Skip to main content

​
Connection Issues

​
Tools not appearing in my AI client

  1. Restart your client after making configuration changes
  2. Check the endpoint is reachable:
    A 401 Unauthorized here is expected and confirms the endpoint is up: /mcp requires authentication. Your MCP client supplies credentials automatically; this manual curl omits them.
  3. Verify your config file syntax (JSON must be valid)
  4. Check mcp-remote is installed: npx mcp-remote --version

​
”Authentication failed” error

  • If you are using Claude or another OAuth-capable client, reconnect Borough and complete the Borough auth flow again
  • If you are using direct bearer auth, verify your API key starts with BOROUGH-
  • Check the key is active in the customer portal
  • Ensure the Authorization header format is exactly Bearer BOROUGH-<key>
Free-tier MCP sessions can still authenticate through OAuth even if you do not attach a paid Borough API key.

​
”Rate limit exceeded” error

Your plan’s per-minute rate limit has been reached. Each MCP tool call consumes at least one API request. Searching by neighborhood or borough name also spends one extra request per name resolved (the server looks each name up via the areas endpoint). To avoid the extra lookups, pass numeric area IDs directly, or resolve them once with list_areas. Read the text after “Rate limit exceeded.” first. If it mentions a monthly quota, see the next section: waiting a minute will not help. Otherwise, wait 60 seconds before retrying.

​
”Monthly quota … exceeded” error

The MCP server reports this as “Rate limit exceeded. Monthly quota of … exceeded”, which means your monthly allowance is used up, not your per-minute limit. On paid plans, requests past the included amount keep working and are billed as overage; they are refused only at the hard limit. Free-tier MCP sessions without an API key are counted per connecting IP address, so with a hosted client several free users can share one allowance. Upgrade your plan for more requests.

​
Tool-Specific Issues

​
Property or building tools are missing

get_property, get_property_by_url, get_building, and get_building_listings are only exposed to Starter ($19/mo) and higher sessions, so a free-tier session does not list them at all. Reconnect Borough with a paid API key to get them. Free-tier users can use search_rentals, search_sales, list_areas, get_market_snapshot, get_market_trends, and compare_neighborhoods.

​
Empty search results

  • Try broader filters (remove price or bedroom constraints)
  • Try an exact borough or neighborhood name directly, or lock the area ID first with list_areas
  • Borough IDs: Manhattan=100, Bronx=200, Brooklyn=300, Queens=400, Staten Island=500

​
Location name resolves to multiple areas

If Borough returns a short clarification list, choose one of the suggested IDs or provide a more specific location name. This usually happens with names that exist at multiple levels or in multiple contexts. Borough does not silently auto-pick in these cases because the MCP tools are optimized for certainty first.

​
Photos do not render in my client

  • Borough search results return leadPhotoUrl and renderHints.imageUrl, but this version does not send inline MCP image blocks
  • Some clients render the proxied image URLs automatically; others may only use the text and map fields
  • The most render-friendly fields to look for are price, displayPrice, geoPoint, leadPhotoUrl, and renderHints

​
Amenity search returns few results

Amenities such as DISHWASHER and WASHER_DRYER are supported, but matches depend on listing-detail coverage. Listing amenities are read from the listing description and exist only for listings whose full detail Borough has loaded, and building amenities match only listings Borough has linked to their building. Listings without that detail cannot match an amenity filter, so results undercount. If your search is very narrow, try:
  • widening the budget
  • expanding to nearby neighborhoods
  • reducing the required amenity set to one must-have amenity first

​
Getting Help