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Flights README

The full upstream README, mirrored for reference. Install config, tool schemas, adoption signals and our own overview live on the Flights listing page.

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mcp-flights

Flights MCP — live aircraft tracking + aircraft/route registry

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1865+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.

Tools

ToolDescription
get_flights_in_areaFind aircraft currently airborne in a geographic area, by bounding box. LIVE ADS-B data, no key required. Returns per aircraft: ICAO24 hex, callsign, registration (tail number), aircraft type, position, altitude, ground speed, heading, vertical rate, squawk, and any emergency code. Use for "what planes are over right now", "aircraft near ", "is anything squawking 7700 near X". For one known aircraft use get_aircraft; for what route a callsign flies use get_flight_route.
get_aircraftLook up ONE aircraft by ICAO24 transponder hex (e.g. "a4d97e"). Returns registry details — registration/tail number, manufacturer, type, and registered owner/operator — plus its LIVE position if it is currently transmitting. No key required. Use for "what is aircraft ", "who operates ", "where is now". If you only have a flight number/callsign, use get_flight_route instead.
get_flight_routeResolve a flight callsign / flight number (e.g. "UAL1", "BAW117") to its airline and scheduled ROUTE — origin and destination airports with names, IATA/ICAO codes, and coordinates. No key required. Use for "where does flight X fly from/to", "what route is ", "which airline is ". Complements get_flights_in_area, which gives you callsigns of aircraft currently overhead.
get_arrivalsAircraft currently ARRIVING at an airport — live ADS-B, no key required. Pass an ICAO code (e.g. "KSFO", "EGLL") and get inbound traffic descending toward the field, nearest first, with callsign, registration, aircraft type, altitude, descent rate and distance out. Use for "what is landing at right now", "inbound traffic to ". This is a live picture, not a scheduled timetable. (Historical windows via begin/end require OpenSky credentials and only work when self-hosting — OpenSky is unreachable from cloud egress.)
get_departuresAircraft currently DEPARTING an airport — live ADS-B, no key required. Pass an ICAO code (e.g. "KSFO", "EGLL") and get outbound traffic climbing out of the field, nearest first, with callsign, registration, aircraft type, altitude, climb rate and distance out. Use for "what just took off from ", "outbound traffic from ". This is a live picture, not a scheduled timetable. (Historical windows via begin/end require OpenSky credentials and only work when self-hosting — OpenSky is unreachable from cloud egress.)

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flights": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/flights/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/flights/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1865+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

Terminal
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/get_flights_in_area \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"lamin":40.6,"lomin":-74,"lamax":40.8,"lomax":-73.8}'

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/get_flights_in_area. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.

Run it from npm

@pipeworx/mcp-flights is a local stdio bridge to the Pipeworx gateway: your MCP client starts it with npx, and it forwards every call to the same https://gateway.pipeworx.io/flights/mcp endpoint shown above. It needs network access; there is no offline mode.

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flights": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-flights"]
    }
  }
}

Without a key it calls anonymously, capped at 50 calls a day. A free account raises that to 200 a day: get a key at https://pipeworx.io/signup and add "env": { "PIPEWORX_API_KEY": "<your key>" } to the server entry. The key is sent as a Bearer token, the same way a hosted connection sends it, so calls are metered and billed exactly as they are there.

It lists only this pack's tools by default. Set PIPEWORX_META_TOOLS=1 to also list ask_pipeworx and the other gateway-wide tools.

Behind an HTTPS proxy: Node's built-in fetch does not read HTTPS_PROXY by default. Newer Node releases honour it when NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1 is set; check your Node version's documentation.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

Code
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Flights data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

License

MIT