vatnode-mcp

Official Model Context Protocol server for vatnode — VAT validation and EU tax data for AI agents.

Lets AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT, Continue, Cline, …) look up VAT rates, check VAT number formats, and validate VAT IDs against the EU VIES service without leaving the chat.

- Free, offline — VAT rates and format checks for 45 European countries, no account needed
- Live validation — verify EU VAT numbers against VIES, get the registered company + audit-grade consultation number (requires a free vatnode API key)
- Five focused tools — well-described for accurate agent tool selection
- Pure stdio, zero hosted dependencies, runs locally via npx

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Tools

| Tool | Free | Description |
|---|---|---|
| get_country_vat_rates | ✅ | Standard / reduced / super-reduced / parking rates + VAT number format for a country |
| list_eu_vat_rates | ✅ | All 27 EU member states (plus XI for Northern Ireland) at once |
| check_vat_format | ✅ | Offline syntactic check of a VAT number against the country regex |
| list_supported_countries | ✅ | All 45 supported countries and which ones support full VIES validation |
| validate_vat_number | 🔑 | Live VIES validation — returns validity, company name, address, registration date, and optional consultation number for audit proof |

Free tools work fully offline — data is bundled via eu-vat-rates-data and updated daily from the European Commission TEDB.

validate_vat_number requires a vatnode API key. The free tier includes a monthly request quota — get one in 30 seconds.

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Install

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vatnode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vatnode-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VATNODE_API_KEY": "vat_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The vatnode tools will appear in the tool picker.

You can omit VATNODE_API_KEY if you only need the free tools (rates, format checks).

Cursor

Settings → MCP → Add new server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vatnode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "vatnode-mcp"],
      "env": { "VATNODE_API_KEY": "vat_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT (custom connectors / Apps SDK)

Configure as an stdio MCP server with the same npx -y vatnode-mcp command. See the Apps SDK docs.

Continue / Cline / other clients

Any MCP-compatible client can connect — point it at npx -y vatnode-mcp and (optionally) pass VATNODE_API_KEY via environment.

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Get an API key

validate_vat_number requires a vatnode account. The platform also offers things the MCP doesn't expose:

- Webhooks for VAT status changes (monitor a customer's VAT continuously)
- Bulk validation
- National-database fallback when VIES is down
- VIES consultation numbers (audit-grade proof of validation)
- Per-key rate limiting + dashboard analytics

Sign up free →

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Example session

> You: What's the VAT rate in Finland and Germany?
>
> (Agent calls get_country_vat_rates for FI and DE — free, no key.)
>
> Agent: Finland's standard VAT is 25.5%, Germany's is 19%. Finland has reduced rates of 14% and 10%; Germany has 7%.

> You: Is IE6388047V a valid VAT?
>
> (Agent calls validate_vat_number — requires API key.)
>
> Agent: Yes, it's valid. Registered to GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED at Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4.

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Configuration

| Env var | Required | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| VATNODE_API_KEY | for validate_vat_number | — | API key from https://vatnode.dev |
| VATNODE_API_URL | no | https://api.vatnode.dev | Override the API base (self-hosting / staging) |

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Contributing

Bug reports and PRs welcome. Open an issue first for non-trivial changes so we can align on direction.

git clone https://github.com/vatnode/vatnode-mcp.git
cd vatnode-mcp
npm install
npm test

Releasing

Releases are published to npm via Trusted Publishing — no NPM_TOKEN secret, every release signed with npm provenance.

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