TREK/MCP.md

MCP Integration

TREK includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI assistants — such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client — read and modify your trip data through a structured API.

Note: MCP is an addon that must be enabled by your TREK administrator before it becomes available.

Table of Contents

• Setup
  • Option A: OAuth 2.1 (recommended)
  • Option B: Static API Token (deprecated)
• Authentication
• OAuth Scopes
• Limitations & Important Notes
• Resources (read-only)
• Tools (read-write)
• Prompts
• Example

---

Setup

1. Enable the MCP addon (admin)

An administrator must first enable the MCP addon from the Admin Panel > Addons page. Until enabled, the /mcp endpoint returns 404 and the MCP section does not appear in user settings.

2. Connect your MCP client

Option A: OAuth 2.1 (recommended)

MCP clients that support OAuth 2.1 (such as Claude Desktop via mcp-remote) authenticate automatically. No token management required — just provide the server URL:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trek": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://your-trek-instance.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The path to npx may need to be adjusted for your system (e.g. C:\PROGRA~1\nodejs\npx.cmd on Windows).

What happens automatically:

1. The client fetches /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server to discover the TREK authorization server.
2. The client registers itself via Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591).
3. Your browser opens TREK's consent screen, where you choose which scopes (permissions) to grant.
4. The client receives a short-lived access token and a rotating refresh token — no re-authorization needed.

Requirement: The APP_URL environment variable must be set to your TREK instance's public URL for OAuth discovery to work correctly.

For more control over scopes or to use confidential client mode, pre-create an OAuth client in Settings > Integrations > MCP > OAuth Clients before connecting. Clients created there have a client secret (trekcs_ prefix) and fixed scopes that you define up front.

Option B: Static API Token (deprecated)

Deprecated: Static API tokens will stop working in a future version. Migrate to OAuth 2.1 above.

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > MCP and create an API token.
2. Click Create New Token, give it a name, and copy the token immediately — it is shown only once.
3. Add it to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "trek": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://your-trek-instance.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer trek_your_token_here"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Static tokens grant full access to all tools and resources (no scope restrictions). Sessions authenticated with a static token will receive deprecation warnings in the AI client via server instructions and tool results.

Each user can create up to 10 static tokens.

---

Authentication

TREK's MCP server supports three authentication methods. OAuth 2.1 is the recommended path for all external clients.

Method	Token prefix	Access level	TTL	Notes
OAuth 2.1	trekoa_	Scoped (per-consent)	1 hour	Recommended. Automatically refreshed via 30-day rolling refresh tokens (trekrf_ prefix). Replay-detected rotation — replayed tokens cascade-revoke the entire chain.
Static API token	trek_	Full access	No expiry	Deprecated. Triggers deprecation warnings in AI clients. Will be removed in a future release.
Web session JWT	—	Full access	Session-based	Used internally by the TREK web UI. Not intended for external clients.

All methods require the Authorization: Bearer <token> header (strict scheme enforcement — Bearer required).

---

OAuth Scopes

When connecting via OAuth 2.1, you grant specific scopes during the consent step. TREK registers only the MCP tools that match your granted scopes for that session.

Scope	Permission	Group
trips:read	View trips & itineraries	Trips
trips:write	Edit trips & itineraries	Trips
trips:delete	Delete trips (irreversible)	Trips
trips:share	Manage share links	Trips
places:read	View places & map data	Places
places:write	Manage places	Places
atlas:read	View Atlas	Atlas
atlas:write	Manage Atlas	Atlas
packing:read	View packing lists	Packing
packing:write	Manage packing lists	Packing
todos:read	View to-do lists	To-dos
todos:write	Manage to-do lists	To-dos
budget:read	View budget	Budget
budget:write	Manage budget	Budget
reservations:read	View reservations	Reservations
reservations:write	Manage reservations	Reservations
collab:read	View collaboration	Collaboration
collab:write	Manage collaboration	Collaboration
notifications:read	View notifications	Notifications
notifications:write	Manage notifications	Notifications
vacay:read	View vacation plans	Vacation
vacay:write	Manage vacation plans	Vacation
geo:read	Maps & geocoding	Geo
weather:read	Weather forecasts	Weather
journey:read	View journeys	Journey
journey:write	Manage journeys	Journey
journey:share	Manage journey share links	Journey

