Flightradar24 MCP server

This MCP server provides real-time flight tracking capabilities using Flightradar24 data, allowing you to monitor flight status, check arrival/departure times, and view airport activity through Claude Desktop.

Installation Requirements

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed on your computer
• A Flightradar24 API key from Flightradar24's website

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/sunsetcoder/flightradar24-mcp-server.git
   

2. Install dependencies and build the project:

   cd flightradar24-mcp-server
   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. Create your environment file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

4. Edit the .env file to add your Flightradar24 API key:

   FR24_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here
   

Integrating with Claude Desktop

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   # On Mac:
   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   
   # On Windows:
   %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   

2. Add the following to the mcpServers object in your config:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "flightradar24-server": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": [
           "/Users/<username>/<FULL_PATH...>/flightradar24-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
         ],
         "env": {
           "FR24_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
           "FR24_API_URL": "https://fr24api.flightradar24.com"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Important configuration notes:

   • Replace the path with the full absolute path to where you cloned the repository
   • Enter your actual Flightradar24 API key
   • Use forward slashes (/) in the path, even on Windows
   • Restart Claude Desktop after making these changes

Using the Flight Tracking Features

Once properly configured, you can ask Claude questions like:

• "What's the ETA for United Airlines flight UA123?"
• "Show me all flights currently at SFO"
• "Are there any emergency flights in the area?"
• "Show me all international flights arriving at SFO in the next 2 hours"
• "How many commercial flights are currently over the Pacific Ocean?"
• "Identify any flights that have declared an emergency in the California region"

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If Claude can't connect to the server:

• Verify the path in your claude_desktop_config.json is correct and absolute
• Ensure your API key is valid
• Restart Claude Desktop

Response Problems

If the server isn't responding properly:

• Check if your Flightradar24 API key has sufficient access
• Verify the API URL is correct
• Look for error messages in server logs

API Access

Remember that using Flightradar24's API requires a subscription from their website

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "flightradar24-server" '{"command":"node","args":["/Users/<username>/<FULL_PATH...>/flightradar24-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],"env":{"FR24_API_KEY":"your_api_key_here","FR24_API_URL":"https://fr24api.flightradar24.com"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "flightradar24-server": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/Users/<username>/<FULL_PATH...>/flightradar24-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "FR24_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
                "FR24_API_URL": "https://fr24api.flightradar24.com"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "flightradar24-server": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/Users/<username>/<FULL_PATH...>/flightradar24-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "FR24_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
                "FR24_API_URL": "https://fr24api.flightradar24.com"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect