Everything you need to know about the Covala API, pricing, and AI agent integration.
Covala is a product data API and MCP server for developers and AI agents. It provides structured product intelligence — specs, pricing, relationships, and knowledge — across 15 retailers covering electronics, appliances, and home improvement.
Join the waitlist at covala.com to request early access. We're onboarding developers in batches. Once approved, you'll get an API key instantly. The free tier includes 5,000 requests per month.
The free tier gives you full access to product data: search, barcode lookup, specs, pricing, brands, and categories. You get 5,000 requests per month at 10 requests per minute. The knowledge layer is available in discovery mode.
Include your API key in the X-API-Key header on every request. You can also use Bearer token authentication with the Authorization header. Keys follow the format sk_cvl_live_ for production secret keys.
Covala is a REST API that works with any HTTP client in any language. We also provide an MCP server (npx @covala/mcp-server) for AI agent integration. The API returns standard JSON responses.
The catalog currently includes 25,000+ products from 15 major retailers including Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's, and more. Coverage spans electronics, appliances, home improvement, and related categories.
Yes. Use the GET /v2/products/barcode/{gtin} endpoint with any GTIN, UPC, or EAN barcode number. The response includes full product details and current retailer pricing across all tracked retailers.
Retailer pricing is updated daily for active products. Price history and trend analysis are available through the GET /v2/products/{id}/prices endpoint, which shows cross-retailer price comparison over configurable time windows.
The knowledge layer provides maintenance schedules, lifespan data, error codes, buying guides, cost of ownership, and failure modes for 160+ product types. It also includes brand profiles with quality tier, warranty info, and repairability data for 290+ brands.
Yes, three modes. Keyword search via GET /v2/products with a q parameter. Advanced search via POST /v2/products/search with filters and facets. Semantic search via POST /v2/products/semantic-search using natural language like 'quiet dishwasher for open kitchen'.
All responses are JSON. List endpoints return a data array with a meta object containing pagination info. Single-resource endpoints return a data object. Cursor-based pagination is used throughout — pass the next_cursor value to get the next page.
Every call to the Covala API counts as one request, regardless of endpoint. Cached responses served from our edge are not counted against your quota. Rate limit headers on every response show your current usage.
We won't cut you off mid-request. You'll receive a warning at 80% usage, and API responses include rate-limit headers. If you consistently exceed your limit, we'll reach out to help you find the right plan.
Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. You can switch between monthly and annual billing at any time from your dashboard.
Annual plans are billed upfront for 12 months at a 17% discount compared to monthly billing. Starter is $290/year (vs $348 monthly), Pro is $990/year (vs $1,188 monthly). Switch anytime from your dashboard.
Yes. Enterprise plans include custom rate limits up to 1,000 requests per minute, 5 million monthly requests, dedicated support, SLAs, volume discounts, and SSO. Contact hello@covala.com to discuss your needs.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets AI agents like Claude and GPT use external tools. The Covala MCP server gives any MCP-compatible agent the ability to search products, compare prices, look up barcodes, and access product knowledge.
Run npx @covala/mcp-server and add it to your Claude configuration with your API key as the COVALA_API_KEY environment variable. Claude will then have access to product search, price comparison, barcode lookup, and more.
Six tools: search_products (search by name, brand, or category), lookup_product (by ID or barcode), compare_prices (cross-retailer comparison), get_product_specs (detailed specifications), find_alternatives (similar products), and get_price_history (price trends).
The MCP server works with any MCP-compatible AI agent. This includes Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and other tools that support the Model Context Protocol. GPT integration depends on the client supporting MCP.
No. The MCP server is free to use. It connects to the same Covala API using your existing API key, so requests count against your plan's quota. The free tier's 5,000 requests per month works with the MCP server.