Account & billing

Connect Claude to your fleet (MCP)

Ask an AI assistant where your boats are, and let it answer from live data.

5 min read

Vectra speaks Model Context Protocol, the standard AI assistants use to reach real systems. Connect it and you can ask "is anything off the dock right now?" or "where did Pontoon 22 go on Saturday?" and get an answer from your actual fleet rather than a guess.

How an AI assistant reaches your fleetAn assistant calls Vectra's MCP endpoint using an API key you create. The key's permissions decide which tools it can use. Read tools answer immediately. The engine cut-off additionally requires a human confirmation and is refused outright while an asset is moving.AssistantClaude, or similarMCP/mcp endpointyour API keyX-API-Keyscoped, revocableRead toolswhere things are, where theyhave been, what alertedEngine cut-off1. key needs commands:write2. a human must confirm first3. refused while it is movingthree gates, all requiredYour fleetonly what the key allows
Read tools answer straight away. The cut-off has to clear three separate gates before anything physical happens.

Connecting

  1. 1
    Create an API key

    Settings → API keys. Give it only the permissions you want the assistant to have — read-only is a sensible starting point.

  2. 2
    Add the connector

    In your assistant, add a custom MCP server with the URL below and your key in the X-API-Key header.

  3. 3
    Ask it something

    "How is the fleet doing?" is a good first question.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vectra": {
      "url": "https://api.vectragps.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "vgps_your_key_here" }
    }
  }
}
The endpoint is stateless — no session to keep alive, and no separate MCP credential to manage.

What it can do

ToolWhat it answersNeeds
list_assetsEvery asset with status, speed, battery, last reportdevices:read
fleet_summaryCounts by state, plus what needs attentiondevices:read
locate_assetWhere one asset is right now, with a map linkdevices:read, gps:read
get_trailWhere it has been, distance, top speed, moving timegps:read
list_geofencesYour zones and what each one alerts ongeofences:read
recent_alertsWhat has alerted recentlyalerts:read
set_storage_modePut an asset into or out of storage modedevices:write
set_engine_cutoffCut or restore the ignition relaycommands:write

The safety rails

Cut-off is a physical action on a real vehicle, so it is fenced on three sides. The API key must carry commands:write; the call must pass an explicit confirmation flag, which the assistant is instructed to obtain from you in words first; and the server refuses outright while the asset is moving. An assistant reasoning out loud cannot immobilise a boat.

Give it a read-only key first

A key with only the read permissions cannot change anything at all. Live with that for a week before you decide whether an assistant should be able to act.

Scoped to that key

The assistant sees exactly the account and permissions of the key you gave it. Revoke the key and the connection dies with it.

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