retroachievements-mcp

A Model Context Protocol server that exposes the RetroAchievements public API to MCP-compatible clients like Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor.

Built on top of the official @retroachievements/api TypeScript SDK.

What you can do with it

• "What achievements did I unlock in the last hour?"

• "Summarize my RetroAchievements activity this month."

• "Show me the achievement list for Super Mario 64."

• "Who are the top-ten ranked players right now?"

• "How rare is each achievement in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past?"

Related MCP server: MCP Chess Server

Requirements

• Node.js 18+

• A RetroAchievements account and Web API key (Settings → Keys)

Install

git clone https://github.com/Zach-Houston/retroachievements-mcp.git
cd retroachievements-mcp
npm install
npm run build

First-time setup

You have three ways to get the server credentials in place. Pick whichever fits.

Just start asking your MCP client questions like "Show me my RetroAchievements profile." The first call will fail with a structured "credentials not configured" message that gives the assistant two choices to offer you.

1A. In-chat paste (fastest)

You paste your username and Web API key into the chat. The assistant calls ra_save_credentials, which validates the key against the live API and saves it. Downside: the key is in your chat transcript.

1B. Edit a file the assistant scaffolds (key never touches chat)

The assistant calls ra_prepare_credentials_file, which writes a placeholder credentials.env in your user config dir and returns a file:// link. You click the link, paste your key in the file, save. The server picks it up on the next tool call. Upside: key never appears in the transcript.

Either way, credentials end up at:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\retroachievements-mcp\credentials.env

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/retroachievements-mcp/credentials.env

• Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/retroachievements-mcp/credentials.env

The assistant can call ra_status at any time to see whether setup is done, half-done (placeholder file waiting for a key), or not started.

2. Interactive CLI

npm run setup

Walks you through getting an account (if needed), prompts for your Web API key, verifies against the API, and saves to the same user config dir.

3. Env vars in your MCP client config

Set RA_USERNAME and RA_API_KEY as env entries in your MCP client's server config (see Use with Claude Code). The server reads env vars first, then falls back to the stored file. Env vars never touch the chat history.

Configure

The server reads two environment variables at startup:

Pass the values as env entries in your MCP client config (see below) — those take precedence over the stored credentials file.

If you launch the server without env vars set and no stored credentials, it will still start and respond to MCP clients — but every tool call returns a friendly error pointing the assistant at ra_save_credentials / ra_prepare_credentials_file. A missing key never silently bricks the connection.

Use with Claude Code

Add this to your Claude Code MCP config (~/.claude.json or via claude mcp add):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retroachievements": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/Users/Z/projects/retroachievements-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "RA_USERNAME": "YourUserName",
        "RA_API_KEY": "your-web-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or, after npm link, you can use the retroachievements-mcp binary directly.

Use with Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retroachievements": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/Users/Z/projects/retroachievements-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "RA_USERNAME": "YourUserName",
        "RA_API_KEY": "your-web-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

Setup

User

Game

Console

Achievement

Leaderboard

Feed

More are easy to add (comments, tickets, claims, hashes, game progression list, set requests, per-user game rank) — see src/tools/ for the pattern.

Develop

npm run dev     # tsx, no build step
npm run build   # compile to dist/
npm start       # run the compiled server

License

MIT