MCP servers for social media data: self-hosted vs hosted
okdata's hosted MCP server at https://api.okdata.online/mcp needs only an API key and reads public data on 17 platforms: find and describe are free, call is charged at the endpoint's price from $0.0001, and failed calls are free. A self-hosted open-source MCP server that logs in with your own account can also post and comment, but you keep a login alive on one machine. Checked on 2026-11-12.
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An MCP server is how an AI client such as Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT gets tools it did not ship with. For social media data there are three kinds. Some run on your machine and drive a platform's website while logged in as you. Some are general browser-automation servers that let the model operate any web page. Others are hosted: you connect to a URL with a key, and the server fetches public data for you. They solve different problems, and the one that suits you depends mostly on whether your agent needs to act as you or only to read.
What to compare first
Login. Does the server need your platform account? If it does, someone has to log in, the session can expire, and the account carries the risk of whatever the agent does.
Write actions. Can the agent post, comment or reply? Sometimes that is the whole point. Sometimes it is a risk you would rather not hand to a model.
Where it runs. The MCP specification defines two standard transports: stdio, where the client launches the server as a subprocess on the same machine, and Streamable HTTP, where each message is an HTTP POST to one endpoint, so the server can be hosted elsewhere. A local server lives where your browser and login live; a hosted one works from any client that can reach the URL.
Platforms. One server per platform, or many platforms behind one connection.
Cost and failures. Free software still costs a machine, a browser and your account's standing. A paid server should say what a call costs and whether failures are billed, ideally in a way the agent can check before it spends.
Side by side
Each row is a kind of server, not a product; check the one you pick against its own README or pricing page. Read on 2026-11-12.
| Option | Login | Can it post or comment | Where it runs | Platforms | Cost and failures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted open-source MCP that logs in with your account | Run its login step and sign in with your own platform account; cookies expire and need a fresh login, and logging the same account in elsewhere can log the server out | Often yes: publishing, commenting and replying tools sit next to search, post detail and profile tools | Your machine or Docker, at a localhost URL; many download a headless browser on the first run | Usually one platform per server | Free; the account you log in with carries the risk of everything the agent does |
| Browser-automation MCP (open source) | Whatever you log in to in its browser: a persistent profile keeps logins, or it connects to tabs you already have open | Anything you could do in that browser | Your machine, usually started from Node.js | Any website | Free; page snapshots such as accessibility trees take up a lot of the model's context |
| Your own crawler wrapped as an MCP server | Usually your platform accounts, as the crawler needs | Depends on what you build | Wherever you host it | Whatever the crawler covers | Your server, proxies and upkeep |
| Other hosted social data MCP servers | Usually an API key | Check the provider's tool list | The provider's URL | Check the provider's endpoint list | Check the provider's pricing and billing terms |
| okdata | None: one API key in the Authorization header |
No; read-only, public data | Hosted, Streamable HTTP at https://api.okdata.online/mcp |
17 platforms, 214 endpoints, including Douyin, Xiaohongshu and WeChat | find and describe are free; call is charged at the endpoint's price; failed calls are free |
Where okdata differs
- Nothing to keep logged in. There is no QR code and no session to expire overnight; see Xiaohongshu MCP QR login keeps expiring.
- The agent can price a task before it runs it.
findreturns matching endpoints with prices anddescribereturns parameters, fields and price, both free and without a key. Onlycallcosts money: a page of Douyin video search is $0.02, a page of Xiaohongshu note search $0.02, and the full text of a WeChat article $0.02. - Many platforms behind one connection. The same server reads TikTok, YouTube and X as well; see one MCP server for TikTok, YouTube and X.
- Compact answers. Responses are JSON objects, not page snapshots, and the
fieldsparameter trims them to what the agent needs, which helps long research sessions fit in the context window. - Read-only by design. The agent cannot post or comment through okdata, so a confused prompt cannot publish anything under your name.
When okdata is the wrong choice
- You want the agent to post for you. Publishing notes, commenting and replying on your own Xiaohongshu account is what self-hosted Xiaohongshu MCP servers are built for, and okdata does none of it.
- You need what only your logged-in account sees, such as your home feed recommendations or your messages.
- The site is not a social platform in the catalog. A browser-automation MCP can operate any page, at the cost of a browser and more context per step.
- You want everything local and free, and your volume is small enough that one account's limits never bite.
How to try it
Create a key (new accounts get $0.10 of credit, no card) and keep it in the OKDATA_API_KEY environment variable. Then add the server to your client; it comes down to one URL and one header. In Cursor's mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"okdata": {
"url": "https://api.okdata.online/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:OKDATA_API_KEY}" }
}
}
}
Setup for other clients is on the MCP page and in the guides for Claude Code and Cursor. The server lists five tools: find, describe, call, read_more (the rest of a long answer, free) and account (your balance, free). Then ask: "Search Xiaohongshu for 防晒霜, keep the 5 notes with the most likes, and tell me the cost before you call anything." Without an MCP client, the same endpoints work over plain HTTP; see the quickstart.
Questions
Is a self-hosted MCP server safer for my account?
It depends on what the agent does with it. A self-hosted server acts as your account, so its actions count as yours. okdata never touches your account at all.
Can I use a self-hosted MCP server and okdata together?
Yes. Many people keep a self-hosted server for posting on their own account and use a hosted data server for research across accounts and platforms. The client can hold both connections.
Does the okdata server run locally?
No. It is a hosted Streamable HTTP server at https://api.okdata.online/mcp. Your client sends each request there with your key.
What does an agent session cost?
Only the call steps are charged, at the price describe shows. Ten calls of Douyin search and Xiaohongshu search together cost $0.20; looking up endpoints is free.