Scout Intel MCP

Business & market intelligence for AI agents — 7 tools, 8 data sources, structured JSON

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Scout MCP
Business & Market Intelligence for AI Agents

Python 3.11+ FastMCP 3.x MIT License 6 Tools 5+ Data Sources PyPI version PyPI Downloads/month MCPize

Google for AI agents — instead of web pages, it returns clean, structured JSON that agents can reason over.

Scout MCP gives any AI agent instant access to structured business intelligence, market research, and competitive analysis. It aggregates data from DuckDuckGo, NewsAPI, Wikipedia, web scraping, and social profiles into Pydantic-validated JSON responses with per-source confidence breakdowns and data quality grades.

Table of Contents

Quick Install

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "scout_mcp.mcp_server"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/scout-mcp/src",
      "env": {
        "NEWS_API_KEY": "your-newsapi-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to Cursor Settings > MCP:

{
  "scout-mcp": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "scout_mcp.mcp_server"],
    "cwd": "/path/to/scout-mcp/src",
    "env": {
      "NEWS_API_KEY": "your-newsapi-key"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot MCP)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "scout-mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "scout_mcp.mcp_server"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/scout-mcp/src",
      "env": {
        "NEWS_API_KEY": "your-newsapi-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

pip (self-hosted)

pip install scout-mcp
scout-mcp  # starts STDIO server for MCP clients

The 6 Intelligence Tools

#ToolWhat It DoesTier
1scout_companyStructured intel on any company: industry, funding, tech stack, competitors, news, key peopleFree
2scout_marketMarket research: size, CAGR, key players, trends, growth drivers, risksFree
3scout_competitorsCompetitor analysis: positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, differentiatorsFree
4scout_trendsTrend tracking: sentiment analysis, key developments, trending direction, related topicsFree
5scout_productProduct intelligence: pricing, ratings, features, alternatives, recent updatesFree
6scout_personPublic figure research: role, background, achievements, social profilesPro

Data Quality Grades

Every response includes a data_quality_grade — a letter grade that lets agents instantly assess intelligence reliability:

GradeConfidenceMeaning
A+90%+Exceptional — multiple high-quality sources confirmed
A80-90%High — strong multi-source corroboration
B65-80%Good — solid data from key sources
C45-65%Fair — limited sources, gaps likely
D25-45%Low — sparse data, treat with caution
F<25%Insufficient — minimal data available

How Agents Should Use Grades

result = scout_company("Stripe")

if result["data_quality_grade"] in ("A+", "A"):
    # High confidence — safe to make decisions on this data
    proceed_with_analysis(result)
elif result["data_quality_grade"] == "B":
    # Good but verify key claims
    proceed_with_caveats(result)
else:
    # C/D/F — supplement with additional sources
    request_more_data(result)

Confidence Breakdown

Beyond the letter grade, every response includes a confidence_breakdown dict showing per-source reliability:

{
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "data_quality_grade": "A",
  "confidence_breakdown": {
    "duckduckgo": {
      "score": 0.60,
      "reason": "8 results found"
    },
    "company_website": {
      "score": 0.90,
      "reason": "scraped stripe.com, 3 data points extracted"
    },
    "wikipedia": {
      "score": 0.90,
      "reason": "page found, structured data extracted"
    },
    "newsapi": {
      "score": 0.90,
      "reason": "6 articles found"
    },
    "competitor_extraction": {
      "score": 0.80,
      "reason": "5 competitors identified"
    }
  }
}

Source Weights

Different sources carry different weights in the overall confidence calculation:

SourceWeightWhy
Wikipedia3xCurated, structured, authoritative
NewsAPI2xFresh, professional journalism
Company Website2xFirst-party data, most current
DuckDuckGo Search1xBroad but variable quality
Competitor Extraction1xDerived analysis
Social Profiles1xSupplementary

Full API Reference

Base URL

POST /api/scout/{tool_name}

Authentication

Pass your API key via the X-Api-Key header:

curl -X POST /api/scout/company \
  -H "X-Api-Key: your-key-here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Stripe"}'

No key = free tier (50 requests/day).

