Strava MCP

Small, read-only local MCP server for querying your own Strava data from Codex. It uses Strava's API on behalf of one authenticated athlete; it is not a hosted or multi-user service.

Requirements

• Node.js 22+

• A Strava API application and an account authorized for its requested read scopes

Related MCP server: Strava Planner MCP

Quick Start

1. Create a Strava API application in the Strava API settings.

2. Complete the OAuth flow described below and copy the resulting refresh token.

3. Copy the environment template:

cp .env.example .env

Fill in:

STRAVA_CLIENT_ID=...
STRAVA_CLIENT_SECRET=...
STRAVA_REFRESH_TOKEN=...
STRAVA_GRANTED_SCOPES=read,activity:read,activity:read_all,profile:read_all

4. Install and verify:

npm install
npm run check
npm test

5. Build and run locally:

npm run build
npm start

Use npm run dev only while developing.

OAuth Setup

This server intentionally has no browser-auth CLI: Strava's authorization flow is one-time setup, and the server refreshes and persists tokens afterward.

1. Set your app's authorization callback domain in Strava's API settings. For a local manual flow, use a loopback callback such as localhost.

2. Open an authorization URL using your client id and the scopes below. Replace <client-id> and <redirect-uri>:

https://www.strava.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=<client-id>&response_type=code&redirect_uri=<redirect-uri>&approval_prompt=force&scope=read,activity:read_all,profile:read_all

3. After approval, exchange the returned code at https://www.strava.com/oauth/token with your client id, client secret, authorization code, and grant_type=authorization_code.

4. Put the returned refresh_token in STRAVA_REFRESH_TOKEN. Copy the callback's granted scope value into STRAVA_GRANTED_SCOPES.

The server stores rotated access and refresh tokens in ~/.config/strava-mcp/auth.json by default. Set STRAVA_DATA_DIR to move all local Strava state elsewhere, or set STRAVA_TOKEN_FILE only when the credential cache must live at a specific path.

Tools

• strava_recent_activities

• strava_athlete_profile

• strava_activity_detail

• strava_activity_streams

• strava_athlete_stats

• strava_gear_detail

• strava_athlete_zones

• strava_activity_zones

• strava_activity_laps

• strava_rate_limit_status

• strava_sync_activities

• strava_cache_status

• strava_activity_summary

• strava_gear_usage

• strava_activity_search

• strava_export_activities

Common Codex workflows

Sync activity history into the ignored local cache:

{
  "after": 1648771200,
  "maxPages": 20
}

Query from cache only after a sync:

{
  "after": 1648771200,
  "sportTypes": ["MountainBikeRide", "Ride"],
  "groupBy": "month",
  "source": "cache"
}

Use source on bounded analysis and export tools:

• cache_then_api uses local cache when covered, then syncs missing history if needed. This is the default.

• cache never calls Strava and fails clearly if the cache does not cover the range.

• api calls Strava directly and does not require cache coverage.

Export an audit snapshot from the same resolved activity set:

{
  "after": 1648771200,
  "sportTypes": ["MountainBikeRide", "Ride"],
  "source": "cache"
}

Inspect local cache/rate-limit metadata with strava_cache_status, strava_rate_limit_status, or the MCP resource strava://cache/status.

For long activities, prefer compact streams:

{
  "id": 123456789,
  "keys": ["time", "distance", "heartrate", "latlng"],
  "maxPoints": 500
}

Codex MCP config

Use absolute paths for your clone:

[mcp_servers.strava]
command = "node"
args = ["/absolute/path/to/strava-mcp/dist/server.js"]

Keep this read-only unless you intentionally add write scopes and write tools.

STRAVA_TOKEN_FILE is optional. Strava can rotate refresh tokens, and the server writes the newest token to STRAVA_DATA_DIR/auth.json by default.

STRAVA_GRANTED_SCOPES is optional but recommended. Copy the comma-separated scope value from the OAuth callback URL so scope errors fail locally with a clear message.

Private local data lives outside the repository:

• auth.json: rotated OAuth token cache.

• cache/activities.json: local activity-history cache.

• exports/*.json and exports/*.csv: raw and compact audit exports.

By default these are under ~/.config/strava-mcp. Use them for local audits, but do not add them to Git.

Development

npm run format:check
npm run lint
npm run typecheck
npm test

See CONTRIBUTING.md for project scope and contribution guidance.