# Use okdata in Claude Code: social data through MCP

> Add the okdata MCP server to Claude Code with one command. Claude can then pull posts, comments and hot lists from 10 platforms and save them as files.

Canonical page: https://okdata.online/integrations/claude-code/

When you finish this page, Claude Code can fetch public data from Xiaohongshu, Douyin, X, YouTube and the other okdata platforms while it works in your folder. Say you want a spreadsheet of this week's Xiaohongshu notes about sunscreen for a Monday meeting. You ask in plain words; Claude picks the right endpoint, tells you the price, fetches two pages and writes `notes.csv` next to your other files. Nobody writes API code.

## Before you start

- Claude Code installed: typing `claude` in a terminal opens a session.
- An API key from okdata, starting with `okd_`. New keys come with $0.10 of credit, enough for several searches. The [quickstart](/docs/quickstart/) explains how to get one.
- The key stored in the `OKDATA_API_KEY` environment variable, so it never appears in a config file or in the chat. On a Mac, add this line to `~/.zshrc` (on Linux, `~/.bashrc`) and open a new terminal:

```bash
export OKDATA_API_KEY="okd_..."
```

## Add the server

Pick one of the two ways. Both send the same header, `Authorization: Bearer <key>`, to `https://api.okdata.online/mcp`.

**For yourself, in every project.** Run this once:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user okdata https://api.okdata.online/mcp \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer ${OKDATA_API_KEY}'
```

Keep the single quotes. They stop your shell from pasting the key itself into Claude Code's settings file; Claude Code saves the variable name and reads the value each time it starts.

**For a team, in one project.** Put a `.mcp.json` file in the project root:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "okdata": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.okdata.online/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${OKDATA_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}
```

The file holds no secret, so you can commit it. Each teammate sets their own `OKDATA_API_KEY`. The first time Claude Code opens the project, it asks whether to use the servers in `.mcp.json`; approve `okdata`.

## Check that it worked

Run `claude mcp list`. The `okdata` line should say `Connected`. Inside a session, `/mcp` shows the server with four tools: `find`, `describe`, `call` and `account`.

Then ask Claude: "Use the okdata account tool and tell me my balance." A balance in the answer means the key arrived. That check costs nothing.

## A first prompt to try

```text
Using okdata, find the Xiaohongshu note search endpoint and tell me its price.
Then search "sunscreen", newest first, two pages at most. Save title, author,
likes and url of each note to notes.csv and tell me what it cost.
```

Claude will usually call `find`, then `describe`, then `call` twice. You can watch each step and approve it.

## What it costs

`find`, `describe` and `account` are free. Only `call` spends money, at the price `describe` reports. [Xiaohongshu note search](/apis/xiaohongshu/notes/search/) is $0.02 per page of about 20 notes, so the prompt above costs at most $0.04. A Douyin hot list is $0.002. Failed calls are never charged.

Agents like to be thorough. Give Claude a limit up front: "say what it will cost first, and stop after three pages."

## When something goes wrong

- **`unauthorized` (401).** The key did not reach the server. The server still lists its tools and `find` works without a key, so it can look fine until the first `call`. Run `[ -n "$OKDATA_API_KEY" ] && echo set || echo missing` in the terminal you start Claude from, fix the variable, and restart Claude Code.
- **`insufficient_balance` (402).** The balance cannot cover the call, so nothing was charged. Ask for `account` to see the balance, top up, and try again. Prices are on the [pricing page](/pricing/).
- **`rate_limited` (429).** Too many calls in a short burst. The error includes `retry_after_seconds`; wait that long and repeat the same call. Rate-limited calls are free.
- **No tools, or `Failed to connect`.** Check that the URL ends in `/mcp` and that your network or proxy lets you reach `https://api.okdata.online`. Opening that URL in a browser shows "Method not allowed"; that is normal, because the server only answers MCP requests. If you typed the `claude mcp add` command with double quotes, your key was written into the settings file: run `claude mcp remove okdata --scope user` and add it again with single quotes.

## Read next

- [The MCP server](/mcp/): what each tool does and what to tell your agent.
- [Xiaohongshu note search](/apis/xiaohongshu/notes/search/): parameters, returned fields and price.