VIN decoder (NHTSA)

Decode a vehicle VIN via NHTSA vPIC: make, model, year, trim, body class, engine, fuel, plant, and vehicle type. Send GET /api/vin-decode with the required field vin and pay $0.004 per call over x402 or MPP (there is no free tier). It returns a JSON object with vin, vehicle and source.

Accepts full or partial VINs (partial needs modelYear). Live gov data, no key. ?vin=1HGCM82633A004352

Category: Live public data · Tags: nhtsa vin vehicle car decoder government

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Parameters

Example request

curl -i "https://agent402.tools/api/vin-decode?vin=1HGCM82633A004352"

Without payment this returns HTTP 402 Payment Required with the exact price for vin-decode; any x402 v2 or MPP client pays it and retries.

Example response

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "vehicle": {
    "make": "HONDA",
    "model": "Accord",
    "year": "2003",
    "trim": null,
    "bodyClass": "Coupe",
    "vehicleType": "PASSENGER CAR",
    "engineCylinders": "6",
    "fuelType": "Gasoline",
    "plantCity": "MARYSVILLE",
    "manufacturer": "AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC."
  },
  "source": "vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov (public domain)"
}

From an MCP client

catalog.call {
  "slug": "vin-decode",
  "params": {
    "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352"
  }
}

The hosted connector at https://agent402.tools/mcp needs a payment for vin-decode; the stdio package pays it from a wallet or from AGENT402_CREDITS_KEY. Local install: npx -y agent402-mcp.

Errors and behavior

• vin is required. An input the tool rejects returns an HTTP 4xx whose body carries error, tool, expected, required and example, so the caller can correct it.
• A paid call that ends in any status of 400 or above is not charged over x402, MPP or a prepaid credits key: settlement is cancelled when the tool fails. The exception is a Tempo push credential, a transfer the buyer sent before the call: it settles before the tool runs, so if the tool then fails the payment is recorded as a refund owed to the paying wallet.
• Wallet-only: this tool reaches the network or stored state, so it has no proof-of-work tier. A prepaid card-credits key issued earlier (Authorization: Bearer a402_...) also pays it.
• A POST with a JSON body to /api/vin-decode is served as this GET, with the body as the input.
• An Idempotency-Key header makes a retried paid call replay the first 200 instead of charging again (an answer larger than 1 MB is not replayed).

Paid call (JavaScript agent)

import { wrapFetchWithPayment } from "@x402/fetch";
import { x402Client } from "@x402/core/client";
import { registerExactEvmScheme } from "@x402/evm/exact/client";
import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";

const client = new x402Client();
client.setSpendControls?.(false); // keep your own spending ceiling in code
registerExactEvmScheme(client, { signer: privateKeyToAccount(KEY) });
const payFetch = wrapFetchWithPayment(fetch, client);

const res = await payFetch("https://agent402.tools/api/vin-decode?vin=1HGCM82633A004352");

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