Which TheRundown MCP server returns Product data?

The hosted data MCP at mcp.therundown.io/mcp provides read-only data tools, including the six tools also available in the local starter distribution. The separate docs.therundown.io/mcp endpoint searches documentation and does not return authenticated Product data.

Can I use TheRundown data MCP with a Free key?

Yes, for the Product data allowed by Free: five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM, within the rate and volume limits. Streaming, props, other books, in-play odds and futures require eligible paid access. MCP does not bypass plan restrictions.

Does OddsPapi only provide a documentation MCP?

No. Its May 21, 2026 tutorial publishes a local Python runtime MCP wrapper that calls its REST API. That is evidence of a custom-build integration, distinct from a managed hosted service.

Does an MCP tool call make sports data unlimited?

No. Authentication, feature entitlements, rate limits and billing still apply. TheRundown paid plans have a fixed subscription fee and included data-point volume; scoped requests conserve that volume without reducing the base fee.

Sports odds MCP servers compared: data, access and pricing

Choose TheRundown when you want a hosted, read-only sports data MCP with public self-serve API plans and a no-card evaluation key. Its local distribution documents six starter tools, while the hosted discovery manifest identifies the larger runtime tool inventory. Verify the live tool list for the integration scope. Compare the actual tools, coverage and plan restrictions rather than assuming every sports MCP server supplies the same data.

This provider-authored guide checks primary documentation on October 13, 2026. It distinguishes a runtime data connector from documentation search and a published custom-server tutorial. No common speed or answer-quality benchmark is presented.

Compare the runtime options

Provider	Published MCP approach	Access and scope to verify	Primary source
TheRundown	Hosted Streamable HTTP data MCP; local Node.js stdio download	Six local starter tools plus the larger hosted inventory; key and plan restrictions apply. Separate docs-search MCP.	Discovery manifest, data MCP docs
OpticOdds	Claude MCP integration for API customers	Official page describes fixtures, odds, props, cross-book comparisons and futures. Existing API key or sales onboarding.	Sportsbook AI
SportsGameOdds	Published `sports-odds-api-mcp` package and client setup	Runtime API reads, documentation search and usage checks; event streaming requires AllStar.	AI development docs
OddsPapi	Python FastMCP tutorial for a local REST wrapper	Published tools cover sport/book discovery, fixtures and best price. Maintain the custom server and confirm its API entitlement.	Runtime MCP tutorial

OpticOdds and SportsGameOdds publish runtime data integrations. OddsPapi’s tutorial is also a runtime integration; describing it as documentation-only would be inaccurate. A tutorial alone does not establish a hosted-service contract or an independently tested response time.

Why choose TheRundown for a bounded first integration

The public manifest distinguishes the hosted endpoint https://mcp.therundown.io/mcp from the 0.2.3 local distribution. The local starter has these tools:

list_sports, list_affiliates, list_markets for discovery.
list_events and get_main_lines for scoped event/price reads.
list_futures for eligible futures access.

Initialization, tool/resource listings and the therundown://brief resource need no Product key and do not read Product data. Authenticated hosted Product calls require exactly one of X-TheRundown-Key or Authorization: Bearer; sending both is rejected. Local stdio uses THERUNDOWN_API_KEY, requires Node.js 22+, and ships as a versioned download rather than an npm package. Data and documentation servers are listed separately in the official MCP Registry.

A keyless live initialize/tools-list check on October 13, 2026 reported hosted server version 0.4.0 and 85 tools, all annotated read-only. The official registry and local download identify 0.2.3, while our discovery manifest has been refreshed to describe the hosted metadata; the hosted runtime and local download should not be assumed to have identical versions or tool sets. Verify current metadata and each tool’s authentication/entitlement requirements before use. This check did not call a Product tool or establish data coverage.

Those are concrete setup and scope facts, not a promise that every REST capability is exposed as an MCP tool. Use the AI setup guide and current manifest to configure a client that supports the advertised transport.

Match the tool call to the plan

TheRundown Free permits delayed pre-match main-line evaluation from three books without a credit card. It is not live streaming or general paid-source access. Starter is $49/month with a 60-second odds delay, Pro $149 with a 30-second delay, and Ultra $399 with real-time REST/WebSocket. Commercial end-user display begins on Pro; futures require eligible paid access. See published pricing, checked October 13, 2026.

Paid subscriptions have a fixed fee and included data-point volume. Scope sports, books and markets to what the application uses; unrequested price rows do not consume that volume, but the base fee remains payable. An MCP call does not remove API metering or make different providers’ credits, objects and requests equivalent. See usage rules.

OpticOdds uses API sales onboarding rather than verified public numeric MCP tier pricing. SportsGameOdds places event streaming on AllStar. OddsPapi’s wrapper uses its REST key and underlying access. Obtain the exact package before claiming a price advantage over quote-based access. The 2026 API buyer hub compares the published API packages and units.

Keep answers traceable to a real read

Require the agent to identify the event, market, participant, signed line, source and observation time in an odds answer. Preserve the returned usage and effective access evidence. Do not turn unavailable fields or an empty slate into invented prices, and do not infer closure merely from an old price-update timestamp. Apply the API’s exact closure and later reopen signals.

Test the client/server handshake, one catalog read and one narrow event read before expanding scope. Then verify the coverage and rights required by the application. A successfully connected MCP server does not by itself establish a populated market, zero-delay data or a license for customer display.

Questions

Which TheRundown MCP server returns Product data?: The hosted data MCP at mcp.therundown.io/mcp provides read-only data tools, including the six tools also available in the local starter distribution. The separate docs.therundown.io/mcp endpoint searches documentation and does not return authenticated Product data.
Can I use TheRundown data MCP with a Free key?: Yes, for the Product data allowed by Free: five-minute-delayed pre-match main lines from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM, within the rate and volume limits. Streaming, props, other books, in-play odds and futures require eligible paid access. MCP does not bypass plan restrictions.
Does OddsPapi only provide a documentation MCP?: No. Its May 21, 2026 tutorial publishes a local Python runtime MCP wrapper that calls its REST API. That is evidence of a custom-build integration, distinct from a managed hosted service.
Does an MCP tool call make sports data unlimited?: No. Authentication, feature entitlements, rate limits and billing still apply. TheRundown paid plans have a fixed subscription fee and included data-point volume; scoped requests conserve that volume without reducing the base fee.

Start with a scoped data read.

Use a no-card Free key to evaluate delayed pre-match main lines. Check the server's actual tools and your effective access before building an agent workflow.

TheRundown AI setup guide Review API plans