# Thrifle (remote · api.thrifle.com)

US return policies, price-match rules, discounts, deals and Amazon price verdicts. Read-only.

- Trust score: 79/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-20

## Components

- remote · `api.thrifle.com`: 79/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.0.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-09-20.

- **Endpoint Security**: 83/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 77/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2953 tokens (~123/item across 24 items; 24 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 33/100
  - Stability observed for 10 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 94/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 82% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 24 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 25 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Thrifle MCP server?

Thrifle is a hosted endpoint at https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http com-thrifle-mcp 'https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-thrifle-mcp": {
      "url": "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-thrifle-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-thrifle-mcp]
url = "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "com-thrifle-mcp": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-thrifle-mcp --url 'https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-thrifle-mcp:
    url: "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-thrifle-mcp": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-thrifle-mcp -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-thrifle-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-09-19 (score 79, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 27 to 30. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 8 days of observed history at the previous scan, 9 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-17 (score 78, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 20 to 23. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 6 days of observed history at the previous scan, 7 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-15 (score 77, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 13 to 17. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 4 days of observed history at the previous scan, 5 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-12 (score 76, +1)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads

### 2026-09-11 (score 75, 0)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-09-10 (score 75)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (24)

### `get_return_policy` (~156 tokens)

Get a retailer's return policy

Verified return policy for a US retailer: return window, free returns, restocking fee, holiday extension, non-returnable items, an A+–D− grade, how it compares with its category, and the retailer's own policy URL. Optionally pass what the shopper bought to surface a product-specific exception (e.g. electronics at Costco). Call this for any 'what is X's return policy' question.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"
- `product` (string): Optional: the product being returned, e.g. 'MacBook Air' or 'gift card', to check for a category exception

### `compare_return_policies` (~128 tokens)

Compare two retailers' return policies

Side-by-side comparison of two US retailers' return policies with grades, per-axis winners (window, free returns, restocking fee, holiday extension) and an overall winner. Use for 'is it easier to return to X or Y' questions.

Input parameters:

- `merchant_a` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — first retailer, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"
- `merchant_b` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — second retailer, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `search_return_policies` (~138 tokens)

Search the return-policy database

Find retailers in Thrifle's return-policy database by name fragment and/or category (e.g. 'Fashion', 'Electronics', 'Home'). Returns slim rows with the return window and a link. With no arguments it returns the category list and total count. Use it when get_return_policy says a retailer was not found, or to list retailers in a category.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Category name as shown on thrifle.com/return-policy
- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 10, max 25)
- `query` (string): Name fragment, e.g. 'best' matches Best Buy

### `get_price_match_policy` (~98 tokens)

Get a retailer's price-match policy

Whether a US retailer matches competitors' prices (which competitors, proof required, exclusions, how to claim) and whether it offers a post-purchase price adjustment (window in days). Call for 'does X price match' or 'will X refund the difference if the price drops' questions.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `who_will_price_match` (~132 tokens)

Which retailers will match a given store's price

Reverse lookup: the US retailers whose price-match policy explicitly names the given store as an accepted competitor. Optionally filter by the product category being bought so only stores that plausibly stock it are listed. Use for 'who will match Amazon's price on this' questions.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Optional deal category, e.g. 'Tech & Electronics', 'Home & Furniture', 'Toys & Hobbies'
- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — the store whose price you found, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `get_merchant_discounts` (~112 tokens)

Get a retailer's military and student discounts

Verified military (active duty, veterans, reserve) and student discount programmes for a US retailer: value, eligibility, verification method (e.g. ID.me, SheerID), online vs in-store, stackability, exclusions, whether it is running right now, and the source URL. Call for 'does X have a military/student discount' questions.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `search_discounts` (~116 tokens)

Search military and student discounts

Browse Thrifle's discount database: filter by programme type (military, student, or both), retail category, and/or a name fragment. Returns slim rows with the discount value and a link per retailer.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Retail category, e.g. 'Apparel', 'Electronics'
- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 15, max 50)
- `query` (string): Name fragment, e.g. 'nike'
- `type` (string): Only retailers with this programme

