Use Without an API Key

You can connect Geonode MCP to your AI assistant and start extracting web pages without creating an account or adding an API key.

Point your MCP client at the Geonode endpoint, and your assistant can use the extract tool right away. This path is ideal for trying the service and for small jobs. When you need more capacity or more tools, add an API key to the same configuration.

What this guide covers

How to connect without an API key
What works in anonymous mode
Free rate and volume limits
How to upgrade to authenticated access

MCP Endpoint

Configure your MCP client with this endpoint:

https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp

The server uses MCP over streamable HTTP.

To confirm the endpoint is reachable, run:

curl https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp/health

A healthy response looks like this:

{"status":"ok","transport":"streamable-http","endpoint":"/mcp"}

Use the production endpoint

Always use https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp. Other hostnames, including preproduction ones, are not supported for public use and will fail.

Connect Your Client

You do not need a key, token, or custom header for anonymous access. If your client asks for authentication, leave it empty.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http geonode https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp

Cursor, Claude Desktop, and other JSON-based clients

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geonode": {
      "url": "https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

After you save the configuration, restart your client if required, then open a new chat and ask your assistant to extract a page.

What You Can Do Without a Key

Without an API key, Geonode MCP exposes one tool: extract. It fetches a URL and returns the page content.

You can ask your assistant something like:

Extract the content from https://example.com

Behind the scenes, the assistant calls extract on that URL.

Anonymous access is intentionally limited compared with a keyed connection:

Capability	Without a key	With an API key
Tools	`extract` only	`extract`, `map`, `search`, `crawl`, `batch`, and job management
Mode	Synchronous only	Synchronous and asynchronous jobs
JavaScript rendering	Not available	Available with `render_js`
Custom headers	`Accept-Language` only	Any headers you need
Country selection	Not available	Available

If you request a feature that anonymous access does not support, the server returns a clear message about which limit applied, instead of failing silently.

Free Limits

Anonymous use is rate limited by network address:

Limit	Value
Requests	5 per minute
Concurrency	1 request at a time
Download volume	100 MB of content per day

If several people share the same office or provider network, they may share a larger group allowance for that network prefix. Limits then apply to the group rather than to each person alone.

If requests keep getting refused, a short cooling-off period starts and can grow if the refusals continue. Wait for it to clear; the limits reset on their own.

Anonymous traffic is metered but not billed. No payment method is required.

Refused requests are not billed

Requests that are refused are not billed, with or without an API key.

Upgrade to an API Key

When you need the full tool set, async jobs, JavaScript rendering, country targeting, or higher limits, create a Geonode account, get an API key, and add it to the same MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geonode": {
      "url": "https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-Api-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your Geonode API key.

As soon as the key is recognized, the available tools expand and your plan rate limits apply.

Plans and pricing: geonode.com/pricing
Full authenticated setup: Before You Start

Then follow the setup guide for your client, such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Cursor.

Next Steps

Connect your client to https://scraper.geonode.io/mcp with no key.
Ask your assistant to extract a public page.
When you outgrow the free limits, add an API key and continue with Before You Start.

Use Without an API Key

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