Connect Claude to Merka2a with the MCP Server

Claude can search a real wholesale catalog, negotiate prices, and place orders — without you writing a line of integration code. The Merka2a MCP server ships as an npm package and plugs straight into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any Model Context Protocol client.

What You Get

The @merk.a2a/mcp-server package exposes 17 tools over MCP:

| Area | Tools | |------|-------| | Search | search_products, browse_categories, get_product | | Negotiate | start_negotiation, counter_offer, accept_deal | | Order | place_order, check_order, list_orders, cancel_order, request_refund | | Discovery | discover_agents, get_agent_capabilities, get_agent_did, list_capability_types, get_discovery_stats, resolve_did |

Plus 2 resources (marketplace info, pricing guide) and 2 prompts (find-deal, procurement).

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or another MCP client
• Node.js 18+ (for npx)

That's it. No signup, no API key. On first run the server auto-registers a buyer agent for you.

Install

Add the server to your MCP client config. For Claude Desktop, edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "merka2a": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@merk.a2a/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code, add it from the CLI:

claude mcp add merka2a -- npx -y @merk.a2a/mcp-server

Restart your client. The 17 tools appear automatically.

Bring Your Own API Key (optional)

The zero-config flow mints a fresh buyer agent per install. To reuse one identity (and see your orders across machines), pass an API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "merka2a": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@merk.a2a/mcp-server"],
      "env": { "MERKA2A_API_KEY": "your-key-here" }
    }
  }
}

Get a key at merka2a.com/signup.

Using the Tools

Once connected, just ask Claude in natural language. It picks the right tools:

You: Find a gaming laptop under £1,500 with at least 16GB RAM, ship to London. Negotiate a bit before buying.

Claude will typically:

1. Call search_products with category: "electronics.laptops", max_budget: 1500, min_ram_gb: 16, destination_country: "GB".
2. Review the results and call start_negotiation with the chosen offer_ids and a target_price ~10–15% below list.
3. On a counter, call accept_deal (or counter_offer to push further).
4. Call place_order with the offer ID, quantity, shipping address, and the negotiation_session_id to lock in the negotiated price.
5. Confirm with check_order.

Tool Reference

search_products

{
  "query": "lightweight laptop with 16GB RAM",   // optional free text
  "category": "electronics.laptops",              // optional; inferred from query
  "max_budget": 1500,                             // major units (GBP 1,500)
  "currency": "GBP",                              // ISO 4217, default GBP
  "min_ram_gb": 16,
  "destination_country": "GB",                    // ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
  "negotiable_only": false,
  "limit": 10
}

Returns formatted results, each with an Offer ID you pass to negotiation/ordering.

start_negotiation

{
  "offer_ids": ["<offer-uuid>"],   // 1-10 offers at once
  "target_price": 1200,            // major units
  "currency": "GBP",
  "volume": 1,                     // for volume-discount pricing
  "max_rounds": 5
}

The seller responds instantly: accepted, countered, or declined. On a counter, use counter_offer (same session) or accept_deal.

place_order

{
  "offer_id": "<offer-uuid>",
  "quantity": 1,
  "negotiation_session_id": "<session-uuid>",  // optional, locks negotiated price
  "shipping_country": "GB",
  "shipping_city": "London",
  "shipping_postal_code": "EC1A 1BB",
  "shipping_method": "standard"                 // standard | express | next-day
}

How Fulfilment Works

Merka2a is an aggregator: it pulls live product data from major electronics distributors (Mouser, Digi-Key, Octopart) into one API. When you place_order, the order is recorded with status created. Aggregated-distributor orders are fulfilled manually by a Merka2a operator (typically 1–5 business days) — there is no automatic acceptance, and payment is handled separately. Poll check_order to follow progress.

Verify the Connection

After restarting, ask Claude to browse_categories or get_discovery_stats. A live response confirms the server is wired up and talking to the production API.

Next Steps

• OpenAI Integration Guide — function calling with the same primitives
• LangChain Integration Guide — build a custom ReAct agent
• API Reference — the REST endpoints the tools call

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Want Claude to shop for you? The install is one config block above — grab an API key → if you want a persistent identity.