Rakuten MCP - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Rakuten MCP

before you install - you'll need

Set RAKUTEN_APP_ID, RAKUTEN_ACCESS_KEY before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add mrslbt-rakuten-mcp -- npx -y rakuten-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mrslbt-rakuten-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rakuten-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package rakuten-mcp - unscoped; check the name against the project README before installing

registry namespace io.github.mrslbt is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Rakuten MCP can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can browse the genre tree. Returns current, ancestors, siblings, and children, browse the Books genre tree (000 = top), and browse the Kobo genre tree. Top-level is 101 (電子書籍).

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Rakuten MCP lets an agent do.

Books

9 tools - e.g. Cross-category search across all of Rakuten Books.; Printed books by title, author, ISBN, publisher.; Music CDs by title, artist, label, JAN.

books_total_search · books_book_search · books_cd_search · books_dvd_search · books_foreign_book_search · books_magazine_search…

Travel

7 tools - e.g. Hotels by area code or lat/lon.; Hotels with rooms available on specific check-in / check-out dates. Returns plans with per-night and total pricing.; Full details for one hotel by hotelNo.

travel_simple_hotel_search · travel_vacant_hotel_search · travel_hotel_detail_search · travel_get_area_class · travel_keyword_hotel_search · travel_get_hotel_chain_list…

Ichiba

5 tools - e.g. Keyword search on Rakuten Ichiba with price filters, sort, genre/shop restrictions.; Browse the genre tree. Returns current, ancestors, siblings, and children.; Look up a specific tag by ID. Returns the…

ichiba_item_search · ichiba_genre_search · ichiba_tag_search · ichiba_item_ranking · ichiba_product_search

Gora

3 tools - e.g. Golf courses by area code, keyword, or coordinates.; Full course profile: designer, hole/par, course distance, green type, dress code, facilities, base prices.; Reservation plans on a specific play date.…

gora_golf_course_search · gora_golf_course_detail · gora_plan_search

Recipe

2 tools - e.g. The full Rakuten Recipe category tree (43 large → ~540 medium → ~1500 small). Pass level to fetch one tier.; Top recipes in a category with title, ingredient list, prep time, cost estimate, image, and…

recipe_category_list · recipe_category_ranking

Kobo

2 tools - e.g. Search Rakuten Kobo's eBook catalogue. Returns title, series, author, publisher, language code, price, and sale URL.; Browse the Kobo genre tree. Top-level is 101 (電子書籍).

kobo_ebook_search · kobo_genre_search

Latest releases

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-05

npm install -g rakuten-mcp · Smithery-quality + registry pass. No tool behavior changed - all 28 tools and their endpoints are unchanged. · Added · Tool annotations on all 28 tools (read-only calls to the external…

v1.0.0 · 2026-06-04

First production release. · What's in it · 28 read-only tools verified live against the Rakuten Web Service API on 2026-06-04: · Ichiba (5) - item_search, genre_search, tag_search, item_ranking, product_search · Books…

v0.1.1 · 2026-04-14

Initial release. Rakuten API MCP server for product search, hotel booking, and recipe lookup.

04 · Who maintains Rakuten MCP

rakuten-mcp is maintained by mrslbt. We track 8 MCP servers from mrslbt - 8 actively maintained, 16 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Mar 2026. Full record: all servers from mrslbt.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/mrslbt/rakuten-mcp
category: e-commerce - ranked #21 of 39 actively-maintained e-commerce servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 2 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-06-05)
registry: io.github.mrslbt/rakuten-mcp (active, first published 2026-04-14 · 3 versions)
packages: npm:rakuten-mcp

06 · Rakuten MCP FAQ

Is Rakuten MCP still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-07-16 and it shipped 2 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Rakuten MCP do?

With this server connected, an agent can browse the genre tree. Returns current, ancestors, siblings, and children, browse the Books genre tree (000 = top), and browse the Kobo genre tree. Top-level is 101 (電子書籍).

How do I install Rakuten MCP?

Run `npx -y rakuten-mcp`. The README documents 2 environment variables (RAKUTEN_APP_ID, RAKUTEN_ACCESS_KEY) to set first. Set RAKUTEN_APP_ID, RAKUTEN_ACCESS_KEY before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Rakuten MCP run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Rakuten MCP

Alternatives to Rakuten MCP

Maintained e-commerce servers if Rakuten MCP isn't the fit.

More e-commerce MCP servers · Storeshots MCP · Shopify Store Builder MCP · OrbiAds - Google Ad Manager · Asohawk · Replenish Radar

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