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Connect Recreation.gov (RIDB) to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini

Set it up once and it works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and any other client you love. It all runs safely in the background, so you can relax and focus on what really matters. Pull federal outdoor data directly into your AI agent.

Ask AI about this Connector

Developed, maintained, and hosted by Vinkius.

MCP VERIFIED · PRODUCTION READY · VINKIUS GUARANTEED

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Works with modern AI clients that support MCP, including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and more.

ChatGPTClaudeCursorPerplexityGeminiMicrosoft CopilotRaycastMeta AI

Your AI does the work. We keep it safe and sound.

No other AI tool gives you this. Your workflow runs in the client you already love, your account stays protected, and you decide what the agent can and cannot do. It is the whole reason to make the switch.

Each Connector lives inside our infrastructure, the same place where your workflow runs. The three things below are already part of it, working quietly in the background so you never have to think about them. Nothing to add, nothing to set up, nothing to worry about.

A futuristic MCP client docking bay
V8 Isolate01

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed V8 runtime — no access to your files, your system, or other servers. A Connector never sees past its own request.

Kill Switch02

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

One action deactivates every Connector, revokes every token, and ends every session at once. AI Governance keeps the record.

FinOps per User03

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

Every user keeps their own connections and credentials, isolated from everyone else. Anything that would cross your spending limit is held for your approval, not billed.

Three controls, built into the layer your AI connects through.

Curated set · 10 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 03

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 10 available through Recreation.gov (RIDB).

  1. 01

    List recareas

    This capability lists available recreation areas within the database.

  2. 02

    Get facility

    Use this to pull specific details for a single recreation facility.

  3. 03

    Get organization

    This capability retrieves information about a specific managing organization.

  4. 04

    Get recarea

    This capability fetches full details for a specific recreation area.

Capability set02 / 03

05-07

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 10 available through Recreation.gov (RIDB).

  1. 05

    List activities

    This capability provides a list of all supported recreation activities like hiking or camping.

  2. 06

    List facility media

    Use this to get images and media files for a specific facility.

  3. 07

    List organizations

    This capability returns a list of federal agencies that manage these resources.

Capability set03 / 03

08-10

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 10 available through Recreation.gov (RIDB).

  1. 08

    Get activity

    This capability retrieves specific details about a single recreation activity.

  2. 09

    List facilities

    This capability retrieves a list of recreation facilities with optional filters.

  3. 10

    List recarea media

    Use this to pull media files associated with a recreation area.

Real work

What teams actually run

01

Trip Planning

Ask your agent to find all campgrounds in a specific state that allow dogs.

02

Geographic Research

Use coordinate-based searches to find recreation areas within a certain radius.

03

Activity Scouting

Find specific spots for fishing or hiking by filtering the database for supported activities.

04

Site Inspection

Request images of a facility to check the terrain or layout before booking.

Automate a task

Put Recreation.gov (RIDB) to work on one thing.

Step-by-step automations your AI runs through this Connector: the workflow, the prompts to start with, and the exact capabilities behind each move.

One connector, every AI

Recreation.gov (RIDB) works with the most popular AI clients.

These are the most popular clients, each with a step-by-step guide: one link, set up once, with governance and visibility built in. And because everything runs on the MCP standard, the same connection also works in any other compatible client — nothing to rebuild.

ClaudeClaudeChatGPTChatGPTGeminiGeminiPerplexityPerplexityGrokGrokMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft CopilotCursorCursorVS CodeVS CodeWindsurfWindsurfJetBrainsJetBrainsClineClineLangChainLangChainVercel AI SDKVercel AI SDKLovableLovableZ.aiZ.aiRaycastRaycastQwen CodeQwen CodeKimi CodeKimi CodeLe ChatLe Chat

Building your own app? The connector is yours to use.

You don't need a client to put Recreation.gov (RIDB) to work: the same hosted connection plugs into your own applications and agent code, with the same governance on every request. Build with it, chat with it — one connection for both.

Observed, not estimated

950ms average. Fast in production.

Recreation.gov (RIDB) is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1256ms
Oct 3Today
Fastest day
732ms
Slowest day
1256ms
14-day trend
Slowing+27%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 10 capabilities arrive ready to run.

Preview access · not provider authentication

The vk_preview_* token belongs to Vinkius preview infrastructure. It lets Claude discover and display the capabilities of Recreation.gov (RIDB), so you can see the experience inside your AI.

It does not authenticate your account with Recreation.gov (RIDB). Actions requiring credentials or live account data may not run until you activate the Connector and authorize the service.

Recreation.gov (RIDB) Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_rHxROOiqEooq7g22bs58a61vpzDKF787m9BYjwzm/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Recreation.gov (RIDB) capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "recreationgov-ridb-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_rHxROOiqEooq7g22bs58a61vpzDKF787m9BYjwzm/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the guide. How to connect

Guided setup for Claude? Set up Recreation.gov (RIDB) in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work Recreation.gov (RIDB) owners hand off.

This MCP is built for anyone who needs structured access to US federal land and recreation data without manual searching.

  • 01

    Travelers

    They ask the agent to find available campgrounds and check activity support.

  • 02

    Researchers

    They use the agent to pull structured federal data for geographic analysis.

  • 03

    Outdoor Enthusiasts

    They use the agent to discover new areas and view site media.

FAQ

Questions Recreation.gov (RIDB) owners ask.

  • 01

    What is the Recreation.gov (RIDB) MCP?

    It is a connector that lets your AI client access the federal Recreation Information Database to find parks, campgrounds, and trails.

  • 02

    Do I need my own API key?

    Yes, you will need to enter your RIDB API Key to authenticate the connection.

  • 03

    Which AI clients can I use with this MCP?

    You can use any MCP-compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.

  • 04

    Can I find specific activities like hiking?

    Yes, the MCP includes capabilities to list and filter by supported activities like hiking, fishing, and camping.

  • 05

    Can the AI show me pictures of the campgrounds?

    Yes, the MCP has capabilities to retrieve media and images for specific facilities and recreation areas.

  • 06

    How can I find campgrounds in a specific state like Colorado?

    You can use the list_facilities capability and provide 'CO' in the state parameter. You can also add a query like 'campground' to narrow down the results to camping facilities specifically.

  • 07

    Can I see photos of a specific recreation area before visiting?

    Yes! Use the list_recarea_media capability with the specific recAreaId. It will return links to images and videos associated with that area in the RIDB database.

  • 08

    How do I find out which federal agency manages a park?

    First, use get_facility or get_recarea to find the organization ID associated with the site. Then, use get_organization with that ID to see the full details of the managing agency.

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