Claude Code CLI MCP integration

Plug ParlayAPI into the Claude Code CLI and get sports-betting intelligence inline with your engineering work. Same API key, same tools as the desktop integration, but accessible from any terminal session.

1 Install the MCP server

pip install parlay-api-mcp

2 Get a free API key

From /signup. Free tier: 1,000 requests/month, no credit card.

3 Add the server with claude mcp add

The Claude Code CLI ships a built-in command for managing MCP servers:

claude mcp add parlay-api \
  --env PARLAY_API_KEY=pak_live_... \
  -- parlay-api-mcp

Replace pak_live_... with your real key. The -- separator splits the CLI flags from the server command and its args.

4 Verify the server is registered

claude mcp list

You should see parlay-api in the output. Drill into it for tool details:

claude mcp get parlay-api

5 Try real prompts

claude "list every parlay-api tool you have"
claude "what's the top +EV play on MLB tonight? show edge percent and book"
claude "find arbs on NBA right now and write me a Python script that bets the top one across both books with $50 stake"
claude "score my bet of Yankees -145 placed at 14:30 UTC today against the current Pinnacle close"

Project-local MCP setup

If you want the integration scoped to a specific project (e.g. a betting-agent repo), use --scope project:

cd ~/code/my-betting-agent
claude mcp add parlay-api --scope project \
  --env PARLAY_API_KEY=pak_live_... \
  -- parlay-api-mcp

This writes the MCP server entry to .claude/mcp.json in the project root. Commit it to share with collaborators. Use environment variable refs (e.g. --env PARLAY_API_KEY=$PARLAY_API_KEY) so keys don't get committed.

Removing the integration

claude mcp remove parlay-api
Pro tip. Combine the parlay-api MCP with the GitHub or filesystem MCP servers (also installed via claude mcp add) and Claude Code can pull live odds, write a Python ingestion script, run it, and commit the output all in one chain.

Related

← All integrations · Cursor guide · Claude Desktop guide · PyPI package · Building a betting agent