Give your AI agent border costs with MCP

AI assistants are good at conversation and bad at tariff schedules. MCP (the Model Context Protocol) lets an assistant call a tool instead of guessing, and Othermile runs one at https://app.othermile.com/mcp.

What the tools do

• border_quote: the duty, tax and fees on a parcel or shipment between Canada and the US, with who pays.
• border_rules_status: which version of the official rules is in force and when it was read.
• border_lane_insights: what shoppers and sellers actually paid on a route, from real reports, once there are enough of them.
• order_check: release, hold or block an order against the owner's limits (needs an API key).
• tariff_exposure: the yearly cost of tariffs on a product list (needs an API key).

The first three work without a key. Add an API key from the app to use the rest.

Connect it

Most MCP clients take a server address. Add a remote MCP server with the address:

https://app.othermile.com/mcp

To use the tools that need a key, send it as a bearer token in the client's authorization setting:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY

Ask it something

Once connected, ask in plain words:

> What would a customer in Ontario pay at the door for a C$180 hoodie made in China, shipped by courier from the US?

The assistant calls border_quote and answers with each charge, the total, and the rules it used.

Good habits

• Ask the assistant to name the rules version it used. Rules change, and the answer says which ones it read.
• Keep the estimate wording: these are estimates from official government data, not customs advice.

See the developer overview and the API reference for the same calls over plain HTTP.

This guide explains public rules in plain language for general information. It is not customs, tax or legal advice; the exact tariff code, your paperwork and the carrier decide the final amount.