tako-mcp

# Tako MCP Server

[![Full Documentation](https://img.shields.io/badge/Docs-docs.tako.com-6E56CF?style=flat-square)](https://docs.tako.com/documentation/integrations/mcp-server)
[![MCP Registry](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP_Registry-io.github.TakoData%2Ftako--mcp-000000?style=flat-square)](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io)
[![Smithery](https://img.shields.io/badge/Smithery-tako%2Ftako-4B8BF5?style=flat-square)](https://smithery.ai/servers/tako/tako)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-green?style=flat-square)](LICENSE)
[![Benchmarks: +21% on VerticalRTK](https://img.shields.io/badge/Benchmarks-%2B21%25_on_VerticalRTK-6E56CF?style=flat-square)](https://tako.com/blog/evaluating-a-new-kind-of-search-api/)

Connect AI agents to Tako's proprietary knowledge graph: live financial, macroeconomic, and company data — rendered as interactive, citation-backed charts.

**[Full Documentation](https://docs.tako.com/documentation/integrations/mcp-server)** · **[Get your API key](https://tako.com/console/api-keys)** · **[MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io)**

Tako MCP lets an agent:

- **Search** Tako's knowledge graph and the live web — top result renders inline as a chart
- **Answer** a specific data question with grounded, citation-backed prose
- **Discover** exactly what proprietary data exists for an entity or metric — free and fast
- **Fetch** the underlying rows (CSV) or a page's text behind any result URL
- **Visualize** your own structured data as an embeddable chart _(opt-in)_
- **Run** Tako's Answer Agent for deep, multi-step research _(opt-in)_

> **Why a data-native search API?** On Tako's [VerticalRTK benchmark](https://tako.com/blog/evaluating-a-new-kind-of-search-api/) of real-time domain questions (finance, economics, sports, weather), Tako outperforms the next-best web search API by **21%** — while using **~75% fewer tool calls at up to one-tenth the cost**, and answering research tasks in **15.5s vs 124.2s** for OpenAI web search. It reaches parity with Exa, Parallel, Nimble, and Tavily on standard web benchmarks (SimpleQA, FRAMES) and pulls ahead where structured, real-time data matters. **[Read the evals →](https://tako.com/blog/evaluating-a-new-kind-of-search-api/)**

## Installation

Point your MCP client at the hosted endpoint — no install, no local server:

```
https://mcp.tako.com/mcp
```

Every request authenticates with a Bearer token. **[Get your API key](https://tako.com/console/api-keys)**, then pick your client below.

<details>
<summary><b>Claude Code</b></summary>

```bash
export TAKO_API_TOKEN='<your-token>'

claude mcp add tako-mcp --transport http https://mcp.tako.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $TAKO_API_TOKEN"
```

Verify with `claude mcp list` (should show `tako-mcp` connected) or `/mcp` inside a session.
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Cursor</b></summary>

Add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Windsurf</b></summary>

Add to your Windsurf MCP config:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>VS Code</b></summary>

Add to `.vscode/mcp.json` (workspace) or your user `mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Gemini CLI</b></summary>

Add to `~/.gemini/settings.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>OpenCode</b></summary>

Add to `opencode.json`:

```json
{
  "mcp": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true,
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Codex CLI</b></summary>

Codex connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` bridge. Add to `~/.codex/config.toml`:

```toml
[mcp_servers.tako-mcp]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"]
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Zed</b></summary>

Add to Zed `settings.json` (via the `mcp-remote` bridge):

```json
{
  "context_servers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "source": "custom",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"]
    }
  }
}
```
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Claude Desktop</b></summary>

Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS) or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (Windows):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tako-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.tako.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-tako-api-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Restart Claude Desktop — `Tako MCP` appears in the available tools list.
</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Claude.ai &amp; ChatGPT (OAuth — no token needed)</b></summary>

The consumer chat hosts don't accept Bearer tokens. Instead, the hosted endpoint runs an OAuth 2.1 flow that signs you in with your Tako account and mints a per-host key for you automatically.

