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MCP · Model Context Protocol

Public read-only MCP live

Make “collect new evidence” a tool your agent can call.

Any compatible MCP client can discover primary-research capabilities and validate a brief through two public read-only tools. Quotes, orders, payments and fieldwork remain managed commercial operations requiring organisational setup.

Request partner access REST API
public client config
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "researchpricer": {
      "url": "https://researchpricer.vercel.app/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tool contract

Two public tools, then a managed commercial boundary.

The public server exposes search_research_capabilities and validate_research_brief. Every other tool below is a managed commercial contract and is not available on the public endpoint.

  • search_research_capabilities
    readpublic

    Discover supported methods, audiences, markets and deliverable formats.

  • validate_research_brief
    readpublic

    Normalise a research brief and return missing or contradictory fields — never guessed.

  • estimate_project
    readmanaged

    Return a non-binding price corridor, timing range and confidence for a validated brief.

  • request_binding_quote
    controlledmanaged

    Trigger live feasibility and supplier validation; returns a firm, immutable quote.

  • get_quote
    readmanaged

    Retrieve a quote with price, tax, validity, inclusions, exclusions and approval level.

  • prepare_order
    controlledmanaged

    Assemble an order from an accepted quote for human or mandate approval.

  • request_approval
    controlledmanaged

    Route the order to the organisation's approver or check it against a purchasing mandate.

  • create_contract
    commitmanaged

    Generate the SOW / terms / DPA package for signature (human by default).

  • create_payment
    commitmanaged

    Create a deposit invoice or checkout session according to the payment schedule.

  • start_project
    commitmanaged

    Start fieldwork once approval and funds are confirmed.

  • get_project_status
    readmanaged

    Check recruitment, fieldwork and quality progress.

  • list_deliverables
    readmanaged

    List and retrieve delivered files with checksums and provenance.

  • request_change_or_cancel
    commitmanaged

    Request a scope change or cancellation with the applicable cost ladder.

Example

Missing fields stay explicit.

A draft for 20 IDIs with mothers in Canada is not ready for a managed quote without a stated research purpose. The public tool returns that missing field instead of guessing, and creates no commercial commitment.

validate_research_brief · public tool call
tool: researchpricer.validate_research_brief
input:
  markets: ["CA"]
  audience: { type: "consumer", segment: "mothers of children 0–3" }
  method: "idi"
  n: 20
  duration_minutes: 60
  deliverables: ["transcripts", "recordings", "summary"]

result:
  state: needs_clarification
  missing_fields:
    - purpose
  contradictions: []
  commercial_effect: none

Safety model

Bounded autonomy, enforced server-side.

Safe · automatic

Read-only. Public discovery tools need no authentication; commercial reads require organisational access.

  • search_research_capabilities
  • validate_research_brief
  • estimate_project
  • get_quote
  • get_project_status
  • list_deliverables
Controlled

Creates commercial objects but commits nothing. Logged with principal and agent identity.

  • request_binding_quote
  • prepare_order
  • request_approval
Commit · human or mandate

Binds money, contracts or fieldwork. Requires an authorised human or a scoped company mandate.

  • create_contract
  • create_payment
  • start_project
  • request_change_or_cancel

Never model-only: feasibility truth, compliance pass, tax amount, approval authority, price validity, funds-cleared state and supplier award are deterministic or evidence-backed. Sensitive populations (children, patients in some markets, vulnerable groups) always route to human review.

FAQ

MCP questions

Is the ResearchPricer MCP server available now?
Yes. The public endpoint at https://researchpricer.vercel.app/api/mcp exposes two read-only tools: search_research_capabilities and validate_research_brief. They create no quote, order, payment or fieldwork commitment.
Can an agent pay for research through the public MCP server?
No. Quote, order, payment and fieldwork tools require managed organisational setup. Commercial authority is tied to a verified organisation, with a human approval or explicit company mandate controlling every commitment.
Which agents can use it?
Any compatible MCP client can connect to the public read-only endpoint. Commercial MCP access is configured separately for authorised organisations and depends on their identity, budgets, approvals and payment terms.
What is the difference between the MCP server and the REST API?
The public REST API and MCP server expose equivalent discovery and brief-validation capabilities. REST remains the canonical HTTP contract; MCP presents those operations as typed agent tools.

Need quotes, orders or payments through MCP?

The public read-only server is live. For commercial tools, tell us which MCP client your agents use, what evidence they need and which purchasing authority they may exercise.

Configure commercial access Use the public REST API