Health & Info

EndpointMethodDescription
/api/GETService info + list of tools
/api/healthGETHealth check + DuckDuckGo backoff status
/api/toolsGETAll tools with params, tiers, and grade descriptions
/api/cache/statsGETCache hit/miss statistics
/api/cache/clearPOSTClear all cached responses

Tool Endpoints

POST /api/scout/company

Research any company.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
namestringYesCompany name (e.g., "Stripe", "OpenAI")
domainstringNoCompany domain (e.g., "stripe.com"). Auto-detected if omitted.

Response fields: name, domain, description, industry, founded, headquarters, employee_range, funding, tech_stack, social_profiles, recent_news, top_competitors, key_people, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade, data_freshness, sources_used, sources_failed

POST /api/scout/market

Research any market or industry.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
querystringYesMarket to research (e.g., "AI SaaS", "electric vehicles")
depthstringNo"summary" (default) or "detailed"

Response fields: market_name, query, depth, market_size, market_size_projections, cagr, key_players, trends, growth_drivers, risks, source_links, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade

POST /api/scout/competitors

Find and analyze competitors.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
company_or_productstringYesCompany or product name (e.g., "Notion")
maxintegerNoMax competitors to return (default 10)

Response fields: target, competitors (array of {name, domain, positioning, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, key_differentiator}), market_positioning_summary, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade

POST /api/scout/trends

Track trends and sentiment.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
topicstringYesTopic to track (e.g., "generative AI")
timeframestringNo"1d", "7d" (default), "30d", "1y"

Response fields: topic, timeframe, sentiment ({score, label}), trending_direction, key_developments, related_topics, social_buzz, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade

POST /api/scout/product

Get intelligence on any product.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
namestringYesProduct name (e.g., "Slack", "Vercel")

Response fields: name, category, description, pricing, ratings, features, ideal_for, alternatives, recent_updates, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade

POST /api/scout/person (PRO)

Research a public figure. Requires Pro tier or higher.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
namestringYesPerson's name (e.g., "Sam Altman")
companystringNoCompany context (e.g., "OpenAI")

Response fields: name, current_role, company, location, background_summary, social_profiles, recent_activity, notable_achievements, confidence, confidence_breakdown, data_quality_grade

Returns HTTP 403 for free tier users.

Example Responses

scout_company("Stripe")

{
  "name": "Stripe",
  "domain": "stripe.com",
  "description": "Stripe, Inc. is an Irish-American multinational financial services and software as a service company...",
  "industry": "Software & Technology",
  "founded": "2010",
  "headquarters": "San Francisco",
  "top_competitors": ["PayPal", "Adyen", "Square", "Braintree", "Checkout.com"],
  "tech_stack": ["Next.js", "React"],
  "recent_news": [
    {"headline": "Stripe launches AI billing features", "source": "TechCrunch", "date": "2026-04-08"},
    {"headline": "Stripe revenue grows 30% in 2025", "source": "Bloomberg", "date": "2026-03-15"}
  ],
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "data_quality_grade": "A",
  "confidence_breakdown": {
    "duckduckgo": {"score": 0.60, "reason": "8 results found"},
    "company_website": {"score": 0.90, "reason": "scraped stripe.com, 3 data points extracted"},
    "wikipedia": {"score": 0.90, "reason": "page found, structured data extracted"},
    "newsapi": {"score": 0.90, "reason": "6 articles found"},
    "competitor_extraction": {"score": 0.80, "reason": "5 competitors identified"}
  },
  "data_freshness": "2026-04-12T12:00:00Z"
}

scout_trends("generative AI", timeframe="7d")