Scope rules:

• A :write scope implies :read access for the same group (e.g. budget:write also grants budget read access).
• Any trips:* scope (trips:read, trips:write, trips:delete, or trips:share) grants trip read access.
• Any journey:* scope (journey:read, journey:write, or journey:share) grants journey read access.
• list_trips and get_trip_summary are always available regardless of scopes — they are navigation tools.
• Static tokens and web session JWTs have full access to all tools (equivalent to all scopes).
• Addon-gated tools (Atlas, Collab, Vacay, Journey) require both the relevant scope and the addon to be enabled.

---

Limitations & Important Notes

Limitation	Details
Admin activation required	The MCP addon must be enabled by an admin before any user can access it.
Per-user scoping	Each MCP session is scoped to the authenticated user. You can only access trips you own or are a member of.
No image uploads	Cover images cannot be set through MCP. Use the web UI to upload trip covers.
Reservations are created as pending	When the AI creates a reservation, it starts with pending status. You must confirm it manually or ask the AI to set the status to confirmed.
Demo mode restrictions	If TREK is running in demo mode, all write operations through MCP are blocked.
Rate limiting	300 requests per minute per user (configurable via MCP_RATE_LIMIT). Exceeding this returns a 429 error.
Per-client rate limiting	Rate limits are tracked per user-client pair, so each OAuth client has its own independent rate limit window.
Session limits	Maximum 20 concurrent MCP sessions per user (configurable via MCP_MAX_SESSION_PER_USER). Sessions expire after 1 hour of inactivity.
Token limits	Maximum 10 static API tokens per user. Maximum 10 OAuth clients per user.
Token revocation	Deleting a static token or revoking an OAuth session immediately terminates all active MCP sessions for that token/client.
OAuth scope enforcement	Only tools matching your granted OAuth scopes are registered in the session. Calling an out-of-scope tool returns an error.
Addon toggle invalidation	When an admin enables or disables an addon, all active MCP sessions are invalidated and must be re-established.
Real-time sync	Changes made through MCP are broadcast to all connected clients in real-time via WebSocket, just like changes made through the web UI.
Addon-gated features	Some resources and tools are only available when the corresponding addon (Atlas, Collab, Vacay, Journey) is enabled by an admin.

---

Resources (read-only)

Resources provide read-only access to your TREK data. MCP clients can read these to understand the current state before making changes.

Core Resources

Resource	URI	Description
Trips	trek://trips	All trips you own or are a member of
Trip Detail	trek://trips/{tripId}	Single trip with metadata and member count
Days	trek://trips/{tripId}/days	Days of a trip with their assigned places
Places	trek://trips/{tripId}/places	All places/POIs saved in a trip. Supports ?assignment=all|unassigned|assigned
Budget	trek://trips/{tripId}/budget	Budget and expense items
Budget Per-Person	trek://trips/{tripId}/budget/per-person	Per-person totals and split breakdown
Budget Settlement	trek://trips/{tripId}/budget/settlement	Suggested transactions to settle who owes whom
Packing	trek://trips/{tripId}/packing	Packing checklist
Packing Bags	trek://trips/{tripId}/packing/bags	Packing bags with their assigned members
Reservations	trek://trips/{tripId}/reservations	Flights, hotels, restaurants, etc.
Day Notes	trek://trips/{tripId}/days/{dayId}/notes	Notes for a specific day
Accommodations	trek://trips/{tripId}/accommodations	Hotels/rentals with check-in/out details
Members	trek://trips/{tripId}/members	Owner and collaborators
Collab Notes	trek://trips/{tripId}/collab-notes	Shared collaborative notes
To-Dos	trek://trips/{tripId}/todos	To-do items ordered by position
Categories	trek://categories	Available place categories (for use when creating places)
Bucket List	trek://bucket-list	Your personal travel bucket list
Visited Countries	trek://visited-countries	Countries marked as visited in Atlas
Notifications	trek://notifications/in-app	Your in-app notifications (most recent 50, unread first)

Addon-Gated Resources

These resources are only available when the corresponding addon is enabled by an admin.

