Auto.dev – Automotive Data
v1.1.1Use when working with Auto.dev APIs, vehicle data, VIN decoding, car listings, vehicle photos, specs, recalls, payments, interest rates, taxes, OEM build dat...
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SKILL.md
Auto.dev
Automotive data for AI agents — via MCP tools, CLI commands, SDK methods, or direct API calls.
Detect Your Surface
Check in this order. Use the first one available:
1. MCP — Check if auto_decode is in your available tools.
If yes: use auto_* tools for everything. Do NOT make raw HTTP calls.
2. CLI — Run auto --version.
If installed: authenticate once with auto login (OAuth — no API key needed), then use auto commands.
3. SDK — Check if @auto.dev/sdk is in project dependencies.
If yes: use typed SDK methods. See code-patterns.md for all methods.
4. Direct API — Check for AUTODEV_API_KEY env var.
If not set: ask the user for it or direct them to https://auto.dev/pricing (free Starter plan).
MCP Tools
If MCP tools are available, this is your only section. Use auto_docs to look up
parameters and response shapes before calling an unfamiliar endpoint.
auto_docs listings # see all listing filters
auto_docs payments # see payment params
auto_docs vin-decode # see VIN decode response shape
| Tool | Description | Plan |
|---|---|---|
auto_decode | Decode a VIN | Starter |
auto_listings | Search listings with filters | Starter |
auto_photos | Get vehicle photos | Starter |
auto_specs | Vehicle specifications | Growth |
auto_build | OEM build data ($0.10/call) | Growth |
auto_recalls | Safety recalls | Growth |
auto_payments | Payment calculations | Growth |
auto_apr | Interest rates | Growth |
auto_tco | Total cost of ownership | Growth |
auto_open_recalls | Open/unresolved recalls | Scale |
auto_plate | Plate to VIN ($0.55/call) | Scale |
auto_taxes | Taxes and fees | Scale |
auto_docs | Search bundled API documentation | — |
If MCP tools are available, skip to Important Rules below.
CLI Quick Reference
Authenticate once: auto login
auto decode <vin>
auto listings --make Toyota --year 2024 --price 10000-40000 --state CA
auto payments <vin> --price 35000 --zip 90210 --down-payment 5000
auto specs <vin>
auto recalls <vin>
auto plate <state> <plate>
auto docs [query] # search bundled docs
auto explore [endpoint] # browse params and mappings
All commands support --json for structured output.
Full CLI reference: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/cli-mcp-sdk
If CLI is available, skip to Important Rules below.
Direct API Quick Reference
Use these only when MCP and CLI are unavailable.
V2 (base: https://api.auto.dev): Authorization: Bearer {key} or ?apiKey={key}
V1 (base: https://auto.dev/api): ?apikey={key} (query string only)
| Endpoint | Plan | Required Params |
|---|---|---|
GET /listings?filters | Starter | See v2-listings-api.md |
GET /listings/{vin} | Starter | — |
GET /vin/{vin} | Starter | — |
GET /photos/{vin} | Starter | — |
GET /specs/{vin} | Growth | — |
GET /build/{vin} | Growth | — ($0.10/call) |
GET /recalls/{vin} | Growth | — |
GET /tco/{vin} | Growth | — |
GET /payments/{vin} | Growth | price, zip |
GET /apr/{vin} | Growth | year, make, model, zip, creditScore |
GET /openrecalls/{vin} | Scale | — |
GET /plate/{state}/{plate} | Scale | — ($0.55/call) |
GET /taxes/{vin} | Scale | — |
V1 supplemental (no V2 equivalent): /api/models, /api/cities, /api/zip/{zip}, /api/autosuggest/{term}
Before making any Direct API call, read the relevant reference file for full parameter names and examples. Full parameter reference: v2-listings-api.md | v2-vin-apis.md | v2-plate-api.md | v1-apis.md
Common Gotchas (All Surfaces)
These parameter names do NOT exist on the Direct API — agents hallucinate them frequently:
make= ← use vehicle.make
model= ← use vehicle.model
state= ← use retailListing.state
price= ← use retailListing.price (on /listings), or price= (on /payments, /taxes)
rows= ← use limit
sort= ← no sort parameter exists
_order= ← no sort parameter exists
MCP and CLI handle these mappings automatically. This only matters for Direct API calls.
Plans & Pricing
See pricing.md for full per-call costs and upgrade links.
| Plan | Monthly | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free + data fees | VIN Decode, Listings, Photos (1,000 free calls/mo) |
| Growth | $299/mo + data fees | + Specs, Recalls, TCO, Payments, APR, Build |
| Scale | $599/mo + data fees | + Open Recalls, Plate-to-VIN, Taxes & Fees |
All plans charge per-call data fees on every request. Growth/Scale have no cap on volume but data fees still apply.
Important Rules
- Before batch operations, call the endpoint once with a single item to see the actual response shape. Do not guess field names or nesting — inspect the real response first.
- Include ALL fields from the API response unless the user explicitly says to exclude some.
- Small results (<10 items, single VIN): Display inline as formatted table
- Large results (10+ listings): Ask user preference, default to CSV export
- Always support: CSV, JSON export when user requests
- Chain APIs when the query spans multiple endpoints — MCP tools and CLI commands can be called in parallel
Deep Reference
MCP or CLI: use auto_docs [query] or auto docs [query] for live parameter lookup.
Full reference: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/cli-mcp-sdk
SDK: see code-patterns.md for typed methods and response format.
Direct API:
- API Docs: v2-listings-api.md | v2-vin-apis.md | v2-plate-api.md | v1-apis.md
- Workflows: chaining-patterns.md | interactive-explorer.md | business-workflows.md
- Code Gen: code-patterns.md | app-scaffolding.md | integration-recipes.md
- Other: error-recovery.md | pricing.md | examples.md
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