@sonarapp/mcp

The official Sonar MCP server — App Store Optimization tools for AI agents.

Lets Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and any Model Context Protocol-compatible client look up apps, research keywords, audit ASO, mine reviews, and estimate revenue across the iOS App Store and Google Play. Powered by Sonar.

Tools

Read tools — stateless

Stateless tools work on any plan with credits, with both iOS and Android.

Read tools — your workspace (Indie plan)

Workspace reads require an Indie plan (an active trial counts); the default `read`-scope key is enough.

Write tools (Indie plan + write scope)

Write tools mutate your workspace and require an Indie plan (an active trial counts) plus an API key created with the `write` scope. The server enforces both — without them, calls return a 403 explaining what to fix.

Together these close the loop for agents: set up tracking with the write tools, then read back rankings, changes, and gap analyses with the workspace tools.

Try it free — no API key needed

The server runs without a key in free mode: `sonar_app_search`, `sonar_app_lookup`, `sonar_app_aso_score`, `sonar_app_extract_keywords`, and `sonar_keyword_suggestions` share a free allowance of 30 requests/day per IP, and `sonar_keyword_metrics` (keyword difficulty + popularity) gets 5 keywords/day. Just install it with no `env` block and ask your agent about ASO. When you hit the limit, the error tells you how to sign up.

Get an API key

For everything else (tracking, rankings, competitors, higher limits) you'll need a Sonar API key — get one at trysonar.app/developers.

The cheapest path is prepaid API credits — packs from $10 (1,000 credits), with 50 free credits on signup and no subscription. Built specifically for this use case. See pricing.

Install

Claude Desktop

Add to your config file (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS, `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonar": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@sonarapp/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SONAR_API_KEY": "aso_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The `sonar_*` tools will appear in the tool picker.

Claude Code

claude mcp add sonar -e SONAR_API_KEY=aso_your_key_here -- npx -y @sonarapp/mcp

Cursor

Add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (or your project's `.cursor/mcp.json`):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonar": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@sonarapp/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SONAR_API_KEY": "aso_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline / other MCP clients

Most clients use the same `command` + `args` + `env` shape as above. Point the command at `npx -y @sonarapp/mcp` and pass `SONAR_API_KEY` in the env.

Configuration

Example prompts

> "Use Sonar to look up Spotify on iOS in the US store and report its rating, review count, and category."

> "Run an ASO audit on `com.duolingo` on Android and tell me what to fix."

> "Research the keyword 'habit tracker' on iOS — give me difficulty, popularity, and 5 related terms with lower difficulty I should consider."

> "Pull the 50 most recent 1- and 2-star reviews of `1517783697` on iOS US and group complaints by theme."

> "Search 'meditation' on the App Store and estimate monthly revenue for the top 5 results."

Privacy Policy

Full policy: ****

The MCP server is a thin client around Sonar's REST API — it stores nothing locally and no data is logged by this package itself.

• Data collected: tool inputs (app IDs, keywords, country codes) are sent to Sonar's API over HTTPS to produce results; authenticated requests include your API key as a `Bearer` token. Sonar logs API requests (endpoint, status, timing) for rate limiting and abuse prevention.
• Data usage: inputs are used solely to serve the request (keyword metrics, app lookups, etc.); resulting JSON is returned to your AI client.
• Storage & retention: the package keeps no state on disk. Server-side request logs are retained for 90 days; workspace data (tracked apps/keywords) persists in your Sonar account until you delete it.
• Third-party sharing: no user data is sold or shared with third parties; queries against public app-store data (Apple, Google) contain no personal information.
• Contact: hello@trysonar.app

Troubleshooting

"SONAR_API_KEY is not set — running in free mode" — Expected if you haven't configured a key: the free tools keep working with per-IP daily limits. If you DID configure a key, the MCP client did not pass the env var through — check the `env` section of your client's config file. Some clients require an absolute path to `npx` — try `which npx` and use that.

"Authentication failed" — Your key is invalid, expired, or your subscription lapsed. Visit trysonar.app/developers to check.

"Access denied. Endpoint may require Indie plan" — The 10 stateless read tools work on any plan with credits. The workspace read tools and write tools require an Indie plan (an active trial counts); write tools additionally need an API key created with the `write` scope. If you're on a setup or trial-expired plan, reactivate first.

Companion: CLI

Prefer the terminal? Use `@sonarapp/cli` (`sonar` binary) — same data, same API key.

License

MIT © Peter Sutarik