Resource	URI	Addon	Description
Atlas Stats	trek://atlas/stats	Atlas	Visited country counts and continent breakdown
Atlas Regions	trek://atlas/regions	Atlas	Manually visited sub-country regions
Collab Polls	trek://trips/{tripId}/collab/polls	Collab	All polls for a trip with vote counts per option
Collab Messages	trek://trips/{tripId}/collab/messages	Collab	Most recent 100 chat messages for a trip
Vacay Plan	trek://vacay/plan	Vacay	Full snapshot of your active vacation plan (members, years, config)
Vacay Entries	trek://vacay/entries/{year}	Vacay	All vacation day entries for the active plan and a specific year
Vacay Holidays	trek://vacay/holidays/{year}	Vacay	Public holidays for the plan's configured region and year
Journeys	trek://journeys	Journey	All journeys owned or contributed to by the current user
Journey Detail	trek://journeys/{journeyId}	Journey	Single journey with entries, contributors, and linked trips
Journey Entries	trek://journeys/{journeyId}/entries	Journey	All entries in a journey (date, text, mood, linked trip)
Journey Contributors	trek://journeys/{journeyId}/contributors	Journey	Contributors (owner and collaborators) of a journey

---

Tools (read-write)

TREK exposes tools organized by feature area. Use get_trip_summary as a starting point — it returns everything about a trip in a single call.

Trip Summary

Tool	Description
get_trip_summary	Full denormalized snapshot of a trip: metadata, members, days with assignments and notes, accommodations, budget, packing, reservations, collab notes, to-dos, and poll/message counts. Use this as your context loader.

Trips

Tool	Description
list_trips	List all trips you own or are a member of. Supports include_archived flag.
create_trip	Create a new trip with title, dates, currency. Days are auto-generated from the date range.
update_trip	Update a trip's title, description, dates, or currency.
delete_trip	Delete a trip. Owner only.
list_trip_members	List the owner and all collaborators of a trip.
add_trip_member	Add a user to a trip by username or email. Owner only.
remove_trip_member	Remove a collaborator from a trip. Owner only.
copy_trip	Duplicate a trip (days, places, itinerary, packing, budget, reservations). Packing items are reset to unchecked.
export_trip_ics	Export the trip itinerary and reservations as iCalendar (.ics) text for calendar apps.
get_share_link	Get the current public share link for a trip and its permission flags.
create_share_link	Create or update the public share link with configurable visibility flags (map, bookings, packing, budget, collab).
delete_share_link	Revoke the public share link for a trip.

Places

Tool	Description
list_places	List places/POIs in a trip, optionally filtered by assignment status, category, tag, or search.
create_place	Add a place/POI with name, coordinates, address, category, notes, website, phone, and optional google_place_id / osm_id for opening hours.
update_place	Update any field of an existing place including transport mode, timing, and price.
delete_place	Remove a place from a trip.
bulk_delete_places	Delete multiple places at once by ID. Removes all day assignments as well. Cannot be undone.
import_places_from_url	Import all places from a publicly shared Google Maps or Naver Maps list URL.
list_categories	List all available place categories with id, name, icon and color.
search_place	Search for a real-world place by name or address. Returns osm_id and google_place_id for use in create_place.

Day Planning

Tool	Description
update_day	Set or clear a day's title (e.g. "Arrival in Paris", "Free day").
create_day	Add a new day to a trip with optional date and notes.
delete_day	Delete a day from a trip.
assign_place_to_day	Pin a place to a specific day in the itinerary.
unassign_place	Remove a place assignment from a day.
reorder_day_assignments	Reorder places within a day by providing assignment IDs in the desired order.
update_assignment_time	Set start/end times for a place assignment (e.g. "09:00" – "11:30"). Pass null to clear.
move_assignment	Move a place assignment to a different day.
get_assignment_participants	Get the list of users participating in a specific place assignment.
set_assignment_participants	Set participants for a place assignment (replaces current list).

