Auto.dev

About Auto.dev

Auto.dev provides a set of vehicle data APIs covering VIN decoding, photos, listings search, specifications, OEM build data, safety recalls, payment and interest rate calculations, total cost of ownership, license plate to VIN lookup, and taxes and fees. Access is available through a command-line tool, an SDK, and an MCP server, in addition to the underlying REST APIs.

The CLI, distributed as the @auto.dev/sdk npm package, authenticates via browser-based OAuth login and exposes a command for each API (decode, photos, listings, specs, build, recalls, payments, apr, tco, open-recalls, plate, taxes), plus utilities for checking account usage, exploring API endpoints and parameters, and searching bundled documentation. Output can be returned as JSON or YAML, and API metadata is stripped from responses by default unless a raw flag is used. Settings such as this raw-output preference are stored in a local config file and shared across the CLI, SDK, and MCP server.

The MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf call the same vehicle data functions directly as tools, with each CLI command mirrored as an MCP tool prefixed "auto_", including a documentation-search tool for agents. The JavaScript/TypeScript SDK offers programmatic access to the same set of methods for use in custom applications, requiring an API key and returning responses with a data payload and metadata including request ID, tier, and remaining usage.

Key features

• Decode VINs for make, model, year, trim, and engine details
• Search vehicle listings with filters like make, year, price, and state
• Calculate monthly payments, interest rates, and total cost of ownership
• Look up safety recalls and open/unresolved recalls by VIN
• MCP server exposes all API commands as tools for AI assistants like Claude
• JavaScript/TypeScript SDK with typed methods for every API endpoint

Frequently asked questions