Strava MCP Server
Talk to your Strava data using AI.
Connect Claude to your Strava account and ask questions in plain English: "How far did I run this month?", "Analyze my last ride", or "Show me my fastest segments."
What Can You Do With This?
Once connected, just talk to Claude like you're talking to a friend who has access to all your Strava data:
🏃 Track Your Progress
"How many kilometers did I run this month?"
"Compare my running stats from January to December"
"What's my longest ride ever?"
📊 Analyze Your Workouts
"Break down my last cycling workout - show me power, heart rate, and cadence"
"How did my heart rate zones look during yesterday's run?"
"What was my average pace for each lap in my interval training?"
🗺️ Explore Routes & Segments
"What are the most popular cycling segments near Central Park?"
"Show me my starred segments"
"Export my Sunday morning route as a GPX file"
🏆 Get Coaching Insights
"Analyze my training load this week"
"How does my current fitness compare to last month?"
"Give me a summary of my cycling performance this year"
Quick Start (3 Steps)
Step 1: Add to Claude Desktop
Open your Claude Desktop configuration file:
- Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Add this to the file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"strava": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@r-huijts/strava-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
Step 2: Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new configuration.
Step 3: Connect Your Strava
Just say to Claude:
"Connect my Strava account"
A browser window will open. Enter your Strava API credentials, authorize the app, and you're done!
That's it! Start asking about your activities.
Connecting Your Strava Account
First Time Setup
When you say "Connect my Strava account", here's what happens:
- A browser window opens showing a setup page
- Enter your Strava API credentials (Client ID and Client Secret)
- Click "Continue to Strava" - you'll be redirected to Strava
- Authorize the app on Strava's website
- See the success message - you can close the browser
- Done! Claude confirms you're connected
Your credentials are saved locally at ~/.config/strava-mcp/config.json and persist across sessions.
Getting Your Strava API Credentials
You need to create a free Strava API application (one-time setup):
- Go to strava.com/settings/api
- Click "Create an App" (or view your existing app)
- Fill in the form:
- Application Name: Anything you want (e.g., "My Claude Assistant")
- Category: Choose any
- Website: Can be anything (e.g.,
http://localhost) - Authorization Callback Domain: Must be
localhost
- Copy your Client ID and Client Secret
That's it! You only need to do this once.
Managing Your Connection
- Check status: "Am I connected to Strava?"
- Reconnect: "Connect my Strava account" (use
force: trueto reconnect) - Disconnect: "Disconnect my Strava account"
Installation Options
Option A: Just Use It (Recommended)
No installation needed! The npx command in the Quick Start automatically downloads and runs the latest version.
Option B: Install Globally
If you prefer to install it once:
npm install -g @r-huijts/strava-mcp-server
Then update your Claude config to use:
{
"mcpServers": {
"strava": {
"command": "strava-mcp-server"
}
}
}
Note: Even though the package name is @r-huijts/strava-mcp-server, the executable name remains strava-mcp-server for backward compatibility.
Option C: Build from Source
For developers who want to modify the code:
git clone https://github.com/r-huijts/strava-mcp.git
cd strava-mcp
npm install
npm run build
Then point Claude to your local build:
{
"mcpServers": {
"strava": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/strava-mcp/dist/server.js"]
}
}
}
Example Conversations
Morning Check-in
You: What did I do for exercise this week?
Claude: Looking at your Strava activities this week, you completed:
- Monday: 5.2km run (28:15)
- Wednesday: 45km bike ride (1:32:00)
- Saturday: 10km run (52:30)
Total: 60.2km across 3 activities. Nice consistency!
Workout Analysis
You: Analyze my last cycling workout in detail
Claude: Here's a breakdown of your ride "Evening Loop" from yesterday:
Overview
- Distance: 42.3 km
- Time: 1:28:45
- Avg Speed: 28.6 km/h
Power Analysis
- Average Power: 185W
- Normalized Power: 198W
- Max Power: 520W
Heart Rate
- Average: 142 bpm
- Max: 175 bpm
- Time in Zone 4+: 23 minutes
Your power-to-heart-rate ratio suggests good aerobic efficiency...
Finding New Routes
You: Find me some challenging cycling climbs near Boulder, Colorado
Claude: Here are popular climbing segments near Boulder:
- Flagstaff Road - 5.2km, 6.8% avg grade
- Sunshine Canyon - 3.8km, 7.2% avg grade
- Left Hand Canyon - 8.1km, 4.5% avg grade
Want me to star any of these so you can find them easily later?
