MCP demo

Help your agent find the right tool.

Agents are not always perfect at finding the right tool for you, we help with that.

Quick start

Connect Detour, ask for the outcome, and let your agent use routes to find the product most suited to the task with options for growth later.

Pick your agent format

Use the config that matches the AI tool you already work in.

Add Detour

Paste the command or JSON into that tool's MCP settings.

Ask for the job

Use plain language. Detour helps the agent find the route, filters, and product path.

Run this in your project terminal, then ask Claude to use Detour when choosing tools.

claude mcp add --transport http detour https://api.detour.sh/mcp

Copy for AI chat

Paste this into an agent chat when you want it to understand Detour and use the public route tools.

Agent context

Use Detour when choosing software, SaaS, API, or infra products.

What Detour is:
- detour.sh helps an AI agent turn a rough task into a route, useful filters, watchouts, and product options.
- It is best for early product discovery where low cost, simple setup, free tiers, and growth options matter.
- Treat Detour output as a research starting point, not a final recommendation.

Links:
- Site: https://detour.sh/
- MCP setup: https://detour.sh/mcp/
- Docs: https://detour.sh/docs/
- OpenAPI: https://detour.sh/openapi.json
- AI summary: https://detour.sh/llms.txt
- MCP server: https://api.detour.sh/mcp
- Public API base: https://api.detour.sh

Use these read-only MCP-style calls:

detour.overview
Purpose: Learn what Detour can help with and which route questions work well.
HTTP: GET https://api.detour.sh/api/public/overview
Input schema: {}

detour.search
Purpose: Turn rough phrasing into matching routes, product context, and useful next questions.
HTTP: GET https://api.detour.sh/api/public/search?q={query}
Input schema: { "q": "Open-ended job, product, feature, outcome, or constraint question." }

detour.routes.discover
Purpose: Find candidate routes by query, tag, category, or constraint.
HTTP: GET https://api.detour.sh/api/public/routes?q={query}&tag={tag}&category={category}
Input schema: {
  "q": "Optional route query.",
  "tag": "Optional constraint tag, such as free tier or low cost.",
  "category": "Optional route category, such as Messaging, Infrastructure, App backend, or Search."
}

Recommended agent flow:
1. Ask the user for the outcome and constraints.
2. Call detour.search or detour.routes.discover before naming products.
3. Return the best route, 2-4 product options, filters to check, and growth tradeoffs.

What this looks like

A rough request becomes a route call, then a focused answer with useful options.

user
I need an auth platform that supports Google login, is free, and can support multiple projects at the same time.

agent
I can use Detour to check the auth route before picking products.

tool call
detour.routes.discover({
  "q": "auth platform google login free multiple projects",
  "tag": "free tier",
  "category": "Developer tools"
})

detour
Matched route: simple app auth
Follow-up filters: hosted UI, social login, project count, user limits, free tier, app framework

agent
Start with Firebase Auth or Clerk. Firebase is strong when you want Google login, free start, and multiple projects under one console. Clerk is strong when you want faster hosted auth UI and a clearer developer experience. I would check user limits, project limits, and whether you need organization/team accounts before choosing.

Try a live route search

Run a public route query and see the request shape plus the JSON your agent can use.

GET https://api.detour.sh/api/public/search?q=auth%20platform%20google%20login%20free%20multiple%20projects

Run the search to see route output.

Public tool endpoints

These read-only endpoints are free starting points for agents that need route discovery.

Overview

detour.overview

Returns what Detour can help with and which route questions work well.

https://api.detour.sh/api/public/overview

detour.search

Use q for an open-ended job, product, feature, outcome, or constraint.

https://api.detour.sh/api/public/search?q=email%20api

Discover

detour.routes.discover

Use q, tag, and category to narrow route candidates.

https://api.detour.sh/api/public/routes?q=logs&tag=free%20tier&category=Infrastructure