### `get_cancellation_guide` (~115 tokens)

How to cancel a subscription or membership

Step-by-step guide to cancelling a US subscription or membership: available channels (online, app, phone, in person), notice period, fees, refund after cancelling, retention tactics to expect, and an ease-of-cancellation grade. Coverage is still small; the response lists what is available when the merchant is not found.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — the service, e.g. 'Planet Fitness', e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `get_birthday_freebie` (~115 tokens)

Get a brand's birthday freebie

What a US restaurant or retailer gives away for your birthday, whether it is actually free or needs a purchase or prior spend, how to sign up and how far ahead, the validity window, ID requirements, and known gotchas. Call for 'what does X give you on your birthday' questions.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — brand, e.g. 'Starbucks', 'Sephora', e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `search_birthday_freebies` (~137 tokens)

Search birthday freebies

Browse verified birthday offers from US brands. Filters: actually_free (no purchase and no prior spend required), kids (child-eligible), no_signup, category (e.g. 'Restaurant', 'Beauty'), name fragment. Returns slim rows; use get_birthday_freebie for the full terms of one brand.

Input parameters:

- `actually_free` (boolean): Only offers with no purchase or prior-spend requirement
- `category` (string)
- `kids` (boolean)
- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 15, max 50)
- `no_signup` (boolean)
- `query` (string)

### `search_deals` (~152 tokens)

Search current deals

Search Thrifle's curated US deals by product, brand or keyword. Returns live deals with price, list price, discount %, merchant, coupon code when there is one, the thrifle.com deal page, and a buy link. Expired deals are excluded unless include_expired is set. Use for 'is there a deal on X' or 'best price on X right now' questions.

Input parameters:

- `include_expired` (boolean)
- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 8, max 20)
- `query` (string, required): Product, brand or keyword, e.g. 'AirPods Pro', 'Dyson', 'robot vacuum'
- `sort` (string): Default newest

### `get_deal` (~93 tokens)

Get one deal's full details

Everything Thrifle knows about one deal, by its thrifle.com URL or slug: price and list price, merchant, coupon, why it's great, the editorial verdict, the price-history verdict for Amazon items, FAQ, and the buy link. Use after search_deals when the shopper wants detail on one item.

Input parameters:

- `deal` (string, required): thrifle.com deal URL or the slug at the end of it

### `get_deal_of_the_day` (~42 tokens)

Get today's featured deal

Thrifle's editor-picked deal of the day with price, merchant and buy link. Cheap to call; returns found:false when none is set.

### `get_store_deals` (~106 tokens)

Get current deals at a retailer

A retailer's store page on Thrifle: how many live deals it has, the most recent ones with prices and buy links, and its military/student discount summary when known. Use for 'what deals does Costco have right now' questions.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 8, max 8)
- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug, e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `predict_amazon_price` (~142 tokens)

Buy now or wait? Verdict for an Amazon product

Thrifle's Price Predict verdict for an Amazon product (ASIN or amazon.com URL): BUY / HOLD / WAIT with a buy score, current vs typical price, all-time low, 30/90/365-day averages, probability of a drop in the next 30/60 days, the expected low and timing basis. Reads Thrifle's tracked-price database (US and major international Amazon stores); untracked products return found:false with a link to run a live check on the site.

Input parameters:

- `asin_or_url` (string, required): 10-character ASIN (e.g. B0CHX3QBCH) or any Amazon product URL

### `search_blog` (~105 tokens)

Search Thrifle's articles and data studies

Find Thrifle articles by keyword: original data studies (e.g. what actually dropped on Black Friday, Prime Day fact-checks), buying guides, and the Money section's credit and BNPL explainers. Returns title, one-line summary, date, author and URL. Use get_blog_post to read one.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 8, max 20)
- `query` (string, required)
- `section` (string): Default all

### `get_blog_post` (~63 tokens)

Read one Thrifle article

The full text of one Thrifle article by URL or slug (HTML stripped, long posts truncated at ~20,000 characters), plus its FAQ, author, date and URL for citation.

