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What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol lets AI tools call external APIs as tools during a conversation. NearIQ supports two MCP connection modes:
  • Hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint at https://app.neariq.io/api/mcp for clients that support remote MCP servers.
  • Local stdio package via npx @neariq/mcp-server for clients that run local MCP servers.

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Prerequisites

  • A NearIQ account on the Growth plan or above.
  • A NearIQ API key from Settings > API Keys.
  • Node.js 18+ only if you use the local npm package.

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Hosted endpoint

Use this when your AI tool supports remote MCP servers or Streamable HTTP: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neariq": {
      "url": "https://app.neariq.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer niq_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
Hosted endpoint tools are read-only in the first release:
ToolDescription
list_competitorsTracked competitors with rating, review count, health, momentum, and financial signals
get_business_overviewBusiness profile, category, contact fields, coordinates, and place ID
get_rankingsLocal search rank checks, average rank, top-3 percentage, and grid results
get_reviews_summaryCached competitor reviews, rating distribution, sentiment, and response-rate context
get_ai_visibilityAI search mention rates per engine, average position, top queries, and recommendations
get_gap_analysisLatest competitive gap analysis — where you lead and where competitors are ahead
get_citationsDirectory citation listings, name/address/phone/website match, and a citation health score
list_contentContent Studio drafts (GBP posts, social posts, FAQs, landing copy, blog outlines), newest first
get_marketMarket trends, keyword/theme mention counts, sentiment, gaps, and area-wide benchmarks
get_hiring_signalsCompetitor job postings with a derived hiring signal (quiet, watch, hiring, expanding)
get_behavioral_signalsYour engagement report card vs competitors, with per-signal grades and an overall score
get_brand_mentionsRecent web mentions of your brand with source, snippet, URL, and sentiment
get_alertsRecent alerts (rating drops, new competitors, review spikes) with severity and recommendations
get_reportsIntelligence reports with their lenses, date, and export state
get_my_reviewsYour own Google reviews with rating distribution, response rate/speed, sentiment, and summary
get_leaderboardRanked leaderboard of businesses in a market by rating, reviews, health score, or review velocity
The hosted endpoint uses the same Growth+ API access, API-key scopes, org permissions, plan gates, and rate limits as the public REST API.

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Local package

Use the local package when your AI tool only supports stdio MCP servers: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neariq": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@neariq/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NEARIQ_API_KEY": "niq_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
Optional environment variable:
VariableRequiredDescription
NEARIQ_API_KEYYesYour NearIQ API key
NEARIQ_BASE_URLNoAPI base URL, default https://app.neariq.io
The local package exposes the broader API-backed tool set for competitors, reviews, rankings, AI visibility, content, reports, alerts, market data, and chat.

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Troubleshooting

Invalid or missing API key Confirm the key starts with niq_live_ and is passed as Authorization: Bearer ... for the hosted endpoint or NEARIQ_API_KEY for the local package. API 403 Your plan or API-key scopes do not allow the requested tool. Create a key with the required read scopes or upgrade to a plan with API access. Tools not appearing Restart your AI tool after saving the MCP config. For the hosted endpoint, confirm your client supports remote MCP servers.