{
  "topic": "generative AI",
  "timeframe": "7d",
  "sentiment": {"score": 0.72, "label": "positive"},
  "trending_direction": "up",
  "key_developments": [
    {
      "headline": "OpenAI releases GPT-5.2 with reasoning capabilities",
      "date": "2026-04-10",
      "impact_level": "high",
      "source": "The Verge"
    }
  ],
  "related_topics": ["Large Language Models", "AI Safety", "Enterprise AI"],
  "confidence": 0.83,
  "data_quality_grade": "A",
  "confidence_breakdown": {
    "duckduckgo_news": {"score": 0.90, "reason": "10 news articles found"},
    "newsapi": {"score": 0.90, "reason": "4 articles found"},
    "web_search": {"score": 0.50, "reason": "5 web results for context"}
  }
}

scout_competitors("Notion")

{
  "target": "Notion",
  "competitors": [
    {
      "name": "Obsidian",
      "domain": "obsidian.md",
      "positioning": "Privacy-focused local-first knowledge base with Markdown",
      "strengths": ["Open source", "Free tier available", "Offline support"],
      "key_differentiator": "Local-first with plain Markdown files"
    },
    {
      "name": "Coda",
      "positioning": "All-in-one doc with app-building capabilities",
      "strengths": ["AI-powered features"],
      "key_differentiator": "Document-as-app paradigm"
    },
    {
      "name": "Logseq",
      "positioning": "Open-source outliner with bidirectional links"
    }
  ],
  "market_positioning_summary": "Found 7 competitors for Notion. Top alternatives: Obsidian, Coda, Logseq, Anytype, AppFlowy.",
  "confidence": 0.65,
  "data_quality_grade": "B",
  "confidence_breakdown": {
    "search_Notion alternative": {"score": 0.70, "reason": "8 results for 'Notion alternatives'"},
    "search_Notion vs competi": {"score": 0.60, "reason": "6 results for 'Notion vs competitors'"},
    "extraction_quality": {"score": 0.86, "reason": "7 competitors extracted and enriched"}
  }
}

Architecture

                      +------------------+
                      |  AI Agent        |
                      |  (Claude, etc.)  |
                      +--------+---------+
                               |
                    STDIO / SSE / REST
                               |
              +----------------+----------------+
              |          Scout MCP              |
              |  FastMCP 3.x + FastAPI REST     |
              +----------------+----------------+
              |  Cache (24h TTL, in-memory)     |
              |  Auth (API key, tier limits)     |
              |  Rate Limiter (per-key, daily)   |
              +----+--------+--------+----------+
                   |        |        |
          +--------+  +-----+--+  +--+--------+
          | DuckDuckGo| | NewsAPI | | Wikipedia |
          | (free)    | | (.org)  | | (free)    |
          +-----------+ +---------+ +-----------+
                   |                    |
          +--------+--------+  +-------+-------+
          | Web Scraper     |  | Social Profile |
          | (httpx + BS4)   |  | Detection      |
          +----------------+  +----------------+

Exponential Backoff (DuckDuckGo)

DuckDuckGo's free API has rate limits. Scout MCP handles this with adaptive backoff:

Success  : interval = 2s (base)
Failure 1: interval = 4s
Failure 2: interval = 8s
Failure 3: interval = 16s
Failure 4: interval = 32s
Failure 5: interval = 48s (cap)
Next success: interval resets to 2s

Each call also retries once before giving up. Monitor backoff status at GET /api/health.

Competitor Extraction Engine

The competitor extraction uses 6 regex pattern categories with 350+ stop words:

  1. VS patterns — "X vs Y" matching
  2. Comma/and-separated lists — "alternatives include X, Y, and Z"
  3. Numbered/bulleted lists — "1. Asana 2. Monday 3. ClickUp"
  4. Header patterns — "Asana -- project management tool"
  5. Contextual patterns — "like X" or "such as X"
  6. Title-cased names — capitalized product names near competitor context

Multi-word validators reject: article titles, verb-prefixed names, pronoun-prefixed names, role-suffixed names, probable person names, mega-corp parent names, and platform names.

