Claude Code

Add one line to your terminal and Claude Code can pull live data from 42 platforms, no HTTP plumbing required:

claude mcp add --scope user socialcrawl -- npx -y socialcrawl-mcp

Then set your key once and start asking in natural language:

claude mcp add-env socialcrawl SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY sc_your_key_here

The socialcrawl-mcp server connects any MCP-compatible client to the SocialCrawl API. It is published on npm and the MCP Registry, and it covers the same 325 endpoints as the REST API behind one x-api-key.

How do I give Claude Code access to social media data?

Run the claude mcp add command above, set SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY, and restart Claude Code. From then on you can ask things like "Get the TikTok profile for @charlidamelio" or "Search YouTube for machine learning tutorials," and the agent calls the right endpoint for you. Discovery and documentation tools work even before you set a key, so the agent can explore what is available first.

Get a key at socialcrawl.dev (Dashboard → API Keys). Every account starts with 100 free credits, no card required.

How do I connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurf?

Add the server to your client's MCP config file, then restart the client.

Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows), Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json), and Windsurf use the same shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socialcrawl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "socialcrawl-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY": "sc_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json) uses the servers key with an explicit stdio transport:

{
  "servers": {
    "socialcrawl": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "socialcrawl-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY": "sc_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Any MCP client with stdio transport works with the same pattern: command npx, args ["-y", "socialcrawl-mcp"], and SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY in the environment.

What tools does the agent get?

The server exposes discovery, request, and documentation tools. Three of them query bundled local data and need no API key, so the agent can list platforms, inspect an endpoint's parameters, and read docs for free. Only live requests spend credits. Before every call, the server validates locally that the platform, endpoint, and required parameters exist, and tells the agent how to fix a bad call without burning a credit. For the full tool table and how validation works, see Skills & MCP and the MCP server page.

What does it cost?

Credits are spent only on live data requests, billed exactly as the REST API bills them: standard endpoints are 1 credit, transcripts and other premium endpoints are 10 credits, and the universal search/everywhere call is a flat 20 credits. Cache hits and the discovery and documentation tools cost 0 credits. See Credits and Endpoint pricing for the full breakdown, or Pricing for credit packs.

Where to go next

• Skills & MCP reference — the full tool list, the Skills package for 40+ agents, and Skills vs MCP.
• AI Agent Integration for the machine-readable llms.txt, OpenAPI spec, and per-platform reference files.
• Vercel AI SDK and LangChain if you are building your own agent instead of using an MCP client.
• Browse the platform directory or start with the Quickstart.