How do I install the mikechao/balldontlie-mcp MCP server?

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "balldontlie-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mikechao/balldontlie-mcp"] } }

Quick Install

One-Click IDE Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mikechao-balldontlie-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mikechao-balldontlie-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using an AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)? Copy a ready-made prompt that tells it to fetch the setup instructions and install this server for you.

Documentation Overview

Balldontlie MCP Server

Q: What does mikechao/balldontlie-mcp do?

📇 - MCP server that integrates balldontlie api to provide information about players, teams and games for the NBA, NFL and MLB

An MCP Server implementation that integrates the Balldontlie API, to provide information about players, teams and games for the NBA, NFL and MLB.

Tools

get_teams
- Gets the list of team from one of the following leagues NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL (National Football League)
- Inputs:
  - league (enum ['NBA', 'NFL', 'MLB']): The sports league to get teams for
get_players
- Gets the list of players from one of the following leagues NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL (National Football League)
- Inputs:
  - league (enum ['NBA', 'NFL', 'MLB']): The sports league to get players for
  - firstName (string, optional): The first name of the player to search for
  - lastName (string, optional): The last name of the player to search for
  - cursor (number, optional): Cursor for pagination
get_games
- Gets the list of games from one of the following leagues NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL (National Football League)
- Inputs:
  - league (enum ['NBA', 'NFL', 'MLB']): The sports league to get games for
  - dates (string[], optional): Get games for specific dates, format: YYYY-MM-DD
  - teamIds (string[], optional): Get games for specific games
  - cursor (number, optional): Cursor for pagination
get_game
- Get a specific game from one of the following leagues NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), NFL (National Football League)
- Inputs:
  - league (enum ['NBA', 'NFL', 'MLB']): The sports league to get the game for
  - gameId (number): The id of the game from the get_games tool

Prompts

schedule_generator

Given a league (NBA, MLB, NFL), a starting date and ending date generates an interactive schedule in Claude Desktop.

claude desktop example

Sample queries

With this MCP Server installed you can ask Claude or other LLM questions like the following.

Show me today's baseball games.
Can you find football players with the last name Purdy?
How many NBA players have the last name Ming?

Configuration

Getting an API Key

Sign up for account at Balldontlie.io
The free plan is enough for this MCP Server

Installing using Desktop Extension (DXT)

Download the dxt file from the Releases
Open it with Claude Desktop or Go to File -> Settings -> Extensions and drag the .DXT file to the window to install it

Installing via Smithery

To install balldontlie-mcp for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @mikechao/balldontlie-mcp --client claude

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcp-servers": {
    "balldontlie": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "balldontlie-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BALLDONTLIE_API_KEY": "YOUR API KEY HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage with LibreChat

mcpServers:
  balldontlie:
    command: sh
    args:
      - -c
      - BALLDONTLIE_API_KEY=your-api-key-here npx -y balldontlie-mcp

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.

Disclaimer

This library is not officially associated with balldontlie.io. It is a third-party implementation of the balldontlie api with a MCP Server.

Hosted deployment

A hosted deployment is available on Fronteir AI.

Balldontlie Mcp