SMKlog Parcel Shipping Rates

What SMKlog Parcel Shipping Rates does

SMKlog Parcel Shipping Rates exposes parcel pricing and shipment follow-up through MCP. It handles shipments originating in the United States and traveling domestically or to Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, or Australia. DHL Express is included for German and Australian lanes; USPS, UPS, and FedEx are used across the supported routes.

The central tool, get_parcel_quote, accepts a plain-language product description, origin ZIP code, destination information, and optional packed dimensions and weight. When measurements are omitted, the service estimates the packed box. Results include up to five purchasable services, checkout totals containing the SMKlog fee, and a carrier counter price where available.

Additional tools create a purchase handoff, report session progress, track labels purchased through SMKlog, and provide historical-style reference data through a monthly price index. Labels are purchased by a human on smklog.com rather than directly by an agent.

How it works

A normal purchase flow starts with get_parcel_quote. Pass its quote_id to create_checkout_link after the human selects a service. Reusing the quote avoids a second carrier call. The checkout tool returns a payment URL and session_id; get_checkout_status can later report whether checkout was opened, paid, or turned into a label. Once a label exists, its tracking number can be sent to track_parcel.

The server prices one box per label. Exact weight_lb, length_in, width_in, and height_in must be supplied together; otherwise the values are ignored and the package is estimated. The origin must be a valid five-digit US ZIP. Supported destinations are the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia.

get_price_index is intended for general comparisons rather than a specific shipment. It covers six standard boxes weighing one to 20 pounds, shipped from Newark, New Jersey, to five US cities. Monthly issues begin with 2026-07, and omitting the month selects the newest issue.

Setup and configuration

The hosted MCP endpoint is:

https://quote-api.smklog.com/mcp

It uses streamable HTTP and requires no API key, OAuth flow, account, or client-side credentials. A local stdio bridge is also available through npx or Docker and forwards requests to the hosted endpoint. The bridge supports these optional environment variables:

• SMKLOG_MCP_URL changes the forwarding endpoint.
• SMKLOG_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS sets the per-request timeout, with a minimum of 1000 milliseconds and a default of 90000.
• SMKLOG_MCP_DEBUG=1 writes traffic summaries to stderr while keeping stdout as JSON-RPC.

The bridge can return its bundled protocol and tool snapshots when the endpoint is unreachable, but tool calls still require network access.

Tools and capabilities

• get_parcel_quote: Gets live rates for one supported parcel and reports purchasable services.
• create_checkout_link: Creates a payment handoff for a selected shipment and returns a session identifier.
• get_checkout_status: Reads payment and label progress for a session retained for 30 days.
• track_parcel: Returns current delivery status, up to eight newest scan events, and an estimated delivery date when reported by the carrier. It only recognizes labels bought through SMKlog.
• get_price_index: Reads monthly benchmark rates without using quote allowance.

Limitations and notes

Pallets, freight loads, shipments exceeding supported parcel limits, and multi-box requests return no rates. A box above 150 pounds, over 108 inches on its longest side, or above 165 inches in length plus girth is outside the broad carrier limits; USPS may impose lower limits. Quantities requiring multiple boxes must be quoted separately.

get_parcel_quote allows 80 calls per hour per client, shared with the public quote route. Checkout status allows 60 checks per hour per client. Creating a checkout session is not idempotent: repeated calls create separate sessions, and calls without a reusable quote may make additional carrier calls. The checkout page handles payment, contents certification, carrier-adjustment consent, and international customs details; duty is billed to the recipient on arrival for supported international lanes.