Connect USPTO to Claude Code
Query USPTO directly from Claude Code. Arlet links the two through one MCP connection and takes care of API keys.
This server connects your AI client to the USPTO Open Data Portal API (api.uspto.gov), the Patent and Trademark Office's modern API over patent application file wrapper data.
Key features:
- search_patents: search applications by free keyword, applicant name or inventor name; Lucene-style field queries (applicationMetaData.inventionTitle:solar) also pass through. Results come back newest-filed first with the application number, title, status, patent number if granted and CPC classifications.
- get_application: the full record of one application by serial number - title, filing and effective dates, prosecution status text, grant date, all inventors and applicants, classifications, examiner and group art unit.
Because the data is the file wrapper (the prosecution record), this server answers not only 'what patents does this company have' but also 'what is this application's current examination status' - useful for competitive intelligence and IP due diligence. It covers US applications; for European filings pair it with an EPO OPS integration (planned separately).
Using the API requires a free Open Data Portal key from data.uspto.gov. Set it as USPTO_API_KEY in your Arlet environment variables.
How to connect USPTO to Claude Code
- 1
In the Arlet dashboard, open Data tools, find USPTO, set the API key issued by USPTO and switch it on.
- 2
In your terminal, run claude mcp add --transport http arlet https://mcp.arlet.dev/mcp/ to add Arlet as an MCP server.
- 3
Start Claude Code, run /mcp, select arlet and click Authenticate.
- 4
Your browser opens. Sign in with Google and click Allow on the consent screen. The connection is complete.
The connection is per user and works across every project on the same machine.