Google Flights MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that wraps the Google Flights API via SerpAPI, enabling Claude Code to search and analyze flight data.

Features

• Primary Flight Search: Search for round-trip, one-way, or multi-city flights
• Return Flight Lookup: Fetch return/next-leg options using departure tokens
• Booking Options: Get bookable providers and prices using booking tokens

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• SerpAPI account with API key (Get one here)

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd google_flights_mcp

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create .env file from the example:

cp .env.example .env

4. Add your SerpAPI key to .env:

SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here

5. Build the TypeScript project:

npm run build

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-flights": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/google_flights_mcp/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SERPAPI_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows

Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-flights": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\absolute\\path\\to\\google_flights_mcp\\build\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SERPAPI_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Linux

Edit ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (same format as macOS)

Available Tools

1. search_google_flights

Perform the initial flights search with extensive filtering options.

Required Parameters:

• departure_id (string): Departure airport IATA code (e.g., "SFO")
• arrival_id (string): Arrival airport IATA code (e.g., "JFK")
• outbound_date (string): Departure date in YYYY-MM-DD format

Common Optional Parameters:

• return_date (string): Return date (required for round trips)
• type (1|2|3): Trip type - 1=round trip, 2=one way, 3=multi-city
• travel_class (1|2|3|4): 1=Economy, 2=Premium Economy, 3=Business, 4=First
• adults (number): Number of adult passengers (default: 1)
• children (number): Number of child passengers
• stops (0|1|2|3): 0=Any, 1=Nonstop, 2=≤1 stop, 3=≤2 stops
• sort_by (1|2|3|4|5|6): 1=Top, 2=Price, 3=Dep time, 4=Arr time, 5=Duration, 6=Emissions
• max_price (number): Maximum price filter
• include_airlines (string): Comma-separated airline codes (e.g., "UA,AA")
• exclude_airlines (string): Comma-separated airline codes to exclude
• bags (number): Number of carry-on bags
• currency (string): Currency code (e.g., "USD")
• gl (string): Country code (e.g., "us")
• hl (string): Language code (e.g., "en")
• deep_search (boolean): Enable for browser-parity results (slower)

Example:

{
  "departure_id": "SFO",
  "arrival_id": "JFK",
  "outbound_date": "2025-12-15",
  "return_date": "2025-12-22",
  "type": 1,
  "travel_class": 1,
  "adults": 1,
  "stops": 1,
  "sort_by": 2,
  "currency": "USD",
  "gl": "us"
}

2. get_return_flights

Fetch return or next-leg flight options using a departure token from previous search results.

Parameters:

• departure_token (string, required): Token from previous search
• no_cache (boolean, optional): Bypass cache

3. get_booking_options

Get bookable providers and prices for a selected flight.

Parameters:

• booking_token (string, required): Token from selected flight
• no_cache (boolean, optional): Bypass cache

Response Format

All tools return structured JSON data from SerpAPI, including:

• best_flights: Array of top recommended flights
• other_flights: Array of additional flight options
• price_insights: Price trends and typical ranges
• airports: Metadata about departure/arrival airports
• search_metadata: Request status and timing info

Each flight includes:

• flights: Segment details (departure/arrival times, airline, flight number, etc.)
• layovers: Layover information
• total_duration: Total trip duration in minutes
• carbon_emissions: Carbon footprint data
• price: Price in selected currency
• departure_token: Use for return flight lookup
• booking_token: Use for booking options

Development

Build

npm run build

Watch mode (rebuild on changes)

npm run watch

Run directly

npm run dev

Error Handling

The server handles various error scenarios:

• Missing API key
• Invalid parameters
• HTTP errors from SerpAPI
• API-level errors in responses

Errors are returned with descriptive messages to help debugging.

Example Queries for Claude

Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:

• "Find me flights from San Francisco to New York for December 15-22"
• "Search for one-way business class flights from LAX to Tokyo on January 5th"
• "Show me nonstop flights under $500 from Chicago to Miami next month"
• "What are the cheapest round-trip flights from Boston to London in March?"

License

MIT

Links

• SerpAPI Documentation
• Model Context Protocol