Configuration

Environment Variables

VariableRequiredDefaultDescription
NEWS_API_KEYYes—NewsAPI.org API key (get one free)
SCOUT_API_KEYNo—Master API key (auto-assigned "scale" tier)
MONGO_URLAuto—MongoDB connection string (for REST API server)
DB_NAMEAuto—MongoDB database name
CORS_ORIGINSNo*Allowed CORS origins

Cache Settings

Responses are cached for 24 hours in-memory (dict). Cache stats and clear endpoints:

# Check cache stats
curl /api/cache/stats

# Clear all cache
curl -X POST /api/cache/clear

Pricing & Rate Limits

TierPriceDaily LimitToolsFeatures
Free$0/mo50 requests5 of 6Summary depth, basic grades
Pro$29/mo1,000 requestsAll 6+ scout_person + detailed market reports
Scale$99/mo10,000 requestsAll 6Everything + priority support

Rate limit info is included in every response's _meta field:

{
  "_meta": {
    "tier": "free",
    "remaining": 47
  }
}

Self-Hosting

Local Development

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/your-org/scout-mcp.git
cd scout-mcp/backend
pip install -e ".[dev,server]"

# Set up environment
echo "NEWS_API_KEY=your-key" > .env

# Run MCP server (STDIO for Claude Desktop)
cd src && python -m scout_mcp.mcp_server

# Run REST API server
uvicorn server:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8001 --reload

# Inspect with MCP Inspector
fastmcp inspect src/scout_mcp/mcp_server.py

Running Tests

# Test the API
curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/api/scout/company \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "OpenAI"}'

# Check health + backoff status
curl http://localhost:8001/api/health

# List all tools
curl http://localhost:8001/api/tools

Docker

FROM python:3.12-slim
WORKDIR /app
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends gcc libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
COPY pyproject.toml .
COPY src/ src/
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir .
EXPOSE 8001
CMD ["python", "-c", "from scout_mcp.mcp_server import mcp; mcp.run(transport='sse', port=8001)"]

# Build and run
docker build -t scout-mcp .
docker run -p 8001:8001 -e NEWS_API_KEY=your-key scout-mcp

Tech Stack

ComponentTechnologyPurpose
MCP FrameworkFastMCP 3.xTool registration, STDIO/SSE transport
REST APIFastAPIHTTP endpoints for testing
HTTP ClienthttpxAsync web scraping
HTML ParserBeautifulSoup4 + lxmlStructured data extraction
SearchDuckDuckGo (ddgs)Free web + news search
NewsNewsAPI.orgProfessional news articles
KnowledgeWikipedia APIStructured background data
ValidationPydantic 2.xResponse model validation
CachingIn-memory dict (24h TTL)Response caching
ServeruvicornASGI production server

Data Sources

SourceAPI Key?CostRate LimitReliability
DuckDuckGo SearchNoFreeSoft limits (backoff)Variable
DuckDuckGo NewsNoFreeSoft limits (backoff)Variable
NewsAPI.orgYesFree tier100 req/dayHigh
Wikipedia APINoFreeUnlimited (polite)Very High
Web Scraping (httpx)NoFreePer-site limitsMedium
Social Profile DetectionNoFreeVia DuckDuckGoVariable

Future Sources (Planned)

  • Crunchbase API (funding data)
  • SimilarWeb API (traffic data)
  • GitHub API (developer tools)
  • SEMrush API (SEO data)

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
  3. Install dev dependencies: pip install -e ".[dev]"
  4. Make your changes
  5. Run tests: pytest
  6. Submit a pull request

Adding a New Data Source

  1. Create src/scout_mcp/sources/your_source.py
  2. Implement async functions that return structured data
  3. Add the source to relevant tools in src/scout_mcp/tools/
  4. Add per-source confidence scoring
  5. Update this README

Adding a New Tool

  1. Create src/scout_mcp/tools/your_tool.py
  2. Add a Pydantic model in models.py (include confidence_breakdown and data_quality_grade)
  3. Register in mcp_server.py with @mcp.tool()
  4. Add REST endpoint in server.py
  5. Update this README

License

MIT

Built with FastMCP, httpx, BeautifulSoup4, Pydantic
Scout MCP v0.1.0

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