Input parameters:

- `post` (string, required): thrifle.com article URL or its slug

### `search_credit_cards` (~190 tokens)

Search the credit-card database

Browse Thrifle's US credit-card database (store and co-branded cards first): filter by issuer, retailer, store cards only, or cards that use deferred-interest promotional financing. Rows carry purchase APR range, annual fee, financing type, data confidence and the verification date. Numbers come from issuer pricing pages, never roundups.

Input parameters:

- `deferred_interest_only` (boolean): Only cards whose promo financing is deferred interest (retroactive interest if not paid in full)
- `issuer` (string): Exact issuer name, e.g. 'Synchrony Bank', 'Citi Retail Services'
- `limit` (integer): Max results (default 20, max 60)
- `merchant` (string): Partner retailer, e.g. 'Amazon', 'Lowe's'
- `query` (string): Name fragment matched against card name, issuer or partner retailer
- `store_cards_only` (boolean)

### `get_credit_card` (~100 tokens)

Get one credit card's full terms

Full record for one card by its card_key (from search_credit_cards): APR tiers, intro and penalty APRs, fees, promotional financing terms with the issuer's own fine-print quote, rewards, perks, welcome offer, and provenance (pricing-terms URL, verification date, confidence). Store cards link to the partner retailer's return policy.

Input parameters:

- `card_key` (string, required): card_key from search_credit_cards, e.g. 'amazon-store-card'

### `get_store_credit_cards` (~123 tokens)

Get a retailer's store credit cards

The store and co-branded credit cards a US retailer offers, with APR, annual fee, whether promotional financing is deferred interest, and links to each card's full terms, the retailer's store-card page and its return policy. Call for 'is the X store card worth it' or 'does X card have deferred interest' questions.

Input parameters:

- `merchant` (string, required): Retailer name or thrifle.com slug — e.g. 'Lowe's', 'Amazon', 'Best Buy', e.g. "Costco", "best-buy", "Nordstrom"

### `get_money_monitor` (~81 tokens)

US economic indicators and rates

Current US macro numbers from Thrifle's Money Monitor: GDP growth, personal saving rate, average credit-card APR, revolving and total consumer credit, the federal debt, and mortgage / fed funds / 10-year Treasury rates, each with the previous reading and year-ago value. Sourced from FRED and the U.S. Treasury; refreshed daily.

### `get_price_pulse` (~66 tokens)

US consumer prices: CPI by category and gas

Latest US Consumer Price Index by spending category (headline, food, energy, shelter, apparel, etc.) with month-over-month and year-over-year change, plus average gas prices by grade with week-ago and year-ago comparisons. Sourced from BLS and EIA.

### `check_product_recalls` (~85 tokens)

Check a product for US safety recalls

Matches a product name (and optional brand) against recent U.S. CPSC recalls using a strict matcher tuned for zero false positives. Returns matching recalls with hazard and remedy, or an empty list. Useful before recommending a product.

Input parameters:

- `brand` (string)
- `product` (string, required): Product title as sold, e.g. 'Peloton Tread+ treadmill'

### `about_thrifle` (~40 tokens)

About Thrifle and this server

What Thrifle is, what each database covers and how big it is, how to cite it, and which tool answers which kind of question.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-20: 79
- 2026-09-19: 79
- 2026-09-18: 78
- 2026-09-17: 78
- 2026-09-16: 77
- 2026-09-15: 77
- 2026-09-14: 76
- 2026-09-13: 76
- 2026-09-12: 76
- 2026-09-11: 75
- 2026-09-10: 75

## Common questions

### What is the Thrifle MCP server?

Thrifle is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.thrifle/mcp. US return policies, price-match rules, discounts, deals and Amazon price verdicts. Read-only. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp).

### Is the Thrifle MCP server safe to use?

Thrifle scores 79 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Thrifle MCP server expose?

Thrifle exposes 24 tools: get_return_policy, compare_return_policies, search_return_policies, get_price_match_policy, who_will_price_match, and 19 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 2,635 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the Thrifle MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to Thrifle without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the Thrifle MCP server still maintained?

Thrifle is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 20 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://api.thrifle.com/api/mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/ejazmu/thrifle-mcp
- Website: https://thrifle.com/mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-thrifle-mcp/api-mcp