**Prerequisites:** just [sign in at tako.com](https://tako.com) with the identity you'll authorize. You do **not** mint a token yourself — the consent flow creates a per-host key (named `MCP: <client>`, visible and revocable at [tako.com/console/api-keys](https://tako.com/console/api-keys)). Connecting a new host never rotates another host's key; Tako trims your oldest MCP key past ten.

![tako.com API keys](docs/images/tako-api-token-generate.png)

**Claude.ai** _(requires Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise)_
1. Open Claude.ai → **Settings → Connectors**
2. Click **Add custom connector**
3. Paste `https://mcp.tako.com/mcp` and click **Connect**
4. Complete the Tako sign-in flow; **Tako** then appears as connected

![Claude.ai Settings → Connectors](docs/images/claude-connectors-landing.png)

**ChatGPT** _(requires Pro, Business, or Enterprise; Developer Mode enabled)_
1. Open ChatGPT → **Settings → Connectors → Developer Mode** and toggle it on
2. Click **Create custom connector**
3. Paste `https://mcp.tako.com/mcp` and click **Connect**
4. Complete the Tako sign-in flow; the connector is then listed and ready

![ChatGPT connector connected](docs/images/chatgpt-tako-connected.png)

**During connect** you'll see three Tako-hosted screens regardless of host: a sign-in page (Google or email magic-link), a consent page (*"Connect [host] to Tako — Allow / Cancel"*), then a bounce back to the host. The host may show its own consent prompt too — that's normal.

![mcp.tako.com sign-in](docs/images/mcp-tako-signin.png)
![mcp.tako.com consent](docs/images/mcp-tako-consent.png)

**Disconnecting.** A per-host disconnect (remove the connector in host settings) stops that host only; other hosts and Bearer-auth clients keep working. To hard-kill everything, rotate your key at [tako.com/console/api-keys](https://tako.com/console/api-keys) — every previously-issued grant across every host stops authenticating immediately.
</details>

**Endpoints:**

| Environment | URL |
|---|---|
| Production | `https://mcp.tako.com/mcp` |
| Staging (testing only) | `https://mcp.staging.tako.com/mcp` |

Tools are discovered automatically via the MCP `tools/list` handshake, so your client always sees the live surface. Auth is connection-level — once connected, tool inputs need no `api_token` argument.

## Available Tools

**Enabled by default:**

| Tool | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| `tako_search` | **Pull the data to work with.** Fast search over Tako's curated graph and the live web; each card carries a free inline preview of its latest rows. Top result renders inline as a chart (an interactive MCP Apps widget on ChatGPT, a chart image elsewhere) with an **Open in Tako** link. Choose `sources` (`data`, `web`, or both) and `effort` (`fast` / `instant`). Parallelize broad questions into narrow single entity+metric searches for far better retrieval. |
| `tako_answer` | **Ask one specific data question, get the answer.** A single grounded, citation-backed prose answer, already written for you — relay it directly. Ground in `data`, `web`, or both. |
| `tako_contents` | Fetch the content behind a result URL: a Tako card returns a CSV, any other URL returns the page's extracted text. Cards must be marked `exportable: true` (web URLs are exempt). |
| `tako_available_data` | **Discover what proprietary, structured data exists** on an entity or metric in one call — and a cheap accuracy check to confirm a figure exists before spending a priced search/answer. Returns a `node_id` you can pin into search/answer for a retrieval boost. Free and fast. |

**Opt-in** — off by default to keep the tool surface small. Enable per-connection via the `?tools=` query parameter (comma-separated aliases):

| Alias | Tool(s) | What it's for |
| ---- | ---- | ----------- |
| `agent` | `tako_agent` (ChatGPT: `tako_agent_start` / `tako_agent_wait`) | Tako's **Answer Agent** — opinionated, multi-step research (~30–90s) across many retrievals, returning a synthesized answer plus chart cards |
| `visualize` | `tako_visualize` | Author an embeddable chart/card from your own typed `components` (timeseries, bar, table, financial boxes…). On by default for ChatGPT, where it