Question 1

What is CarVector.io?

Accepted Answer

CarVector is a developer API for vehicle data — specs and representative images, federal recall campaigns, and OBD-II DTC reference — bundled in one API with an open-source Model Context Protocol client. It's built for backend developers, AI agent builders, shop-management ISVs, and anyone who needs structured vehicle data inside their product without writing their own scrapers.

Question 2

Does CarVector have a free tier?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Free tier allows 500 requests/month at no cost and no credit card. Paid tiers are Developer ($39/month, 10,000 requests/month), Pro ($79/month, 100,000/month), and Business ($249/month, 1,000,000/month). Enterprise pricing is custom. Agents without an account can also pay per request via x402 at $0.01 per call, settled in USDC on Base.

Question 3

How do I authenticate to the CarVector API?

Accepted Answer

Send your key as Authorization: Bearer cv_… or as X-API-Key: cv_… on every request. The REST endpoints and the MCP server accept both header styles. Keys are minted in the dashboard at carvector.io/dashboard; the raw value is shown once at creation.

Question 4

How do I use CarVector with Claude Desktop, Cursor, or another MCP client?

Accepted Answer

Install the open-source MCP client with `npx -y carvector-mcp`. Add it to your MCP client config with one block: { "mcpServers": { "carvector": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "carvector-mcp"], "env": { "CARVECTOR_API_KEY": "cv_your_key" } } } }. The package is published on npm and in the official Model Context Protocol registry as io.github.carvectorio/carvector-mcp.

Question 5

What data does CarVector cover?

Accepted Answer

The catalog covers 12,000+ vehicles spanning 1925–2029, with multi-source-verified specs (engine, drivetrain, body, representative image) and federal recall campaigns. Catalog images are illustrations, not photos. The OBD-II DTC table is reference-only — title, category, severity, safety/emissions flags — not a repair-cost or fix-time dataset. Deeper trim coverage, image variants, and DTC enrichment are on the roadmap, not live features.

Question 6

Where is the CarVector MCP server published?

Accepted Answer

The source is at github.com/carvectorio/carvector-mcp under MIT. The npm package is carvector-mcp. It is published in the official Model Context Protocol registry as io.github.carvectorio/carvector-mcp at version 1.0.1, status active.

Question 7

Is CarVector the only vehicle-data MCP server?

Accepted Answer

No. Other vehicle-adjacent MCP servers exist in the official registry (NHTSA wrappers, VIN decoders, recall checkers). CarVector's positioning is bundled specs + recalls + DTC reference for developers — not category novelty.

1996 Mercury

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Tracer

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