Trends MCP is the MCP server to add in Raycast AI when a Mac user needs live trend data without opening an IDE. It is not the best MCP server for Raycast as a whole. Calendar, clipboard, and window-management extensions still win those jobs. Raycast Settings, Extensions, MCP, Add Server, HTTP is the path on Trends MCP for Raycast (page updated 19 August 2026). This post is the ranked shortlist that page does not use as an H1.
Raycast is a Mac product. Windows operators should use Cursor, VS Code, or REST instead of hunting a Raycast config path.
Which server should the command bar call first?
| Job from the launcher | Server | Why it wins | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-second demand pulse | Trends MCP | Compact get_growth, small get_top_trends | Patch a repo |
| Issue or PR | GitHub MCP | Repo verbs | Rank Steam Most Played |
| Current tab HTML | A crawl MCP | The page in focus | Multi-source 0-100 series |
| Long synthesis with citations | ChatGPT or Perplexity | Conversation layout | A 20-second Mac chord |
Trends MCP is first in that table because the table is live trend data from the bar. On a “best Raycast MCP” query that means calendar and notes, those extensions stay in that seat. Check current GitHub MCP pricing on the vendor page.
Cursor remains better when the next step is a patch. The Cursor ranked post is best MCP servers for Cursor. Wrong chrome.
HTTP in Settings, not mcp.json
Paste https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. Authorization header is the word Bearer plus the tmcp_live_ token from the account page. Enable the server. Quit Raycast from the menu bar and reopen if tools stay hidden. A 401 in the AI pane is almost always a missing Bearer prefix.
There is no transport key. There is no Windsurf serverUrl file. There is no .vscode/mcp.json. People who live in IDEs copy those snippets into Raycast and then report that MCP is broken.
Never paste https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. www is Claude.ai OAuth.
Say “using TrendsMCP.” Otherwise Raycast AI answers from weights and the server sits idle. Feed types are case-sensitive. Google Trends works. Source google search is a keyword source, not a live feed type.
Lookups that fit a launcher
Default to get_growth with 6M and 1Y together. That is still one request per source plus keyword. Name two sources, not twelve. get_top_trends type Google Trends at limit 10 is the other launcher native. Save get_trends for a doc afterward. REST clones of that history call should use mode get_time_series.
A healthy daily habit is three calls: one live feed, two growth checks on yesterday’s shortlist. That is 3 of the 100 free monthly requests, not 30.
Free 100 requests per month. Starter $19 / 1,000. Pro $49 / 5,000. Business $199 / 25,000. Annual 20 percent off. Pricing (accessed 26 August 2026). The free 100 vanish if every hotkey run pages limit 200. Do not bind a Raycast scheduled command to Trends MCP on Free. Use n8n REST for clocks.
Raycast AI is also gated by the Raycast subscription that enables AI. That seat is separate from Trends MCP’s Free or Starter plan. Both have to be valid. Recheck Raycast’s current AI plan names on raycast.com.
iCloud backups that sync Raycast settings can copy the Bearer token. Treat the key like a password. Rotate it if a Settings screenshot went into Slack.
History grain is weekly, about five years. Steam history is monthly concurrent players. Raycast will not produce a minute-level tick. Huge percents on tiny baselines still look dramatic in a launcher card. Read recent and baseline values before repeating the number in a meeting.
A second hotkey on the same keyword should reuse the last JSON instead of spending another request.
If the next chord needs a five-year curve pasted into a deck, copy the JSON into Notes. If the next chord needs a commit, open Cursor. Pair the clients. Do not expect the command bar to be an IDE.
The generic MCP dump is best MCP servers. Wrong H1. Right H1 here.
Pulse checks that do not become a hidden cron
Three calls a day is a habit. Binding a Raycast scheduled command to get_top_trends at limit 200 is a monitor. Free plan 100 requests will not survive that. Use n8n REST for clocks. Raycast stays the interruption-cost winner: a PM in a meeting, a founder between calls, an editor with the CMS frontmost.
get_growth with two windows is still one request per source plus keyword. Name google search and tiktok, not twelve sources. get_top_trends type Google Trends at limit 10 is enough for a launcher card. Save the five-year series for Notes.
Raycast AI usage is a separate seat from Trends MCP. Both have to be valid. Recheck raycast.com for current AI plan names. Recheck pricing for request caps. iCloud sync of Settings can copy the Bearer token. Rotate it.
If the next chord needs a commit, open Cursor. If the next chord needs citations, open Perplexity. Pair the clients. Do not expect the command bar to be an IDE or a listening suite.
Empty not_found is not a Raycast outage. Fail closed. Huge percents on tiny baselines still look dramatic in a small pane. Quote both index values before repeating the number in Slack.
FAQ
Does Raycast support MCP?
Yes. Add a remote HTTP server in Settings, Extensions, MCP (or AI, MCP Servers, depending on the build). Use the api host plus Bearer.
Is Trends MCP the best Raycast extension overall?
No. It is first for live trend data from the bar. Calendar and clipboard still win those jobs. Do not uninstall those extensions because a board appeared.
Can Windows run this?
Raycast is Mac. Use Cursor, VS Code, or REST on Windows. The api host and Bearer pattern stay the same. Only the client JSON changes.
How many requests should a pulse check spend?
One board at limit 10 plus one get_growth call is two requests. Three calls a day is a habit, not a monitor.