About AIS Trail
AIS Trail is a hosted, read-only MCP server for AI assistants and users who need ship information. It provides live AIS positions and, with an API key, vessel histories, port calls, events and sanctions flags.
Key features
- 01Search vessels by name or identifier
- 02Get live vessel positions
- 03Find vessels near a place or ship
- 04Look up ports and port calls
- 05Review vessel history and events
- 06Check sanctions flags
Use cases
- 01Locate a vessel and check its current position
- 02Review a ship's track over a time range
- 03Check port arrivals and departures
- 04Screen vessel records for sanctions flags
MCP support
Exposes live ship lookup and area-search tools without a key, plus archive and sanctions-related tools that require an AIS Trail API key. Clients connect to its hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint.
Configuration
Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.
https://api.aistrail.com/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http com-aistrail-ais https://api.aistrail.com/mcp{"mcpServers":{"com-aistrail-ais":{"type":"http","url":"https://api.aistrail.com/mcp"}}}Open in Cursor{"servers":{"com-aistrail-ais":{"type":"http","url":"https://api.aistrail.com/mcp"}}}Open in VS Code{"mcpServers":{"com-aistrail-ais":{"type":"http","url":"https://api.aistrail.com/mcp"}}}{"mcpServers":{"com-aistrail-ais":{"serverUrl":"https://api.aistrail.com/mcp"}}}Run commands in a terminal; paste JSON into the client’s MCP config and restart. Servers that need sign-in will prompt on first connect.
https://api.aistrail.com/mcpAuth requiredTools
9| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| limit | integer | No | |
| query | string | Yes | Ship name, MMSI (9 digits) or IMO (7 digits) |
Details
From the project READMEAIS Trail MCP server
Ship data for AI assistants: live AIS positions, vessel history, port calls, vessel events and sanctions flags. A hosted, read-only MCP server; there is nothing to install.
- Endpoint:
https://api.aistrail.com/mcp(Streamable HTTP) - Registry name:
com.aistrail/ais - Docs: https://aistrail.com/docs/mcp/
This repository holds the documentation for the hosted server. The server runs at AIS Trail.
Connect
The live tools work without a key. The archive tools need an AIS Trail API key, sent as Authorization: Bearer <key>. You can get one at https://aistrail.com (the Free plan includes one).
Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http aistrail https://api.aistrail.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $AIS_TRAIL_KEY"
Clients that take a JSON config (VS Code, Cursor and others):
{
"servers": {
"aistrail": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.aistrail.com/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_AIS_TRAIL_KEY" }
}
}
}
Leave out headers to use only the live tools.
Tools
| Tool | What it answers | Key |
|---|---|---|
search_vessels | Find ships by name, MMSI or IMO number | No |
get_vessel | One ship now: identity, flag, size, position, speed, course, destination and ETA | No |
vessels_in_area | Ships heard in the last hour inside a box | No |
vessels_near | Ships heard in the last hour near a point or another ship | No |
find_port | Ports by name, UN/LOCODE or country | No |
data_status | Live ship count, archive coverage and data freshness | No |
vessel_track | Where a ship has been between two times | Yes |
vessel_port_calls | A ship's port calls with draught and cargo estimate | Yes |
port_calls | Arrivals and departures at one port | Yes |
vessel_events | Port arrivals and departures, stops, changes of name, IMO, destination or flag, AIS gaps and close encounters | Yes |
lookup_vessels | Records of up to 20 ships at once, with sanctions list flags (OFAC, UK, EU) | Yes |
Archive tools use the credits of your AIS Trail plan, the same way as the REST API. See the docs for the details.
Data
- Coverage: coverage map and data sources.
- REST API: https://aistrail.com/docs/
- Not for navigation.
Support
Open an issue in this repository or write to [email protected].
Comments
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