# Remote MCP Server - Introduction

Welcome to the **Remote MCP Server** powered by [Tomba.io](https://tomba.io), a comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides advanced email discovery, verification, and enrichment capabilities through a streamlined HTTP transport interface.

## What is Remote MCP Server?

The Remote MCP Server is a cloud-hosted implementation of the Model Context Protocol that allows you to access Tomba.io's powerful email intelligence tools without the need for local installation or configuration. By leveraging our remote infrastructure, you get instant access to:

- **12 Professional Tools** for email discovery and verification
- **3 Resources** for comprehensive data access
- **12 Pre-built Prompts** for common use cases
- **Real-time Processing** with high availability
- **Scalable Infrastructure** that grows with your needs

## Key Advantages of Remote MCP

### **Instant Setup**

No installation, no dependencies, no configuration files. Just connect and start using professional email intelligence tools immediately.

### **Always Up-to-Date**

Our remote server is continuously updated with the latest features, bug fixes, and API improvements without any action required on your part.

## MCP Tools & Capabilities

The Remote MCP Server exposes **12 professional tools** that let any MCP-compatible AI assistant discover, verify, and enrich contact data through natural-language prompts. Every tool accepts structured parameters and returns typed JSON — no scraping, no prompt-crafting.

| # | Tool | What it does |
| - | ---- | ------------ |
| 1  | `domain_search`     | Find every email address associated with a company domain. |
| 2  | `email_finder`      | Find a person's email by first name, last name, and company domain. |
| 3  | `email_verifier`    | Check deliverability, MX, SMTP, disposable/role status, and catch-all for any email. |
| 4  | `email_enrichment`  | Return full contact + company profile from an email address. |
| 5  | `email_count`       | Return the number of public emails available for a given domain. |
| 6  | `author_finder`     | Extract the author's email from any article, blog post, or URL. |
| 7  | `linkedin_finder`   | Resolve a LinkedIn profile URL to a verified email address. |
| 8  | `phone_finder`      | Find validated phone numbers from an email, domain, or LinkedIn URL. |
| 9  | `phone_validator`   | Validate a phone number and return country, carrier, and line type. |
| 10 | `technology_finder` | Detect the full tech stack a website uses. |
| 11 | `similar_finder`    | Return companies similar to a given domain (lookalike audiences, ABM). |
| 12 | `companies_search`  | Search Tomba's company database by name, industry, size, and more. |

See the [complete tool reference](/llm/remote-mcp/tools) for parameter schemas, response shapes, and example prompts for every tool.

## Streamable HTTP Transport

The Remote MCP Server uses **Streamable HTTP Transport** for real-time, bidirectional communication. This modern approach provides:

- **Server-Sent Events (SSE)** for real-time notifications
- **JSON-RPC 2.0** for structured API communication
- **Session Management** for stateful interactions
- **WebSocket-like Experience** over standard HTTP

### Connection Endpoint

```bash
https://mcp.tomba.io/mcp
```

This single endpoint handles all MCP operations through different HTTP methods:

- **POST** - Send JSON-RPC requests
- **GET** - Receive real-time notifications via SSE
- **DELETE** - Terminate sessions cleanly

## Agent Skills

Install the Tomba MCP skill to help AI assistants effectively use the Tomba tools:

```bash
npx skills add https://mcp.tomba.io
```

The skill provides:

- Domain knowledge for email discovery and verification
- Best practices for lead generation workflows
- Authentication setup guidance
- Tool usage examples and patterns

View the skill catalog: [https://mcp.tomba.io/.well-known/skills/index.json](https://mcp.tomba.io/.well-known/skills/index.json)

## Authentication Methods

### Getting API Keys

1. Sign up at [app.tomba.io](https://app.tomba.io)
2. Navigate to **Settings** → **API Keys**
3. Copy your **API Key** (starts with `ta_`) and **Secret Key** (starts with `ts_`)

The Tomba MCP Server supports two authentication methods for HTTP requests:

1. **Bearer Token** (Recommended)
2. **Custom Headers** (Legacy)

### Method 1: Bearer Token (Recommended)

Encode your credentials as base64:

```bash
# Create bearer token
echo -n "ta_your_api_key:ts_your_secret_key" | base64
```

Use in the Authorization header:

```
Authorization: Bearer dGFfeW91cl9hcGlfa2V5OnRzX3lvdXJfc2VjcmV0X2tleQ==
```

**Example:**

```bash
curl -X POST https://mcp.tomba.io/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer dGFfeW91cl9hcGlfa2V5OnRzX3lvdXJfc2VjcmV0X2tleQ==" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'
```

### Method 2: Custom Headers (Legacy)

Send credentials as separate headers:

```
X-Tomba-Key: ta_your_api_key
X-Tomba-Secret: ts_your_secret_key
```

**Example:**

```bash
curl -X POST https://mcp.tomba.io/mcp \
  -H "X-Tomba-Key: ta_1234567890abcdef" \
  -H "X-Tomba-Secret: ts_abcdef1234567890" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'
```

## Rate Limits & Quotas

- Rate limits depend on your subscription plan
- Check remaining credits via the `tomba://usage` resource
- Free tier includes limited monthly searches and verifications