MCP Server

The official Model Context Protocol server for vatnode. Plug Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT, Cline, Continue — or anything that speaks MCP — into vatnode and let your AI assistant validate EU VAT numbers and look up VAT rates directly in the conversation.

npm: vatnode-mcp · Source: github.com/vatnode/vatnode-mcp · License: MIT

Tools

Five focused tools, each with a description tuned for accurate agent selection. The four free tools work fully offline — VAT rates and format patterns are bundled in the package and updated daily from the EU Commission TEDB. Only live VIES validation calls the vatnode API.

Tool	API key required?	What it does
get_country_vat_rates	No	Standard, reduced, super-reduced and parking rates for one country, plus the VAT number format and regex
list_eu_vat_rates	No	All 27 EU member states plus XI for Northern Ireland
check_vat_format	No	Offline syntactic check of a VAT number against the country regex — does not call VIES
list_supported_countries	No	All 45 supported countries and which are EU members (eligible for VIES validation)
validate_vat_number	Yes	Live VIES validation — returns validity, registered company name and address, registration date, and an optional VIES consultation number for audit proof

Install

Claude Desktop

Open claude_desktop_config.json (on macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/) and add an mcpServers.vatnode entry:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vatnode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vatnode-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VATNODE_API_KEY": "vat_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The vatnode tools will appear in the tool picker.

Cursor

Open Settings → MCP → Add new server and paste the same JSON block.

ChatGPT, Cline, Continue, others

Any MCP-compatible client can connect — point it at npx -y vatnode-mcp with VATNODE_API_KEY in the environment.

No API key? The four free tools (rates and format checks) still work — just omit the env block. To enable validate_vat_number, grab a free API key.

Example session

Once connected, you can talk to your agent naturally — it picks the right tool from the description.

Claude Desktop chat

You: What's the VAT rate in Finland and Germany?

Claude: (calls get_country_vat_rates for FI and DE — free, no key)
Finland's standard VAT is 25.5%, Germany's is 19%. Finland has reduced
rates of 13.5% and 10%; Germany has 7%.

You: Is IE6388047V a valid VAT?

Claude: (calls validate_vat_number — requires API key)
Yes, it's valid. Registered to GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED at Gordon House,
Barrow Street, Dublin 4.

Configuration

Env var	Required	Default	Purpose
VATNODE_API_KEY	for validate_vat_number	—	API key from your dashboard
VATNODE_API_URL	No	https://api.vatnode.dev	Override for self-hosting / staging

Privacy & security

The server runs locally on your machine via npx — no third-party proxy
Your API key stays in your MCP client config and is never sent anywhere except directly to api.vatnode.dev
VAT numbers passed to validate_vat_number are logged on the vatnode side (same as any direct API call) — see the privacy policy
The four free tools never make a network call — VAT rate and format data is bundled in the package

Why use the official server

Third-party MCP marketplaces sometimes ship VAT or tax-validation wrappers built around the vatnode API. Using vatnode-mcp directly is the only way to:

Keep your API key in your own machine, not in a hosted middle-tier
Get tool descriptions that track the real API surface release-by-release
Skip a subscription tier on top of your vatnode plan
Read the source — it's open and every release is signed with npm provenance

Don't have a vatnode account yet? Sign up free — free tier includes a monthly request quota, no credit card needed.