Public API Toolkit is a local stdio MCP server that exposes 41 public_api_* tools for weather, markets, reference data, Wikipedia, transport, developer lookups, and open datasets. It is designed for factual requests that are better served by stable APIs than by broad web search.

Quick Start

npx -y public-api-toolkit

Most tools work without API keys. Premium-compatible providers use PUBLIC_APIS_* environment variables.

Install

Client	Setup
Claude Code	docs/installation/claude-code.md
Codex	docs/installation/codex.md
Cursor	docs/installation/cursor.md
Gemini CLI	docs/installation/gemini-cli.md
OpenCode	docs/installation/opencode.md
GitHub Copilot CLI	docs/installation/github-copilot-cli.md
OpenClaw	docs/installation/openclaw.md
Generic MCP clients	docs/installation/generic-mcp-clients.md
ChatGPT and remote MCP	docs/installation/chatgpt-mcp.md

What You Get

41 tools across 12 grouped tool families
one local MCP server with a consistent action-based shape
shared timeout and retry behavior for upstream calls
readable setup messages when optional keys are missing
response truncation to protect client context windows

Tool Families

Family	Example tools
Data reference	`public_api_country_data`, `public_api_dictionary`, `public_api_books`, `public_api_university_data`
Geo location	`public_api_geocoding`, `public_api_ip_geolocation`
Finance	`public_api_currency_exchange`, `public_api_crypto_data`, `public_api_stock_market`
Weather and environment	`public_api_weather`, `public_api_air_quality`, `public_api_carbon_footprint`
Development	`public_api_http_utils`, `public_api_dns_network`, `public_api_code_execution`, `public_api_placeholder_data`
Dev tools	`public_api_dev_tools`
Tech news	`public_api_tech_news`
Text and knowledge	`public_api_translation`, `public_api_wikipedia`, `public_api_news`
Media and entertainment	`public_api_images`, `public_api_music_data`, `public_api_movie_tv_data`, `public_api_game_data`
Science and lifestyle	`public_api_math`, `public_api_space`, `public_api_food_recipes`, `public_api_blockchain`, `public_api_holidays`, `public_api_transport`
Validation and security	`public_api_random_facts`, `public_api_animals`, `public_api_email_validation`, `public_api_name_insights`, `public_api_data_validation`, `public_api_security_intel`, `public_api_job_search`
Civic data	`public_api_government_data`, `public_api_health_data`, `public_api_open_data`

Full tool catalog: docs/configuration/tool-groups.md

Optional API Keys

These keys unlock providers that need registration or higher quotas:

Variable	Use
`PUBLIC_APIS_FINNHUB` / `PUBLIC_APIS_ALPHAVANTAGE`	Stock quotes and symbol search
`PUBLIC_APIS_FRED`	Federal Reserve data
`PUBLIC_APIS_OMDB` / `PUBLIC_APIS_TMDB`	Movie and TV lookups
`PUBLIC_APIS_CARBON_INTERFACE`	Carbon estimates
`PUBLIC_APIS_MAILCHECK` / `PUBLIC_APIS_KICKBOX`	Email validation
`PUBLIC_APIS_OPEN_CHARGE_MAP`	EV charging data
`PUBLIC_APIS_FOODDATA_CENTRAL`	USDA nutrition data

Configuration guide: docs/configuration/environment-variables.md

Development

npm ci
npm run build
npm test

The server is implemented in TypeScript, uses the Node test runner, and exposes tools over stdio MCP. Contribution guidance lives in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Runtime Notes

Response cap: 30,000 characters
User-Agent: public-api-toolkit/1.0

Repository Guide

Install docs: docs/installation
Configuration docs: docs/configuration
Publishing docs: docs/publishing
Contributor guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
Privacy policy: PRIVACY.md
Landing page: GitHub Pages in site/

FAQ

Do I need API keys?

No. Most tools use public endpoints without authentication. Optional keys unlock premium or quota-limited providers.

When should I use this instead of web search?

Use it when the request is naturally structured: weather, exchange rates, Wikipedia summaries, geocoding, holidays, public records, transport, or similar factual lookups.

Does it work in ChatGPT directly?

Not in the current release. The project ships a local stdio server, so ChatGPT support requires a remote MCP transport in front of it. See docs/installation/chatgpt-mcp.md.