Use the DraftKings API with Gemini

Gemini CLI and the Gemini app are different setups

Gemini CLI is a developer tool configured by a settings file. The Gemini app at gemini.google.com has its own custom app feature with its own eligibility rules. Most of this page is about the CLI.

Configure Gemini CLI

Use httpUrl, the key Gemini CLI reads as an HTTP streaming endpoint. url means an SSE endpoint, and this server is not SSE. Put the block in ~/.gemini/settings.json, or in .gemini/settings.json for one project. Gemini CLI expands $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY from your environment.

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "draftkings": {
      "httpUrl": "https://draftkingsapi.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer $DRAFTKINGS_API_KEY"
      },
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

Leave trust at its default of false so Gemini CLI asks before running tools. The CLI command below writes an equivalent entry. Because your shell expands the variable first, it stores the literal key in the settings file, so prefer editing the file by hand.

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

gemini mcp list
# inside a session
/mcp

Keep the credential out of the repository

A project .gemini/settings.json is often committed. The variable reference is safe there; a literal key is not. Create a dedicated named key for the CLI so you can revoke it alone. Keys on one account share one allowance.

Run the first task

Give Gemini CLI 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.

Compare the reply with the rows returned. If Gemini paraphrases stale: true as current, correct it in your project's GEMINI.md. Use includeTools to limit the assistant to the tools your project needs.

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 Gemini CLI

Check these first when tools fail to appear or return errors.

• The server shows as disconnected: confirm you used httpUrl rather than url.
• A tool reports that it needs an API key: the variable was empty when the CLI started. 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.
• Timeouts: the example sets timeout to 30,000 ms. A short value can fail on large pages, so lower limit before raising it.
• A GET request to the endpoint returns 405: this is expected. The server is stateless JSON over POST.

Use the Gemini app

Google's help page says custom apps can be added by MCP server URL, for people aged 18 or over in the US with a personal Google Account and Keep Activity on. Work and school accounts are excluded. It does not list authentication methods beyond Dynamic Client Registration and entering credentials under advanced features.

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.

We have not tested this route. This server offers no OAuth sign-in, so plan on keyless search and fetch. For live rows, run a REST call yourself and attach the result.

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 Gemini

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. Gemini CLI: MCP servers checked 2026-11-03
2. Google: add custom apps to Gemini checked 2026-11-03

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