How to integrate The odds api MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your The odds api directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect The odds api to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and The odds api.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Get Event OddsTool to retrieve odds for a specific event.
Get EventsTool to fetch live and upcoming events for a specified sport.
Get OddsTool to fetch live and upcoming event odds for a specified sport, including bookmakers, regions, and markets.
Get ParticipantsTool to fetch list of participants (teams or players) for a specified sport.
Get ScoresTool to return live and recently completed event scores for a sport.
Get SportsTool to retrieve a list of in-season sports.

What is the The odds api MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The The odds api MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your The odds api account. It provides structured and secure access to real-time sports betting odds and event data, so your agent can look up live odds, fetch sports schedules, track scores, and analyze betting markets worldwide on your behalf.

  • Live odds retrieval for events: Instantly fetch up-to-date betting odds for specific games or matches across multiple bookmakers and markets.
  • Comprehensive sports and event discovery: Ask your agent to list current and upcoming sporting events, including which sports are in season and event-specific details.
  • Participant and team lookups: Easily get information about teams, players, or participants involved in any listed sport to inform your analysis or predictions.
  • Live and recent score tracking: Stay up to date with real-time scores and recently completed game results for your favorite sports.
  • Regional and market-based odds filtering: Compare odds for specific regions, bookmakers, or betting markets to find the best opportunities.

Connecting The odds api via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here The odds api) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A The odds api account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["the_odds_api"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http the_odds_api-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for The odds api. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to The odds api.

What's happening:

  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for The odds api
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add The odds api MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http the_odds_api-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (the_odds_api-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your The odds api MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your the_odds_api-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access The odds api tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your the_odds_api-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate The odds api

The first time you try to use The odds api tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with The odds api
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the The odds api authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using The odds api through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform The odds api operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Show live NBA game odds right now"
  • "List upcoming soccer matches this weekend"
  • "Get current scores for MLB games"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with The odds api and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["the_odds_api"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http the_odds_api-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated The odds api with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with The odds api directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for The odds api operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various The odds api operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

How to build The odds api MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and The odds api MCP?

With a standalone The odds api MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of The odds api tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from The odds api and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right The odds api tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for The odds api while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which The odds api scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your The odds api data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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