Available Tools
Account & Profile
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Connect my Strava account" | Links your Strava to Claude |
| "Check my Strava connection" | Shows connection status |
| "Get my Strava profile" | Shows your profile info |
| "What are my training zones?" | Shows HR and power zones |
Activities
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Show my recent activities" | Lists your latest workouts |
| "Get all my runs from January" | Fetches activities with filters |
| "Analyze activity 12345" | Detailed info about one activity |
| "Show the laps from my last run" | Lap-by-lap breakdown |
| "Get heart rate data from my ride" | Time-series workout data (optimized compact format) |
| "Show photos from my hike" | Activity photos |
Stats & Progress
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "What are my running stats?" | YTD and all-time totals |
| "How far have I cycled this year?" | Activity totals by type |
| "What's my longest ride?" | Personal records |
Segments
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Show my starred segments" | Your favorite segments |
| "Find segments near [location]" | Discover popular segments |
| "Get details on segment 12345" | Segment info and leaderboard |
| "Star this segment" | Save to favorites |
| "Show my efforts on [segment]" | Your attempts on a segment |
Routes
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "List my saved routes" | Your created routes |
| "Get details for my [route name]" | Route info |
| "Export [route] as GPX" | Download for GPS devices |
| "Export [route] as TCX" | Download for GPS devices |
Clubs
| What you can ask | What it does |
|---|---|
| "What clubs am I in?" | Lists your Strava clubs |
Troubleshooting
"Connect my Strava account" doesn't open a browser
- Make sure Claude Desktop is running the MCP server (check for errors in Claude)
- Try restarting Claude Desktop
- Check that port 8111 isn't blocked by a firewall
"Authentication failed" or "Invalid token"
- Your token may have expired - say "Connect my Strava account" to reconnect
- Make sure your Strava API application is still active at strava.com/settings/api
"Missing credentials" error
- You need to complete the OAuth flow - say "Connect my Strava account"
- If you're using environment variables, make sure all 4 are set (see Developer section)
Claude doesn't see the Strava tools
- Make sure your
claude_desktop_config.jsonis valid JSON (no trailing commas!) - Restart Claude Desktop after making config changes
- Check Claude's developer console for error messages
JSONRPC.ProtocolTransportError after package name change
If you're getting a JSONRPC error after updating to @r-huijts/strava-mcp-server:
- Clear npx cache: Run
rm -rf ~/.npm/_npxin terminal - Verify config uses
@r-huijts/strava-mcp-server(not the oldstrava-mcp-server) - Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
- Test manually: Run
npx -y @r-huijts/strava-mcp-server- you should see "Starting Strava MCP Server v1.2.1..."
For Developers
Click to expand technical details
Environment Variables
Instead of using the browser-based auth, you can set environment variables:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
STRAVA_CLIENT_ID | Your Strava Application Client ID |
STRAVA_CLIENT_SECRET | Your Strava Application Client Secret |
STRAVA_ACCESS_TOKEN | OAuth access token |
STRAVA_REFRESH_TOKEN | OAuth refresh token |
ROUTE_EXPORT_PATH | Directory for GPX/TCX exports |
Token Refresh
The server automatically refreshes expired tokens. New tokens are saved to both process.env and ~/.config/strava-mcp/config.json.
Config Priority
- Environment variables (highest)
~/.config/strava-mcp/config.json- Local
.envfile
Building & Testing
npm install
npm run build
npm test
Activity Streams Optimization
The get-activity-streams tool uses a compact format by default, reducing payload size by ~70-80% while preserving all data:
- Compact format (default): Raw arrays with metadata, ~70-80% smaller, ideal for LLM processing
- Verbose format: Human-readable objects with formatted values (backward compatible)
- Smart chunking: Large activities automatically split into ~50KB chunks
- Optional downsampling: Can reduce very large datasets while preserving key features
The compact format includes comprehensive metadata (units, descriptions, statistics) so LLMs can understand the raw numeric data.
API Reference
The server implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and exposes 24 tools for Strava API v3. See the source code in src/tools/ for implementation details.
Contributing
Contributions welcome! Please submit a Pull Request.
License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
Questions? Open an issue on GitHub.