Getting started with the FirmTrove API and MCP

Create a free FirmTrove account and make an access key under Connections. Use that key for REST requests or add the MCP endpoint to your AI assistant.

Everything in this guide was run with a free test account against the hosted product. Keys are redacted. The same limits and labels apply as in the browser.

Step 1: account and key

1. Create a free account at app.firmtrove.nl and verify your email address through the link you receive.
2. Go to My account → Connections and create a key with a recognisable name. The key starts with ft_live_, is shown once and stored hashed. At most five active keys; revocation is immediate.

Step 2: a REST search

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer ft_live_…" \
  "https://app.firmtrove.nl/api/companies?q=software&limit=1"

Response on the test day: {"total":282,"items":[…],"page":1,"limit":1}. Each item holds the fields, a provenance object per field (source, policy version, observation date, expiry, evidence, attribution, label), a signals list and a withheld list. Search needs at least three characters and matches name and city; filter on sector with a category from /api/facets.

Step 3: an export

curl -s -X POST https://app.firmtrove.nl/api/exports \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ft_live_…" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"companyIds":["flintlead:454977"],"idempotencyKey":"my-selection-2026-09-11"}'

Response: {"id":"…","count":1,"remaining":99,"downloadUrl":"/api/exports/…"}. The same key with the same selection returns the same export (replayed:true) without charging your allowance again; the same key with a different selection returns 409 idempotency_conflict. The CSV starts with the attribution line and has the columns id, name, city, province, sector, website, email, description, provenance and withheld.

Step 4: MCP from an AI assistant

The endpoint is POST https://app.firmtrove.nl/mcp (JSON-RPC 2.0, protocol version 2025-03-26) with the same Bearer key. There is no streaming transport. Configure your client with that endpoint and header; the MCP protocol itself needs no second language model. The six tools:

• firmtrove_search_companies (q, sector, province)
• firmtrove_get_company (id)
• firmtrove_market_size (sector, province)
• firmtrove_find_similar (id)
• firmtrove_export (companyIds, idempotencyKey)
• firmtrove_dataset_info

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":4,"method":"tools/call",
 "params":{"name":"firmtrove_search_companies","arguments":{"q":"installatie"}}}

Tested result: 1,608 records, twelve items on the first page, first item “Bakker Installatietechniek B.V.”. firmtrove_dataset_info returned the number of available records with the label distribution and the export levels none and attribution.

Limits and error codes

Pro: €29 a month excluding VAT. Start with 5,000 rows, adding 2,500 each consecutive paid month, up to 25,000 per calendar month. Pro Year: €290 excluding VAT paid upfront, with 25,000 per calendar month from day one.

Free has 100 rows per calendar month. CSV, REST and MCP share one allowance per account, including team members and multiple keys. Every exported CSV row counts, including a new export of the same company. REST and MCP count each delivered company ID once per calendar month, across keys and calls. That ID counts again in the next month. Downloading an existing export again uses no extra rows. Searching, filtering and viewing company records in the browser uses no allowance; rate limits apply. Pro exports allow at most 5,000 rows and Free exports at most 100, within the remaining allowance. The allowance resets on the first day of each calendar month and unused rows expire. Existing paid accounts retain 25,000 rows per calendar month.

What is not available yet

No streaming (SSE) for MCP, no OAuth for assistants (Bearer keys only), no province filter with values, and no XLSX export. Everything here was tested; anything not listed here is not promised.

The full field dictionary is on the API page.

What are the limits for your first export?

Free includes 100 export rows per month. Pro costs €29 per month excluding VAT and includes 5,000 to 25,000 rows per calendar month. Your plan determines how many rows you can take with you.

How do you check the result of a search?

Open the same selection in the product and compare the company names. The developer documentation describes the requests. To check a registration, look up the company directly at KVK.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start for free?

Yes. Free includes 100 export rows per calendar month and access to REST and MCP.

Where do I create an access key?

Open My account and go to Connections. Store the key in a secrets manager.

How many keys can I have?

You can have up to 5 active keys per account. You can revoke a key immediately.

Pro: €29 a month excluding VAT. Start with 5,000 rows, adding 2,500 each consecutive paid month, up to 25,000 per calendar month. Pro Year: €290 excluding VAT paid upfront, with 25,000 per calendar month from day one.

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