REST API vs MCP
Agentic Scraper exposes three different integration surfaces. They have different trust boundaries and should not be treated as interchangeable.
| Surface | Use it when | Endpoint | Authentication | Can create usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public REST API | Your product needs deterministic programmatic control | https://api.agenticscraper.com/api/v1 |
X-API-Key |
Yes |
| Docs MCP | An AI tool needs to answer integration questions | https://docs.agenticscraper.com/mcp |
None | No |
| MCP Market tools | An agent needs to invoke an approved provider tool | Selected through Agentic Scraper | User/run context | Yes |
Choose the REST API
Use REST for backend services, scheduled jobs, CI workflows, and applications that need explicit request and response contracts. The API Reference is generated from the live OpenAPI specification.
Choose the Docs MCP
Use the Docs MCP when Codex, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another compatible AI client needs current documentation. It is retrieval-only and never calls a product endpoint on your behalf.
Choose MCP Market tools
Use MCP Market tools directly from a compatible MCP client or inside Agentic Scraper agents when the task requires a third-party capability. Tool calls can be metered and are subject to the provider’s approved pricing and the run’s tool-call budget.
Common setup
Many development teams use both the REST API and Docs MCP:
- The AI client searches the Docs MCP for the correct operation and schema.
- The developer implements the integration against the REST API.
- The application sends its own authenticated requests to the canonical API domain.
The Docs MCP never receives the application’s Agentic Scraper API key.