Accommodations

Tool	Description
create_accommodation	Add an accommodation (hotel, Airbnb, etc.) linked to a place and a check-in/out date range.
update_accommodation	Update fields on an existing accommodation (dates, times, confirmation, notes).
delete_accommodation	Delete an accommodation record from a trip.

Transport

Transport bookings (flights, trains, cars, cruises) support multi-stop endpoints[] — each endpoint has a role (from/to/stop), name, optional IATA code (for flights), coordinates, timezone, and local time. Use search_airports to resolve airport names to IATA codes before creating a flight.

Tool	Description
create_transport	Create a transport booking (flight, train, car, cruise) with optional endpoints, departure/arrival times, and confirmation details. Created as pending.
update_transport	Update an existing transport booking. Pass endpoints[] to replace the full stop list. Use status: "confirmed" to confirm.
delete_transport	Delete a transport booking from a trip.

Reservations

For flights, trains, cars, and cruises, use the Transport tools above. Reservations cover all other booking types.

Tool	Description
create_reservation	Create a pending reservation. Supports hotels, restaurants, events, tours, activities, and other types. Hotels can be linked to places and check-in/out days.
update_reservation	Update any field including status (pending / confirmed / cancelled).
delete_reservation	Delete a reservation and its linked accommodation record if applicable.
reorder_reservations	Update the display order of reservations (and transports) within a day.
link_hotel_accommodation	Set or update a hotel reservation's check-in/out day links and associated place.

Budget

Tool	Description
create_budget_item	Add an expense with name, category, and price.
update_budget_item	Update an expense's details, split (persons/days), or notes.
delete_budget_item	Remove a budget item.
set_budget_item_members	Set which trip members are splitting a budget item (replaces current member list).
toggle_budget_member_paid	Mark or unmark a member as having paid their share of a budget item.

Packing

Tool	Description
create_packing_item	Add an item to the packing checklist with optional category.
update_packing_item	Rename an item or change its category.
toggle_packing_item	Check or uncheck a packing item.
delete_packing_item	Remove a packing item.
reorder_packing_items	Set the display order of packing items within a trip.
bulk_import_packing	Import multiple packing items at once from a list (with optional quantity).
apply_packing_template	Apply a saved packing template to a trip (adds items from the template).
save_packing_template	Save the current packing list as a reusable template.
list_packing_bags	List all packing bags for a trip.
create_packing_bag	Create a new packing bag (e.g. "Carry-on", "Checked bag").
update_packing_bag	Rename or recolor a packing bag.
delete_packing_bag	Delete a packing bag (items are unassigned, not deleted).
set_bag_members	Assign trip members to a packing bag.
get_packing_category_assignees	Get which trip members are assigned to each packing category.
set_packing_category_assignees	Assign trip members to a packing category.

Day Notes

Tool	Description
create_day_note	Add a note to a specific day with optional time label and emoji icon.
update_day_note	Edit a day note's text, time, or icon.
delete_day_note	Remove a note from a day.

To-Dos

Tool	Description
list_todos	List all to-do items for a trip, ordered by position.
create_todo	Create a to-do item with name, category, due date, description, assignee, and priority.
update_todo	Update an existing to-do item. Pass null to clear nullable fields.
toggle_todo	Mark a to-do item as done or undone.
delete_todo	Delete a to-do item.
reorder_todos	Reorder to-do items within a trip by providing a new ordered list of IDs.
get_todo_category_assignees	Get the default assignees configured per to-do category for a trip.
set_todo_category_assignees	Set default assignees for a to-do category. Pass an empty array to clear.

Tags

Tool	Description
list_tags	List all tags belonging to the current user.
create_tag	Create a new tag (user-scoped label for places) with optional hex color.
update_tag	Update the name or color of an existing tag.
delete_tag	Delete a tag (removes it from all places it was attached to).

