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io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp

Official registry Maps, travel and weather

Live flight tracking and aviation data via FlightAware AeroAPI (flights, airports, alerts).

Source code Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

NPM package @chrischall/flightaware-mcp
Claude Code 
claude mcp add flightaware-mcp -e 'AEROAPI_API_KEY=<your aeroapi_api_key>' -e 'AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR=<AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR>' -e 'AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL=<AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL>' -e 'AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL=<AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL>' -- npx -y @chrischall/flightaware-mcp@1.3.2
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "flightaware-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@chrischall/flightaware-mcp@1.3.2"
            ],
            "env": {
                "AEROAPI_API_KEY": "<your aeroapi_api_key>",
                "AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR": "<AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR>",
                "AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL": "<AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL>",
                "AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL": "<AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • AEROAPI_API_KEY required secret Your FlightAware AeroAPI key (flightaware.com/aeroapi/portal)
  • AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR Default directory for flight-map PNGs (default: current working directory)
  • AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL Seconds to cache identical live-data GET responses (default 15; 0 disables)
  • AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL Seconds to cache reference data — airports, operators, routes, ownership (default 3600; 0 disables)

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. flightaware-mcp
  2. Quick start
  3. Tools
  4. Confirmations
  5. Configuration
  6. Development
  7. License

flightaware-mcp

MCP server for FlightAware AeroAPI (v4) — live flight tracking and aviation data for Claude. Track flights, read airport boards, look up operators and aircraft, fetch scheduled flights, and manage flight alerts, all over stdio.

Developed and maintained by AI (Claude Code). Use at your own discretion.

Quick start

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flightaware": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@chrischall/flightaware-mcp"],
      "env": { "AEROAPI_API_KEY": "your-aeroapi-key-here" }
    }
  }
}

Get a key at flightaware.com/aeroapi/portal. The free Personal tier (500 calls/month) is enough to start; AeroAPI bills per query.

Tools

AreaTools
Flightsfa_get_flights, fa_search_flights, fa_search_flights_advanced, fa_search_flight_positions, fa_count_flights, fa_get_flight_track, fa_get_flight_position, fa_get_flight_route, fa_get_flight_map, fa_get_flight_history, fa_resolve_flight
Airportsfa_get_airport, fa_get_airport_flights, fa_get_airport_flight_counts, fa_get_airport_routes, fa_list_airports, fa_get_nearby_airports, fa_get_airport_delays, fa_get_airport_weather, fa_resolve_airport
Operators / aircraftfa_get_operator, fa_get_operator_flights, fa_list_operators, fa_get_aircraft_owner
Schedules / predictivefa_get_scheduled_flights, fa_foresight_search (premium tier)
Alertsfa_list_alerts, fa_get_alert, fa_create_alert, fa_update_alert, fa_delete_alert, fa_get_alerts_endpoint, fa_set_alerts_endpoint
Healthfa_healthcheck — is this connector working? Reports whether AEROAPI_API_KEY resolved, whether AeroAPI accepted it, and what to fix. Uses a static-cached lookup, so repeat checks are not re-billed.

Alert mutations (fa_create_alert, fa_update_alert, fa_delete_alert, fa_set_alerts_endpoint) ask you to confirm before they write — see Confirmations.

Confirmations

Every alert mutation asks for your confirmation before it touches your AeroAPI account. A client that can show a confirmation prompt (Claude Code) shows one. On a client that cannot (claude.ai, Claude Desktop), the first call makes no network call and returns a preview of the exact request (method, path, body) plus a confirmToken; only a repeat call with that token sends it. A token acts once, expires, and is refused if the request changed since the preview.

variabledefault
MCP_CONFIRM_MODEask-userWhat a write does on a client that cannot show a confirmation prompt (claude.ai, Claude Desktop). ask-user: two steps — the first call does nothing and returns a preview plus a token, and the model must get your approval in chat before calling again with it. auto: the same two steps, but the model may use the token after reviewing the preview itself. refuse: writes are refused on such clients. A client that can show prompts (Claude Code) always gets the real prompt, unless MCP_CONFIRM_ELICITATION=off. An unrecognised value is treated as refuse.
MCP_CONFIRM_ELICITATIONonoff never sends a confirmation prompt, so every client gets the MCP_CONFIRM_MODE path. Set it for a client that declares it can show prompts but never does (the gated call hangs — opencode 2.0.x). Any other value stays on, with a stderr warning.
MCP_CONFIRM_TTL_SECONDS600How long a token stays valid.
MCP_CONFIRM_SECRETrandom per processSigning key; set it only if tokens must survive a server restart.

Configuration

VarRequiredPurpose
AEROAPI_API_KEYyesYour AeroAPI key (sent as the x-apikey header).
AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIRnoDefault directory for flight-map PNGs (default: ~/Downloads/flightaware-mcp). A per-call output_dir must be inside this directory (or inside ~/Downloads/flightaware-mcp when it is unset).
AEROAPI_CACHE_TTLnoSeconds to cache identical live-data GET responses (default: 15; 0 disables). Cuts AeroAPI per-query billing.
AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTLnoLonger TTL for reference data — airport/operator info, routes, ownership, canonical lookups (default: 3600; 0 disables).

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test

Every request rides your own AeroAPI key and counts against your subscription quota. See docs/FLIGHTAWARE-API.md for the pinned endpoint surface.

License

MIT

Frequently asked questions

What is io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp?

Live flight tracking and aviation data via FlightAware AeroAPI (flights, airports, alerts).

How do I install io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add flightaware-mcp -e 'AEROAPI_API_KEY=<your aeroapi_api_key>' -e 'AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR=<AEROAPI_OUTPUT_DIR>' -e 'AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL=<AEROAPI_CACHE_TTL>' -e 'AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL=<AEROAPI_STATIC_CACHE_TTL>' -- npx -y @chrischall/flightaware-mcp@1.3.2. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp need an API key?

Yes. It expects AEROAPI_API_KEY, which you set in its configuration.

Is io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains io.github.chrischall/flightaware-mcp?

It is published by chrischall. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

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