LiveTrafficCam MCP Server

Live US traffic cameras from state DOT feeds with verified live status, via livetrafficcam.com

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livetrafficcam-mcp

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for LiveTrafficCam, a directory of live US traffic cameras built on official state DOT feeds. Every camera is checked on a rolling schedule with real HTTP requests, so "live" means a verified current image, not a listing.

The server wraps the site's public JSON API. It sends one request per tool call, caches responses for 60 seconds, and returns compact JSON with a source_url you can cite.

Install

Requires Node 20 or newer.

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "livetrafficcam": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "livetrafficcam-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

claude mcp add livetrafficcam -- npx -y livetrafficcam-mcp

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "livetrafficcam": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "livetrafficcam-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

  • list_states — states covered, camera counts, and a liveness summary per state. Example: "Which states have traffic camera coverage?"
  • cameras_by_state — cameras for a two-letter state code, with an optional route filter. Example: "Show live cameras on I-90 in Washington."
  • cameras_for_entity — cameras for a named pass, corridor, bridge or tunnel slug. Example: "What do the Donner Pass cameras show?" uses donner-pass.
  • camera_status — one camera's verified-live status, last live time, and official DOT source. Example: "Is the I-90 floating bridge camera up?"
  • state_uptime — measured uptime for a state's camera fleet: live, stale and dead counts plus the 14-day check success rate. Example: "How reliable are Washington's traffic cameras?"

The camera API returns at most 200 cameras per query; tool output says so when a state has more. Fleet counts come from the camera uptime report.

Data source and attribution

All data comes from livetrafficcam.com's public API, which aggregates official state DOT camera feeds (WSDOT, Caltrans, UDOT, and others). Every camera result carries the attribution line for its agency; keep it when you display the data. Uptime numbers should cite the uptime report.

More from the same data:

License

MIT

Installation

Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:

bash
npx -y livetrafficcam-mcp

Set up in your AI client

Merge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-bzsasson-livetrafficcam-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "livetrafficcam-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.

Claude Desktop setup reference

Package

livetrafficcam-mcpnpm

Compatible MCP Clients

LiveTrafficCam MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.

  • Claude Desktop~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.
  • Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect.
  • VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.
  • Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect.
  • Claude Code.mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.

Learn More