Yelp MCP Server

MCP server for Yelp - search businesses, read reviews, make reservations

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Yelp MCP server?

Connect Yelp to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. MCP server for Yelp - search businesses, read reviews, make reservations. The yelp mcp server is what makes that connection.

What the server does

MCP server connector for Yelp - the leading platform for local business discovery. Enables AI agents to search restaurants, read reviews, view photos, check hours, find deals, and discover trending spots.

  • Restaurant Search — Filter by cuisine, price, distance, ratings
  • Business Discovery — Search for any type of local business
  • Reviews — Access user reviews with ratings and photos
  • Photos — Browse food, interior, and exterior photos
  • Menus — View menu items with prices
  • Hours — Get operating hours including special hours

Available tools

The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:

  • yelp_search_restaurants — Search restaurants by location, cuisine, price
  • yelp_search_businesses — Search any type of business
  • yelp_get_business_details — Get detailed business information
  • yelp_get_reviews — Get reviews with ratings and text
  • yelp_get_photos — Get business photos by category
  • yelp_get_menu — Get restaurant menu items and prices
  • yelp_get_hours — Get business hours
  • yelp_find_similar — Find similar businesses
  • yelp_get_trending — Get trending/new spots in a location
  • yelp_get_collections — Get curated Yelp collections
  • yelp_check_wait_time — Check estimated wait time
  • yelp_get_deals — Get current deals and offers

Installation

@striderlabs/mcp-yelp on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Credentials and setup notes

  • Node.js 18+

Where it fits

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Yelp's toolset — yelp_search_restaurants, yelp_search_businesses, yelp_get_business_details and 9 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by markswendsen-code; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Worth knowing first

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • With 12 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Yelp.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
yelp_search_restaurantsSearch restaurants by location, cuisine, price
yelp_search_businessesSearch any type of business
yelp_get_business_detailsGet detailed business information
yelp_get_reviewsGet reviews with ratings and text
yelp_get_photosGet business photos by category
yelp_get_menuGet restaurant menu items and prices
yelp_get_hoursGet business hours
yelp_find_similarFind similar businesses
yelp_get_trendingGet trending/new spots in a location
yelp_get_collectionsGet curated Yelp collections
yelp_check_wait_timeCheck estimated wait time
yelp_get_dealsGet current deals and offers

How to install the Yelp MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "yelp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@striderlabs/mcp-yelp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Node.js 18+

Example prompts to try

  • Use Yelp to yelp search restaurants.
  • Use Yelp to yelp search businesses.
  • Use Yelp to yelp get business details.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Yelp to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 12 tools (yelp_search_restaurants, yelp_search_businesses, yelp_get_business_details, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Yelp directly.