Notifications

Tool	Description
list_notifications	List in-app notifications with pagination and unread filter.
get_unread_notification_count	Get the count of unread in-app notifications.
mark_notification_read	Mark a single notification as read.
mark_notification_unread	Mark a single notification as unread.
mark_all_notifications_read	Mark all notifications as read.

Maps & Weather

Tool	Description
search_place	Search for a real-world place by name/address and get coordinates, osm_id, and google_place_id.
get_place_details	Fetch detailed information (hours, photos, ratings) about a place by its Google Place ID.
reverse_geocode	Get a human-readable address for given coordinates.
resolve_maps_url	Resolve a Google Maps share URL to coordinates and place name.
get_weather	Get weather forecast for a location and date.
get_detailed_weather	Get hourly/detailed weather forecast for a location and date.

Airports

Tool	Description
search_airports	Search for airports by name, city, or IATA code. Returns IATA code, name, city, country, coordinates, timezone.
get_airport	Look up a single airport by IATA code (e.g. "ZRH", "AMS", "CDG").

Collab Notes (Collab addon required)

Tool	Description
create_collab_note	Create a shared note visible to all trip members. Supports title, content, category, and color.
update_collab_note	Edit a collab note's content, category, color, or pin status.
delete_collab_note	Delete a collab note.

Collab Polls & Chat (Collab addon required)

Tool	Description
list_collab_polls	List all polls for a trip.
create_collab_poll	Create a new poll with a question, options, optional multiple choice, and deadline.
vote_collab_poll	Vote on a poll option (or remove vote if already voted).
close_collab_poll	Close a poll so no more votes can be cast.
delete_collab_poll	Delete a poll and all its votes.
list_collab_messages	List chat messages for a trip (most recent 100, supports pagination via before).
send_collab_message	Send a chat message to a trip's collab channel, with optional reply threading.
delete_collab_message	Delete a chat message (own messages only).
react_collab_message	Toggle a reaction emoji on a chat message.

Bucket List (Atlas addon required)

Tool	Description
create_bucket_list_item	Add a destination to your personal bucket list with optional coordinates and country code.
delete_bucket_list_item	Remove an item from your bucket list.

Atlas (Atlas addon required)

Tool	Description
mark_country_visited	Mark a country as visited using its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code (e.g. "FR", "JP").
unmark_country_visited	Remove a country from your visited list.

Atlas Extended (Atlas addon required)

Tool	Description
get_atlas_stats	Get atlas statistics — visited country counts, region counts, continent breakdown.
list_visited_regions	List all manually visited sub-country regions for the current user.
mark_region_visited	Mark a sub-country region as visited (e.g. ISO code "US-CA").
unmark_region_visited	Remove a region from the visited list.
get_country_atlas_places	Get places saved in the user's atlas for a specific country.
update_bucket_list_item	Update a bucket list item (name, notes, coordinates, target date).

Vacay (Vacay addon required)

Tool	Description
get_vacay_plan	Get the current user's active vacation plan (own or joined).
update_vacay_plan	Update vacation plan settings (weekend blocking, holidays, carry-over).
set_vacay_color	Set the current user's color in the vacation plan calendar.
get_available_vacay_users	List users who can be invited to the current vacation plan.
send_vacay_invite	Invite a user to join the vacation plan by their user ID.
accept_vacay_invite	Accept a pending invitation to join another user's vacation plan.
decline_vacay_invite	Decline a pending vacation plan invitation.
cancel_vacay_invite	Cancel an outgoing invitation (owner cancels an invite they sent).
dissolve_vacay_plan	Dissolve the shared plan — all members return to their own individual plan.
list_vacay_years	List calendar years tracked in the current vacation plan.
add_vacay_year	Add a calendar year to the vacation plan.
delete_vacay_year	Remove a calendar year from the vacation plan.
get_vacay_entries	Get all vacation day entries for the active plan and a specific year.
toggle_vacay_entry	Toggle a day on or off as a vacation day for the current user.
toggle_company_holiday	Toggle a date as a company holiday for the whole plan.
get_vacay_stats	Get vacation statistics for a specific year (days used, remaining, carried over).
update_vacay_stats	Update the vacation day allowance for a specific user and year.
add_holiday_calendar	Add a public holiday calendar (by region code) to the vacation plan.
update_holiday_calendar	Update label or color for a holiday calendar.
delete_holiday_calendar	Remove a holiday calendar from the vacation plan.
list_holiday_countries	List countries available for public holiday calendars.
list_holidays	List public holidays for a country and year.

