How to Use the AQICN MCP in Claude

Q: How does Claude Desktop use the AQICN server to get my local air quality?

You just ask. Claude Desktop uses the getipfeed tool, which determines your location from your IP address to fetch the AQI from the nearest monitoring station. You don't need to provide any location details manually.

Q: What's the difference between getcityfeed and getstationfeed with the AQICN tools in Claude Desktop?

getcityfeed gives you a general AQI for an entire city. getstationfeed is more specific—it pulls the complete data from a single monitoring station that you choose by its ID.

Q: How do I find specific monitoring stations with AQICN and Claude Desktop?

Use the searchstations tool. You can ask your agent something like, “Search for AQICN stations named 'Downtown'” and it will return a list of matching stations and their IDs.

Get live air quality data from over 30,000 stations directly inside your Claude Desktop chat.

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Connect AQICN MCP to Claude Desktop

Create your Vinkius account to connect AQICN to Claude Desktop and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup AQICN with Claude Desktop

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Instant AQI by City or IP

The `get_city_feed` and `get_ip_feed` tools pull real-time air quality data right into your chat. Ask Claude “What’s the air quality in Brooklyn?” and you’ll get a straight answer. No more opening another browser tab just to check the AQI. Your agent simply calls the right tool and spits out the numbers. Since it works in the native Claude Desktop app and on the web, you get the same quick results wherever you work. It’s just faster.

Find Stations on a Map

Use the `get_map_bounds` and `search_stations` tools to find every monitoring station in a specific area. Give your agent a set of map coordinates or a place name, and it will list all the sensors nearby. It’s a simple way to see the data sources for a region. This is great for research or planning. You’re not just getting a single data point; you’re seeing the entire sensor network. You can even ask Claude to filter the list by name to find exactly what you're looking for.

Drill Down with this MCP Server

The `get_station_feed` tool lets you get the full data stream for one specific station. Once you've found a station using search or a map boundary, you can use its unique ID to get a detailed report. This is how you get the most granular data available. Your AI client can pull everything for that single station—all the pollutant levels, current weather conditions, the works. This MCP Server connects Claude directly to the source, giving you the raw data without any fluff.

Setup guide

Set up AQICN MCP in Claude Web or Desktop

1

Open Claude Settings

Go to claude.ai, click your profile icon, then navigate to Customize → Connectors.
2

Add Custom Connector

Click the "+" button and select Add custom connector. Paste your Vinkius endpoint URL: https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. For OAuth-protected servers, expand Advanced settings to add credentials.
3

Start a conversation

Open a new chat. The AQICN MCP tools are available immediately — no restart needed.

Endpoint URL

https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp

No configuration file needed — paste the URL directly in the Claude web interface.

Available on Free (1 connector), Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open Claude Desktop Settings

Click the menu icon at the top-left corner, go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default text editor.
2

Paste the AQICN MCP configuration

Copy the JSON snippet on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen the application. Claude needs a full restart to load new MCPs — refreshing a conversation is not enough.
4

Verify the connection

Open a new conversation. Click the 🔌 icon at the bottom of the message input. You should see tools listed under aqicn-mcp.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aqicn-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by AQICN. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about AQICN MCP in Claude Desktop

You just ask. Claude Desktop uses the `get_ip_feed` tool, which determines your location from your IP address to fetch the AQI from the nearest monitoring station. You don't need to provide any location details manually.

`get_city_feed` gives you a general AQI for an entire city. `get_station_feed` is more specific—it pulls the complete data from a single monitoring station that you choose by its ID.

Yes. You can connect this MCP server to Claude on the web using a Custom Connector, which works on all plans, including the free one. Just paste the server URL into your settings and you're good to go.

Use the `search_stations` tool. You can ask your agent something like, “Search for AQICN stations named 'Downtown'” and it will return a list of matching stations and their IDs.

The AQICN server only processes the location data you provide, like a city name, map coordinates, or your IP address for location-based queries. All requests are handled within the Vinkius V8 Isolate Sandbox, ensuring each operation is ephemeral and isolated from other processes.

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