API & MCP
One key, two front doors. Call the composite HTTP API from any language, or drop the MCP server into your AI assistant. Both surface the same catalog — 48 composite chains and 39 MCP tools over 468 platforms / 4,500+ endpoints, at 100% parity.
Base URL & authentication
All requests go to https://api.allapi.io and carry your key in the X-AllAPI-Key header. No OAuth, no per-upstream credentials, no Terms-of-Service to accept — one key reaches every platform.
# every request: one header X-AllAPI-Key: allapi_live_your_key_here
Call a composite — one query, merged across sources
Each composite is a single POST to /api/composite/{name}. It fans out to the relevant upstreams and returns one merged, normalized result.
# artist_omni — one query, merged across every music source curl -X POST https://api.allapi.io/api/composite/artist_omni \ -H "X-AllAPI-Key: allapi_live_your_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"q": "Aphex Twin"}'
# paper_omni — DOI, title, or author across scholarly indexes curl -X POST https://api.allapi.io/api/composite/paper_omni \ -H "X-AllAPI-Key: allapi_live_your_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"doi": "10.1038/nature12373"}'
Call a single platform directly
Every one of the 468 platforms also answers on its own path — POST /api/{platform}/{route} — when you want one source instead of a merged chain.
# a single platform, a single route curl -X POST https://api.allapi.io/api/reddit/search \ -H "X-AllAPI-Key: allapi_live_your_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"q": "askscience"}'
The response envelope
Every endpoint — composite or single — returns the same shape, so you write one parser for the whole catalog:
| Field | When | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
ok | always | true = real data in data; false = documented failure in error |
data | ok=true | the merged, normalized result payload |
error | ok=false | { code, message, request_id } — a machine-readable, honest reason |
meta | always | layer, platform, source, and partial-source detail for composites |
When a source can't reach real data, ok is false and error carries a documented reason — you are never charged for an honest error, and no result is ever fabricated.
Rate limits & quotas
Requests are rate-limited per key per minute and metered against your monthly plan quota. Both limits are returned on every response as X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-Quota-Remaining headers. See Pricing for per-plan numbers.
The MCP server exposes the whole catalog as native tools your assistant can call directly — 39 tools: the 48 composite chains plus 26 focused category tools (press, music, government, legal, knowledge). Install it, add your key, and every tool is callable from the assistant.
Install
pip install mcp-server-allapi # v0.7.0
Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf config
{
"mcpServers": {
"allapi": {
"command": "mcp-server-allapi",
"env": { "ALLAPI_KEY": "allapi_live_your_key_here" }
}
}
}
Call a tool from your assistant
Once connected, ask naturally — the assistant picks the tool and fills the arguments:
"Use artist_omni to pull everything on Aphex Twin" "search_caselaw for 'fair use' and summarize the top 3" "paper_omni for DOI 10.1038/nature12373"
Works in Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client, plus a ChatGPT plugin, Gemini extension, and n8n node — all included in every plan, no surcharge. Point it at your key once and all 39 tools are available.
The 48 composite chains
Each composite fans one query out across a family of platforms and returns a single merged result. The same 48 power both the HTTP API and the MCP tools — every one of the 20 categories now has at least one.
Data & Search
Media & Entertainment
Finance, Crypto & Dev
People & Places
Social, News & Federated
Lifestyle, Health & Science NEW
The 26 focused category tools
Beyond the composites, the MCP server ships 26 narrow, high-signal tools that map to specific real sources — the difference between the 48-composite HTTP catalog and the 39-tool MCP surface.
Press & News
Government & Legal
Music
Knowledge & More
Browse the full catalog
Every platform is organized into 20 categories, each with its sub-groups and example requests.