How to Use the The Odds API MCP in Claude

Q: What's the best way to check available sports with Claude Desktop?

The quickest way is running listsports. It gives your AI client an immediate, clean list of all supported categories you can then use for subsequent calls like fetching odds.

Get real sports odds, live scores, and market metadata directly into Claude Desktop's local environment.

See Vinkius in Action

Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers — Included with Plan

Connect The Odds API MCP to Claude Desktop

Create your Vinkius account to connect The Odds API to Claude Desktop — we handle the hosting, security, and runtime updates so you don't have to. No server setup required.

GDPR Included with Plan

Setup The Odds API with Claude Desktop

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity Vinkius runs on Gemini

Gemini

Grok

Check Odds for Any Sport

Need to see what the market is doing? You use `get_odds` to pull current betting data for a specific sport. This works whether you're running it locally via stdio or accessing it through the remote URL. It pulls real-time odds from multiple sources, letting you compare pricing structures without leaving your chat window.

Retrieve Live & Past Scores

The `get_scores` tool gives you immediate access to game status. You can check live scores or look up results for past matches instantly. This is great for PMs who need quick, factual data points without having to open a separate sports app.

See All Available Sports

Before you start pulling odds, you gotta know what's available. Use `list_sports` to pull the full list of sports we track. This ensures you always target a valid ID when setting up your local workflow or defining an API call.

Setup guide

Set up The Odds API 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 The Odds API 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 The Odds API 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 the-odds-api-mcp.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "the-odds-api-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 The Odds API. 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.

Why Choose Vinkius

Vinkius connects your tools to AI with real-time monitoring and automatic cost savings — all from one dashboard.

Connect The Odds API now

Real-time monitoring

Live

visibility into every interaction

Connect your favorite tools to your AI and see exactly what's happening — every request, every response, in real time.

Built-in savings

60%

lower AI costs

Vinkius compresses data between your apps and your AI automatically. Lower bills every month — no configuration required.

Single dashboard

One

place for every integration

Every tool your AI connects to, managed from a single screen. One account, complete control.

Common questions about The Odds API MCP in Claude Desktop

The MCP Server runs as a tool that lets your AI client perform actions. You configure it either locally via stdio or by pasting the remote HTTPS URL into your settings.

Yep. Since you're using the Claude Desktop app, you can integrate this MCP Server directly into your dev environment. It lets you test calls like `get_odds` as subprocesses right on your machine.

It touches live odds and score metadata. Your AI client handles the authentication, so the server only processes the required public sports data when you invoke `get_odds` or `get_scores`.

The quickest way is running `list_sports`. It gives your AI client an immediate, clean list of all supported categories you can then use for subsequent calls like fetching odds.

It provides real-time sports metadata, including current betting odds and historical scores. This structured data is what your AI client uses to inform its responses.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.

OpenAI Agents SDK sdk-python

Google ADK sdk-python

Pydantic AI sdk-python

Vercel AI SDK sdk-typescript