Journey (Journey addon required)

Tool	Description
list_journeys	List all journeys owned or contributed to by the current user.
get_journey	Get a full snapshot of a journey: metadata, entries, contributors, and linked trips.
create_journey	Create a new journey with title, optional subtitle, and an initial list of trip IDs.
update_journey	Update a journey's title, subtitle, or status.
delete_journey	Delete a journey.
add_journey_trip	Link an existing trip to a journey.
remove_journey_trip	Remove a trip from a journey.
list_journey_entries	List all entries in a journey (date, text, mood, linked trip).
create_journey_entry	Add an entry to a journey with optional title, body text, date, linked trip, and sort order.
update_journey_entry	Edit a journey entry's title, body, date, or mood.
delete_journey_entry	Remove an entry from a journey.
reorder_journey_entries	Reorder entries in a journey by providing the new ordered list of entry IDs.
list_journey_contributors	List the contributors of a journey (owner and invited editors/viewers).
add_journey_contributor	Invite a user to a journey with editor or viewer role.
update_journey_contributor_role	Change a contributor's role between editor and viewer.
remove_journey_contributor	Remove a contributor from a journey.
update_journey_preferences	Update display preferences for a journey (e.g. hide skeleton entries).
get_journey_suggestions	Get suggested trips to add to journeys (based on recent trip history).
list_journey_available_trips	List all trips available to the current user for linking to a journey.
get_journey_share_link	Get the current public share link for a journey.
create_journey_share_link	Create or update the public share link for a journey.
delete_journey_share_link	Revoke the public share link for a journey.

---

Prompts

MCP prompts are pre-built context loaders your AI client can invoke to get a structured starting point for common tasks.

Prompt	Description
trip-summary	Load a formatted summary of a trip (dates, members, days, budget, packing, reservations) before planning or modifying it.
packing-list	Get a formatted packing checklist for a trip, grouped by category.
budget-overview	Get a formatted budget summary with totals by category and per-person cost.
token_auth_notice	Static token deprecation notice and migration guide. Only available in sessions authenticated with a legacy trek_ token.

---

Example

Conversation with Claude: https://claude.ai/share/51572203-6a4d-40f8-a6bd-eba09d4b009d

Initial prompt (1st message):

I'd like to plan a week-long trip to Kyoto, Japan, arriving April 5 2027
and leaving April 11 2027. It's cherry blossom season so please keep that
in mind when picking spots.

Before writing anything to TREK, do some research: look up what's worth
visiting, figure out a logical day-by-day flow (group nearby spots together
to avoid unnecessary travel), find a well-reviewed hotel in a central
neighbourhood, and think about what kind of food and restaurant experiences
are worth including.

Once you have a solid plan, write the whole thing to TREK:
- Create the trip
- Add all the places you've researched with their real coordinates
- Build out the daily itinerary with sensible visiting times
- Book the hotel as a reservation and link it properly to the accommodation days
- Add any notable restaurant reservations
- Put together a realistic budget in EUR
- Build a packing list suited to April in Kyoto
- Leave a pinned collab note with practical tips (transport, etiquette, money, etc.)
- Add a day note for each day with any important heads-up (early start, crowd
  tips, booking requirements, etc.)
- Mark Japan as visited in my Atlas

Currency: CHF. Use get_trip_summary at the end and give me a quick recap
of everything that was added.

PDF of the generated trip: ./docs/TREK-Generated-by-MCP.pdf