--- title: "How to Use the AllRatesToday MCP Server with Claude Code and Cursor" description: "A hands-on guide to the AllRatesToday MCP server: install steps for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, and ChatGPT Desktop; all 4 tools explained with example prompts; and how to debug tool calls." canonical: https://allratestoday.com/blog/allratestoday-mcp-server-claude-cursor/ source: AllRatesToday (https://allratestoday.com/) — Markdown mirror of the page above; index of all pages at https://allratestoday.com/llms.txt generated: 2026-10-19T09:50:23.724Z --- ![AI assistant and technology](https://images.pexels.com/photos/2599244/pexels-photo-2599244.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940) AI coding tools are great at writing code and explaining diffs, but they're unreliable at anything numeric and time-sensitive. Ask Claude Code "what's today's USD to EUR rate?" and you'll get a stale guess. The [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) (MCP) fixes this by letting clients call real tools. This post walks through the **AllRatesToday MCP server** — what it does, how to install it in four different clients, and how to debug when something goes wrong. ## What is the AllRatesToday MCP server? It's a small npm package — [`@allratestoday/mcp-server`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@allratestoday/mcp-server) — that exposes four currency tools over the MCP stdio transport. Any MCP-compatible client (Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, and any custom MCP host) can call them: | Tool | API key? | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `get_exchange_rate` | no | Current mid-market rate between two currencies. | | `get_historical_rates` | yes | Time series over 1d, 7d, 30d, or 1y. | | `get_rates_authenticated` | yes | Multi-target rates with higher limits. | | `list_currencies` | no | All 160+ supported currencies. | Two of the four tools (`get_exchange_rate` and `list_currencies`) work without an API key. Set `ALLRATES_API_KEY` for the historical and multi-target endpoints. ## Prerequisites - **Node.js 18 or newer.** `npx` ships with Node and handles installing the package on first run. - **An MCP-compatible client.** Claude Code, Cursor (0.42+), Claude Desktop, or ChatGPT Desktop all qualify. - **Optional: AllRatesToday API key** — [register for a free one](https://allratestoday.com/register/) if you need higher limits. ## Install in Claude Code ``` claude mcp add allratestoday -- npx -y @allratestoday/mcp-server claude mcp env allratestoday ALLRATES_API_KEY=art_live_xxxxx # optional ``` Claude Code will install the package on first invocation via `npx`. Verify it's loaded: ``` claude mcp list # should show: allratestoday running (4 tools) ``` Now open any chat and ask: *"What's the USD to EUR rate right now?"* Claude Code picks up the `get_exchange_rate` tool, calls it, and answers with the live number. ## Install in Cursor Edit `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (or create a project-local `.cursor/mcp.json`): ``` { "mcpServers": { "allratestoday": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@allratestoday/mcp-server"], "env": { "ALLRATES_API_KEY": "art_live_xxxxx" } } } } ``` Restart Cursor. Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP should now list "allratestoday" with a green indicator. You can toggle individual tools there if you want. ## Install in Claude Desktop (and ChatGPT Desktop) Edit the desktop client's config file: - **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` - **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` - **ChatGPT Desktop** uses the same JSON shape in its own config — paste the block below. ``` { "mcpServers": { "allratestoday": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@allratestoday/mcp-server"], "env": { "ALLRATES_API_KEY": "art_live_xxxxx" } } } } ``` Fully quit and reopen the app. The "Search and tools" icon should show `allratestoday` with four tools. ## Example prompts A few prompts that exercise each tool: - *"What's 1,250 GBP in Singapore dollars?"* — calls `get_exchange_rate`, multiplies client-side. - *"Show me the trend of USD/JPY over the last 30 days."* — calls `get_historical_rates` with `period=30d`. - *"Get me today's rates for EUR against USD, GBP, and CHF in one call."* — calls `get_rates_authenticated` with comma-separated targets (requires API key). - *"What currencies does AllRatesToday support?"* — calls `list_currencies`. ## Debugging tool calls If the assistant isn't calling the tool, or calls are failing, there are three quick checks. ### 1. Is the server actually running? In your terminal: ``` npx -y @allratestoday/mcp-server # waits on stdin — this is correct, stdio transport ``` Press Ctrl+C to exit. If this errors (e.g. `command not found: npx`), install Node 18+. ### 2. Send a raw `tools/list` request MCP is JSON-RPC over stdio. You can drive it manually: ``` printf '%s\n' \ '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"0"}}}' \ '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"notifications/initialized"}' \ '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list"}' \ | npx -y @allratestoday/mcp-server ``` You'll see the handshake plus a list of all five tool schemas. If this works, the server is healthy — the problem is in the client config. ### 3. Check the client's MCP log Claude Desktop writes a log you can read at: ``` # macOS ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log # Windows %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log ``` Look for `allratestoday` lines. A common issue: the config's JSON is invalid (trailing comma, missing quote). The log will say so. ## Do I need an API key? Only for two of the four tools. `get_exchange_rate` and `list_currencies` call public endpoints and work without a key. `get_historical_rates` and `get_rates_authenticated` both require `ALLRATES_API_KEY`. Set one if you want: - Historical rate data (1d/7d/30d/1y periods). - Multi-target single-call lookups (e.g. EUR against USD + GBP + CHF). - Higher rate limits (the public endpoints have reasonable but not unlimited quotas). A free key is [available at registration](https://allratestoday.com/register/) — no credit card. ## What about privacy? The MCP server runs locally on your machine and talks to `allratestoday.com/api` directly. It doesn't log prompts, and it doesn't proxy through a third party. Source is [on GitHub](https://github.com/AllRates-Today/mcp-server) — you can read it end-to-end in under 15 minutes. ## Related integrations - **DeepSeek (Python):** [`allratestoday-deepseek`](https://allratestoday.com/deepseek/) — same tools, wired into DeepSeek's function calling. - **Any LLM with browsing:** our [/llms.txt](https://allratestoday.com/llms.txt) tells them the public endpoint to call. - **Every supported client:** the full rundown is on [the MCP landing page](https://allratestoday.com/mcp/). ## Next steps 1. Install the server in your preferred client (above). 2. Ask your assistant for a live rate — confirm it cites the number. 3. If you need multi-target or higher limits, [grab a free API key](https://allratestoday.com/register/) and set `ALLRATES_API_KEY`. 4. Open an issue or PR on [the repo](https://github.com/AllRates-Today/mcp-server) if something's missing. ## Give your AI assistant real currency data Install in one line. Free tier with real-time rates. No credit card. [Get your free API key](https://allratestoday.com/register/) ## Related Articles - [AllRatesToday for Claude, Cursor, DeepSeek](https://allratestoday.com/blog/allratestoday-for-claude-cursor-deepseek/) - [New AllRatesToday MCP Server for AI](https://allratestoday.com/blog/new-allratestoday-mcp-server-for-ai/) - [Best MCP Servers for Finance 2026](https://allratestoday.com/blog/best-mcp-servers-for-finance-2026/) - [Best MCP Server for Exchange Rates](https://allratestoday.com/best/best-mcp-server-for-exchange-rates/) - [MCP Server Documentation](https://allratestoday.com/docs/mcp-server/)