PurpleAir MCP Server for Cline 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Cline is an autonomous AI coding agent inside VS Code that plans, executes, and iterates on tasks. Wire PurpleAir through Vinkius and Cline gains direct access to every tool. from data retrieval to workflow automation. without leaving the terminal.
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The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install PurpleAir and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"purpleair": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About PurpleAir MCP Server
Access the world's largest hyperlocal air quality dataset through PurpleAir — a global network of over 50,000 low-cost air quality sensors measuring PM2.5, PM10.0, temperature, humidity, pressure, and more. Connect PurpleAir to your AI agent to monitor real-time air quality, track wildfire smoke, analyze pollution trends, and access historical data for any location — all through natural conversation.
Cline operates autonomously inside VS Code. it reads your codebase, plans a strategy, and executes multi-step tasks including PurpleAir tool calls without waiting for prompts between steps. Connect 10 tools through Vinkius and Cline can fetch data, generate code, and commit changes in a single autonomous run.
What you can do
- Real-Time Air Quality — Get current PM2.5 readings from sensors near any address or coordinate.
- Historical Analysis — Retrieve time-series data for trend analysis, pollution events, and compliance reporting.
- Geographic Mapping — Find all sensors within a bounding box for city-wide or regional air quality mapping.
- Wildfire Smoke Tracking — Monitor PM2.5 spikes during wildfire events across affected areas.
- Indoor Air Quality — Access indoor sensor data for workplace health and HVAC optimization.
- CSV Export — Download historical data in CSV format for spreadsheet analysis.
- Location-Based Queries — Find the closest sensor to any GPS coordinate.
- Sensor Filtering — Filter sensors by type (indoor/outdoor), fields, and update recency.
The PurpleAir MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Cline in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect PurpleAir to Cline via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the PurpleAir MCP Server with Cline.
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar panel
Add remote server
Click "Add MCP Server" and paste the configuration above
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
Start using PurpleAir
Ask Cline: "Using PurpleAir, help me...". 10 tools available
Why Use Cline with the PurpleAir MCP Server
Cline provides unique advantages when paired with PurpleAir through the Model Context Protocol.
Cline operates autonomously. it reads your codebase, plans a strategy, and executes multi-step tasks including MCP tool calls without step-by-step prompts
Runs inside VS Code, so you get MCP tool access alongside your existing extensions, terminal, and version control in a single window
Cline can create, edit, and delete files based on MCP tool responses, enabling end-to-end automation from data retrieval to code generation
Transparent execution: every tool call and file change is shown in Cline's activity log for full visibility and approval before committing
PurpleAir + Cline Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Cline combined with the PurpleAir MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Autonomous feature building: tell Cline to fetch data from PurpleAir and scaffold a complete module with types, handlers, and tests
Codebase refactoring: use PurpleAir tools to validate live data while Cline restructures your code to match updated schemas
Automated testing: Cline fetches real responses from PurpleAir and generates snapshot tests or mocks based on actual payloads
Incident response: query PurpleAir for real-time status and let Cline generate hotfix patches based on the findings
PurpleAir MCP Tools for Cline (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect PurpleAir to Cline via MCP:
get_indoor_sensors
These sensors measure air quality inside buildings, homes, and enclosed spaces. Useful for indoor air quality assessments, HVAC monitoring, and workspace health studies. Get all indoor PurpleAir sensors
get_outdoor_sensors
These are sensors measuring ambient outdoor air quality. Returns current PM2.5, temperature, humidity and other measurements for each sensor. Useful for regional air quality monitoring, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution studies. Get all outdoor (outside) PurpleAir sensors
get_pm25_sensors
5 (fine particulate matter) measurements. PM2.5 is the most important air quality indicator — particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers that can penetrate deep into lungs and bloodstream. Returns current PM2.5 concentrations along with location data. Essential for health advisories, wildfire smoke tracking, and urban pollution monitoring. Get sensors with PM2.5 measurements
get_sensor_data
Returns PM2.5, PM1.0, PM10.0 particle concentrations, temperature, humidity, pressure, VOC levels, and other measurements depending on the sensor model. Use the fields parameter to specify which measurements to return. Essential for monitoring air quality at a specific location. Get real-time data from a specific PurpleAir sensor
get_sensor_history
Returns time-series data for the requested fields (PM2.5, temperature, humidity, etc.) at regular intervals. Use start_timestamp and end_timestamp (Unix timestamps) to define the time range. The average parameter controls data aggregation (e.g. 60 for 1-minute averages, 3600 for hourly). Essential for analyzing air quality trends, identifying pollution events, and compliance reporting. Get historical air quality data from a PurpleAir sensor
get_sensor_history_csv
Same functionality as get_sensor_history but returns data as CSV instead of JSON. Use for offline analysis, charting, or compliance reporting. Requires start_timestamp and end_timestamp parameters. Get historical sensor data in CSV format for analysis
get_sensors_by_bounding_box
Provide the northwest (nwlat, nwlng) and southeast (selat, selng) corner coordinates. Perfect for mapping air quality across a city, neighborhood, or region. Returns all sensors in the area with current readings. Use with fields parameter to customize returned data. Get all sensors within a geographic bounding box
get_sensors_by_index
Provide comma-separated sensor indices in the show_only parameter. Useful when you already know the sensor indices from a previous query and want to get fresh readings without fetching all sensors. Get data for specific sensor(s) by their indices
get_sensors_near_me
Internally uses a bounding box around the point to find nearby sensors. Useful for identifying the closest PurpleAir monitor to any address or coordinate. Returns sensors sorted by proximity with current air quality readings. Find PurpleAir sensors near a specific location
list_sensors
Use the location_type parameter to filter by sensor type (outside=0, inside=1). Use the fields parameter to specify which data fields to return (e.g. name,latitude,longitude,pm2.5_atm,temperature,humidity). By default returns basic sensor info. Use show_only to filter by specific sensor indices (comma-separated). Use modified_since (Unix timestamp) to get only sensors updated after a specific time. Results include sensor metadata and real-time air quality measurements. List PurpleAir air quality sensors with optional filters
Example Prompts for PurpleAir in Cline
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Cline agent to start working with PurpleAir immediately.
"What's the air quality near San Francisco right now?"
"Show me the PM2.5 trend for sensor 12345 over the last 24 hours."
"Find all outdoor sensors in Los Angeles and show me their PM2.5 readings."
Troubleshooting PurpleAir MCP Server with Cline
Common issues when connecting PurpleAir to Cline through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
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PurpleAir + Cline FAQ
Common questions about integrating PurpleAir MCP Server with Cline.
How does Cline connect to MCP servers?
Can Cline run MCP tools without approval?
Does Cline support multiple MCP servers at once?
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Connect PurpleAir to Cline
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.