Rakuten Mcp

What is Rakuten Mcp?

The Rakuten Mcp server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Rakuten Web Service API. It exposes 28 read-only tools across six Rakuten product families: Ichiba (marketplace), Books, Travel, Recipe, Kobo, and GORA (golf). Every tool description is available in English and Japanese. It is designed for developers who want to integrate Rakuten data—product search, hotel availability, recipe rankings, and more—into MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and others.

How to use Rakuten Mcp?

Install the package globally with npm install -g rakuten-mcp or run on demand with npx rakuten-mcp. You must set the environment variables RAKUTEN_APP_ID and RAKUTEN_ACCESS_KEY, obtained from the Rakuten Web Service developer portal. Optionally, set RAKUTEN_AFFILIATE_ID to append affiliate codes to returned URLs and RAKUTEN_MAX_RETRIES (default 3). Add the server to your MCP client’s configuration (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json) using the command npx -y rakuten-mcp and the required environment variables.

Key features of Rakuten Mcp

• 28 read-only tools across six Rakuten API families
• Dual‑language tool descriptions (English and Japanese)
• All endpoints verified against the live Rakuten API
• Supports both stdio and HTTP transport
• Automatic retry with backoff on 429 and 5xx errors
• Typed error tree with eight error classes
• Modular architecture: one file per API family

Use cases of Rakuten Mcp

• Search Rakuten Ichiba for products with price filters, genre restrictions, and rankings
• Browse and search Rakuten Books (books, CDs, DVDs, games, software, magazines)
• Find hotels with room availability and pricing for specific dates via Rakuten Travel
• Get popular recipes from Rakuten Recipe with ingredient lists, prep time, and cost estimate
• Search Rakuten Kobo eBooks and navigate the Kobo genre tree
• Discover golf courses and reservation plans on Rakuten GORA

FAQ from Rakuten Mcp

What credentials are needed to use Rakuten Mcp?

You must obtain a Rakuten Application ID (UUID format) and an Access Key (starts with pk_) from the Rakuten Web Service developer portal. These are set as environment variables RAKUTEN_APP_ID and RAKUTEN_ACCESS_KEY.

Are the tools read-only and safe to invoke?

Yes, all 28 tools perform read-only HTTP GET requests against the Rakuten Web Service API. No tool creates, modifies, or deletes any data.

Does Rakuten Mcp support affiliate links?

Yes. If you set the optional RAKUTEN_AFFILIATE_ID environment variable, it will be appended to every item URL returned by the tools.

What transport protocols are supported?

The server supports both stdio (the default for MCP) and HTTP transport.

Is this server officially affiliated with Rakuten?

No. This is an unofficial third‑party server not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Rakuten Group, Inc. Use at your own risk.