Use the DraftKings API with Claude

Claude Code and Claude web are different setups

Claude Code is a developer CLI that runs on your machine and can send a header built from your environment. Claude on the web and in the desktop app connects through custom connectors, and those connections come from Anthropic's cloud, not your device.

Configure Claude Code

Create a key at the dashboard and export it in the shell that launches Claude Code. Then add this file to your project. ${DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY} is expanded when Claude Code starts, so the file holds no secret and can be committed.

export DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY=dk_your_key_here  # put this in a shell profile or secret manager, not the repo

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "draftkings": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prefer the file for a shared project. The CLI below is shorter, but your shell expands the variable before Claude Code sees it, so the literal key is stored in ~/.claude.json. Use it for a user-scoped personal setup only.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user draftkings https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"

For documentation lookups with no key, omit the header:

claude mcp add --transport http draftkings https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp

Run /mcp inside Claude Code to see the server status.

Handle the credential

The key is a server-side secret, and each one is shown once. Do not paste it into a chat, a prompt or a committed file. Create a dedicated named key for the assistant so you can revoke it alone. Keys on one account share the same allowance, so an assistant in a loop can spend your monthly requests.

Make the first call

Give Claude Code a small task that forces real rows. This costs two requests.

Use the draftkings MCP tools. Call get_coverage, then get_pick6_projections with sport NHL, stat Shots on Goal and limit 5. Report the rows you actually got, with observed_at and stale for each. If rows are stale or absent, say so. Never invent rows. Standings multipliers are not odds. Do not recommend entries or bets.

Check the answer against the rows: real observed_at values and an honest stale flag. If it reports fresh data while stale is true, correct it in your instructions.

Tools the server exposes

The endpoint is Streamable HTTP in its stateless JSON form, over POST. search and fetch read public documentation and need no key. Every other tool calls the same handler as its REST endpoint, so a Bearer key is required and each call counts against your plan.

As of 2026-11-03, native sportsbook scopes cover New York NFL, NHL, college basketball and college football game lines and New York NHL Shots on Goal, points, assists, saves, goalscorers, power-play points and first-period shots. Read snapshots and streamed changes through the sportsbook endpoints. ESPN-attributed DraftKings moneyline, spread and total observations are also available across eight leagues. Current scope inventory is listed at /api/v1/sportsbook/scopes. Pick6 rows carry standings multipliers such as 1.5x. A standings multiplier is not decimal odds, a probability or an established entry payout.

Troubleshoot Claude Code

Most failures come from the environment or the plan rather than from the protocol.

• The server is missing from /mcp: restart Claude Code from a shell where the variable is set, and approve the project server if prompted.
• A tool reports that it needs an API key: the header did not expand. Run echo $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY in the launching shell.
• HTTP 401 inside a tool result: the key is revoked or malformed. Keys start with dk_.
• HTTP 429: wait for the next UTC minute, or for the next month if the monthly allowance is spent. See errors and rate limits.
• A browser or GET request to the endpoint returns 405: this is expected. The server is stateless JSON over POST.
• Large results trigger an output warning: Claude Code warns at 10,000 tokens by default. Lower limit, or raise MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS.

Use Claude on the web

In the web or desktop app, add a custom connector with the URL below and choose No sign in. That gives Claude the keyless search and fetch tools, which read public pages. Anthropic's documentation lists custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise, with Free limited to one.

https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp

Use the draftkings search tool to find the page about API request limits, then fetch it and tell me the plans and limits it states, with the page URL. Do not guess anything the page does not say.

Anthropic describes request header authentication as a beta for a limited set of organizations. We have not tested that route, and this server offers no OAuth sign-in. For live data in web chat, run a REST call yourself, then attach the result to the conversation.

REST alternative

Everything the data tools do is a plain HTTP call, and MCP is optional. Use REST when a client cannot send a header, or when a scheduled job needs no assistant in the loop.

curl --fail-with-body "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/v1/pick6/projections?sport=NHL&stat=Shots%20on%20Goal&limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"

The public contract is at /api/openapi. See the Python guide and the JavaScript guide for retries and pagination.

Evaluate before you build on Claude

Check the data before you promise a feature. A connected client shows that the transport works, not that the coverage fits your project.

• Read the measured coverage report and status for the sports and stats you need.
• Read league coverage, because filter labels differ by dataset.
• Read odds vs Pick6 multipliers vs DFS salaries so the assistant does not mix up what the numbers mean.
• Read freshness, then ask the assistant to report observed_at and stale for each row it uses.
• Compare other providers on the comparison hub if you need full-book sportsbook props or multi-book feeds.

Free includes 500 requests/month at 20/minute; Developer is $49/month with 10,000 requests/month at 60/minute; Production is $149/month with 50,000 requests/month at 120/minute. Limits are shared across keys.

Check the recorded data

• Measured coverage report
• Sources and status

Sources

1. Claude Code: connect to tools via MCP checked 2026-11-03
2. Anthropic: get started with custom connectors using remote MCP checked 2026-11-03
3. Anthropic: add an unlisted custom connector checked 2026-11-03

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