EnCarAPI MCP server: Korean and Chinese used car data for AI assistants

Model Context Protocol server for EnCarAPI. Lets Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT and other MCP clients search live used car listings from South Korea (Encar, KB Chachacha, K Car) and China (Dongchedi, Che168), and pull full details, inspection reports and accident records.

An API key is required. Get one (5-day trial) at encarapi.com. Chinese data works with a ChinaCarAPI key or an EnCarAPI key with the China add-on. ChinaCarAPI customers: see For ChinaCarAPI customers.

Tools

All tools are read-only.

Option 1: hosted (no install)

Add this URL as a remote MCP server:

https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp

In clients with OAuth support the URL is all you need. On first use a browser window opens, you paste your EnCarAPI key once, and the client is connected:

• Claude (claude.ai, desktop, mobile): Settings - Connectors - Add custom connector, paste the URL
• ChatGPT (developer mode): Settings - Connectors - create a connector with the URL
• Cursor: {"mcpServers": {"encarapi": {"url": "https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp"}}} in .cursor/mcp.json
• VS Code: "MCP: Add Server" - HTTP - paste the URL
• Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http encarapi https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp

The key is checked once and is not stored on the server: it is encrypted into the token your client receives. To disconnect, remove the server in your client; to cut off access everywhere, rotate your key at encarapi.com.

Alternative: send the key yourself

Clients without OAuth support, scripts and gateways can send the key directly:

https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http encarapi https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY"

The x-api-key: YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY header works as well. Clients that only accept a URL and have no OAuth support can use https://mcp.encarapi.com/mcp?key=YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY (a header is preferred, since URLs can end up in logs). A separate ChinaCarAPI key goes into the x-china-key header, or into the second field of the browser form.

For ChinaCarAPI customers

ChinaCarAPI has its own address:

https://mcp.chinacarapi.com/mcp

Add it as a remote MCP server exactly as above. On first use a browser window opens and you paste your ChinaCarAPI key once. The form detects which key it is, so an EnCarAPI key works there as well; customers with both keys put the EnCarAPI key into the optional second field.

• Claude (claude.ai, desktop, mobile): Settings - Connectors - Add custom connector, paste the URL
• Cursor: {"mcpServers": {"chinacarapi": {"url": "https://mcp.chinacarapi.com/mcp"}}} in .cursor/mcp.json
• Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http chinacarapi https://mcp.chinacarapi.com/mcp

On this address the Chinese tools are listed first. Start with chinese_filter_values to get valid makes, fuels and cities (the city filter needs the exact value from that list).

Without the browser login, send the key as a header. On mcp.chinacarapi.com a key in Authorization: Bearer or x-api-key counts as a ChinaCarAPI key:

claude mcp add --transport http chinacarapi https://mcp.chinacarapi.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CHINACARAPI_KEY"

x-china-key: YOUR_CHINACARAPI_KEY works on both addresses; then Authorization can carry an EnCarAPI key for the Korean tools.

Locally (npx), set CHINACARAPI_KEY instead of ENCARAPI_KEY:

claude mcp add chinacarapi -e CHINACARAPI_KEY=YOUR_CHINACARAPI_KEY -- npx -y encarapi-mcp

Option 2: local (npx)

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json), Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json) and most other clients:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "encarapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "encarapi-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ENCARAPI_KEY": "YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

claude mcp add encarapi -e ENCARAPI_KEY=YOUR_ENCARAPI_KEY -- npx -y encarapi-mcp

Optional: CHINACARAPI_KEY for a separate ChinaCarAPI key.

Example prompts

• "Find accident-free Genesis GV80 from 2022 or newer under 50 million KRW and compare the mileage."
• "Show the inspection report and accident record for Encar listing 41000001."
• "What are the cheapest export-ready BYD Seal listings in China right now?"

Self-hosting the HTTP endpoint

docker build -t encarapi-mcp .
docker run -p 3000:3000 encarapi-mcp     # POST /mcp, GET /health

Stateless: every request carries its own key, nothing is stored.

To enable the OAuth flow ("connect by URL only"), set two environment variables:

docker run -p 3000:3000 -e MCP_OAUTH_SECRET="$(openssl rand -base64 48)" \
  -e MCP_PUBLIC_URL=https://mcp.example.com encarapi-mcp

This adds /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource, /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server, /register, /authorize and /token (OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, dynamic client registration). There is still no database: client ids, authorization codes and tokens are encrypted, self-contained values (AES-256-GCM) that carry the key. Consequences:

• Changing MCP_OAUTH_SECRET signs out all OAuth clients (they reconnect through the browser).
• Access tokens last 1 hour, refresh tokens 90 days and are replaced on every use.
• Single use of authorization codes and of replaced refresh tokens is tracked in memory, so it is best-effort: it does not survive a restart and is not shared between instances.
• A single token cannot be revoked on the server. Rotating the EnCarAPI key cuts off all access.

Links

• EnCarAPI: encarapi.com
• ChinaCarAPI: chinacarapi.com
• SDKs: Node.js, Python

EnCarAPI is an independent service and not affiliated with Encar, KB Chachacha, K Car, Dongchedi or Che168.

License

MIT