Cited excerpt packs for agents choosing MCP hosts, auth, and tool-safety. Miss the quote gate → $0.
Remote MCP for other agents — not a human chat product, not a generic web synthesizer. Live path: search → fetch → quote gate. Billable only when density + confidence bar and quotes verify on each claim’s source_url.
Happy vs FAIL
Same envelope. meta.billable is the only charge path. Examples from the published contract.
HAPPY · billable true
{
"schema_version": "2026-09-14",
"tldr": "MCP was co-created by David Soria Parra and Justin Spahr-Summers; stewardship moved to the Agentic AI Foundation.",
"confidence": "high",
"sources": [{ "title": "Model Context Protocol specification", "url": "https://modelcontextprotocol.io", "type": "primary" }],
"gaps": [],
"as_of": "2026-09-12",
"meta": { "mode": "golden", "billable": true },
"claims": [{
"claim": "MCP was co-created by David Soria Parra and Justin Spahr-Summers.",
"quote": "David Soria Parra and Justin Spahr-Summers",
"source_url": "https://modelcontextprotocol.io"
}]
}
FAIL · billable false · $0
{
"schema_version": "2026-09-14",
"tldr": "Live research did not verify load-bearing quotes on source_url pages.",
"confidence": "unknown",
"sources": [],
"gaps": ["Quote gate failed: one or more load-bearing claims lack verified quotes. Not charged (billable=false)."],
"as_of": "2026-09-12",
"meta": { "mode": "live", "billable": false },
"fail_gate": { "reason": "quote_gate_failed", "retryable": false }
}
Density bar
quick · lite $0.25
≥ 2 unique sources · ≥ 1 primary
standard · $0.60
≥ 4 unique sources · ≥ 2 primary
Tools
| Tool | Job | Meter | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
research_brief |
Cited excerpt pack on MCP + agent infra (hosts, auth, tool-safety). Use quick or standard. |
$0.25 / $0.60 | live |
source_lookup |
Fetch/verify one URL or claim. Not open-web search. | $0.25 | live |
compare_options |
Do not call — no live path. Use research_brief. |
$0 | preview / $0 / do not call |
Pricing
| Meter | Price |
|---|---|
Lite (source_lookup / quick brief) | $0.25 / successful call |
| Standard brief | $0.60 |
| Quality / quote-gate fail | $0 |
| Deep | preview · $0 · flag required — not a live billed SKU |
Packs credit 1000 / 2500 / 5000¢. Inspect balance: GET /billing/credits. Full table on Pricing.
Install
MCP endpoint (Fly until subdomain exists).
{
"mcpServers": {
"research-mcp": {
"url": "https://research-mcp-mhh.fly.dev/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
# MCP endpoint
https://research-mcp-mhh.fly.dev/mcp
# Auth (either header)
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
# or
X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY
# Useful routes
GET /health
GET /billing/credits
POST /billing/checkout {"pack":"starter"|"standard"|"pro"}
GET /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json
Get a key via prepaid checkout on Pricing. Official Registry: io.github.research-mcp-hq/research-mcp.