so you can verify and book.

Related MCP server: Google Flights MCP Server

Install

You only need uv (it fetches Python and the dependencies for you). Nothing to clone or build.

Do this once first (warm-up). The very first run downloads and builds everything (about a minute), which is longer than the start-up timeout of most clients, so the first launch from Claude would appear to fail. Pre-download it in a terminal, then register it:

uvx --from git+https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP google-flights-mcp --version

After that, starting takes ~2 seconds.

Let Claude install it for you

Paste this into Claude Code (or Claude Desktop with file access) and it will do the setup, asking before it touches any config:

Install this MCP server for me and check it works: https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP
Follow INSTALL_FOR_AI.md in that repo.

If you cloned the repo and open Claude Code in it, you also get three slash commands: /install (set up), /doctor (diagnose problems), /flights <request> (search in plain language).

Or do it by hand:

Claude Code

claude mcp add google-flights -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP google-flights-mcp

Claude Desktop

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, then add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-flights": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP", "google-flights-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /usr/local/bin/uvx with the output of which uvx (Claude Desktop does not see your shell PATH). Keep any other keys already in the file.

Then quit Claude Desktop completely (⌘Q on macOS, tray icon → Quit on Windows; closing the window is not enough), reopen it, start a new chat and ask: "Find me the cheapest flights from Milan to London next month, nonstop only." If the tools do not appear, check ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-google-flights.log.

ChatGPT (and other remote clients)

ChatGPT connects to servers on the public internet, so run the HTTP transport and expose it with a tunnel. You need a ChatGPT plan with custom connectors / Developer Mode (check OpenAI's current docs for eligibility).

# terminal 1
uvx --from git+https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP google-flights-mcp --transport http --port 8000 --allow-any-host
# terminal 2 (any tunnel works; this one needs no account)
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8000

In ChatGPT: Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode → add a connector with https://<your-tunnel>.trycloudflare.com/mcp, authentication none.

⚠️ This server has no authentication. Anyone who learns your tunnel URL can make your machine search Google Flights. Stop the tunnel when you are done, and do not leave it running unattended. Prefer --public-host <your-tunnel-hostname> over --allow-any-host if the hostname is stable.

From a clone

git clone https://github.com/marcopa84/GoogleFlightsMCP && cd GoogleFlightsMCP
uv sync
uv run google-flights-mcp          # stdio
uv run pytest                      # tests (offline)
uv run pytest -m live              # real Google Flights check

Configuration (environment variables, all optional)

In Claude Desktop pass them with an "env": { ... } block next to command/args.

Cookie consent (EU)

From the EU, Google answers automated requests with a cookie-consent page instead of results. The Google backend therefore sends the same SOCS cookie a browser stores after clicking Accept all. That is a choice made on your behalf: set GFLIGHTS_CONSENT_COOKIE to your own value (copy the SOCS cookie from your browser) or to an empty string to send nothing (searches from the EU will then fail).

Updates

Installed with uvx --from git+..., the server picks up the latest commit every time it starts. So to update, just quit the client completely and reopen it (Claude Desktop: ⌘Q / tray → Quit). While the app stays open the old version keeps running; the assistant calls check_for_updates once per conversation and tells you when a restart would bring in a newer version.

How it works

MCP client ──► tools (server.py) ──► FlightService (cache, rate limit, validation, fallback)
                                         ├─ GoogleFlightsBackend  (fast-flights: Google's public web page)
                                         └─ SerpApiBackend        (official paid API, optional)

There is no official Google Flights API. The default backend reads the public page like a browser and can break when Google changes it; the weekly CI job runs a live canary so you find out quickly. If it breaks, update first (uvx --refresh ...) and open an issue.

Legal and fair use

This is not legal advice. Points to be aware of:

• Google's Terms of Service restrict automated access. Scraping can violate them even for public pages.

• In the EU, a site operator may contractually forbid scraping of databases that are not otherwise protected (CJEU, Ryanair v PR Aviation).

• The project is meant for personal, low-volume use: it caches, rate-limits and caps range scans. Do not host it as a public service, resell the data, or raise the limits to bulk-harvest prices.

• For anything commercial use the serpapi backend or a licensed flight-data provider.

• Prices are indicative; always confirm on the booking site.

Contributing

INSTALL_FOR_AI.md is written for AI assistants; keep it in sync when install steps change.

PRs welcome — especially new backends (implement Backend.search in src/google_flights_mcp/backends/).

License

MIT