tripadvisor-mcp
MCP server for the TripAdvisor Terra API — location search, details, photos, and reviews for hotels, restaurants, and attractions, exposed to Claude over stdio. (Terra is TripAdvisor's current API; the legacy Content API is sunset on 2026-08-31.)
Setup
Option A — npx (recommended)
Add to .mcp.json in your project or ~/.claude/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"tripadvisor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@chrischall/tripadvisor-mcp"],
"env": {
"TRIPADVISOR_API_KEY": "your-terra-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Get a key at tripadvisor.com/developers. The free Discover tier is pay-as-you-go (10 QPS, 10,000 calls/day); the server caches responses in-memory to stretch it. Must be a Terra key — a legacy key returns 403.
Option B — from source
git clone https://github.com/chrischall/tripadvisor-mcp
cd tripadvisor-mcp
npm install && npm run build
Environment
| Var | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
TRIPADVISOR_API_KEY |
yes | Terra API key (sent as the X-API-Key header). A legacy key returns 403. |
TRIPADVISOR_CACHE_TTL |
no | Seconds to cache identical search responses (default: 300; 0 disables). |
TRIPADVISOR_STATIC_CACHE_TTL |
no | Longer TTL for details/photos/reviews (default: 3600; 0 disables). |
Tools
| Tool | Use for |
|---|---|
ta_search_locations |
Find places by name — query required; filter with category (RESTAURANT/ATTRACTION/HOTEL), country_code, geo_name, postal_code, locale; page with page/size (max 20). compact:true → slim summaries. Returns matches with a location id. |
ta_search_nearby |
Find places near a center — supply one of: lat+lon+radius, location_id+radius, or a sw_lat/sw_lon/ne_lat/ne_lon box (unit MI/KM); filter category, min_rating, sort (distance/rating), include_photo. compact:true supported. |
ta_get_location_details |
Full listing for a location id: names, descriptions, address, coordinates, traveler ratings, phone, URLs. Optional locale. |
ta_get_locations |
Batch details for multiple ids (ids: [..], 1–50) in one call — cheaper than repeated details; unknown ids are omitted. compact:true supported. |
ta_get_location_photos |
Photos (multi-size URLs, source, dimensions). Page with page/size. |
ta_get_location_reviews |
Traveler reviews. Page with page/size. |
ta_web_healthcheck |
Diagnose the optional tripadvisor.com browser-bridge connection (fetchproxy Transporter). Reports bridge role/port/timing and an actionable hint if it's not connected. |
ta_web_get_location |
Get a location's details (rating, review count, address, coordinates, phone, photo, URL) from its public TripAdvisor page via the browser bridge — works without an API key. Covers attractions/hotels/restaurants; no individual review text. |
Workflow
ta_search_locations(orta_search_nearby) to get a locationid.ta_get_location_detailsfor ratings/address;ta_get_location_reviewsandta_get_location_photosfor reviews and images.
Notes:
- Everything is read-only — Terra has no write endpoints.
- A
403/401means the key isn't a valid Terra key (a legacy Content API key won't work) or its plan isn't active. - List endpoints paginate with
page/size(max 20 per page).