How to Monitor Website Changes with Claude MCP

What is MCP and why it matters for website monitoring

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf connect to external tools and data sources. Instead of copying and pasting information between your browser and your AI assistant, MCP gives the assistant direct access to real APIs.

For website monitoring, this changes the game. Rather than switching between your code editor and a dashboard to check whether a competitor updated their pricing page, you can ask your AI assistant directly:

• "Has anything changed on the competitor's pricing page this week?"
• "Show me the diff from the last check of our docs site."
• "Set up monitoring for this new URL and check it every 4 hours."

Site Spy is the only website change detection tool that ships with a dedicated MCP server. That means any AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol can create watches, fetch diffs, trigger rechecks, and manage your monitoring setup without leaving the conversation.

Setting up the Site Spy MCP server

Prerequisites

You need a Site Spy account and an API key. Sign up at sitespy.app if you haven't already, then go to your dashboard settings and open the Settings > API tab to copy your key.

The free tier gives you 5 watches with read-only MCP access. Paid tiers (Starter and above) unlock write operations like creating watches, triggering rechecks, and deleting watches.

Install the MCP server

npm install -g @site-spy/mcp-server

Configure for Claude Code

Add the following to your project's .mcp.json file (or create one in the project root):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "site-spy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@site-spy/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "SITE_SPY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can also set the API key as an environment variable instead of hardcoding it:

export SITE_SPY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Configure for Cursor

In Cursor, open Settings > MCP and add a new server with this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "site-spy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@site-spy/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "SITE_SPY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

The configuration is identical across Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any other editor that supports the MCP standard. Once configured, the AI assistant discovers the available tools automatically.

Real examples: what you can do

Once connected, you get a set of tools that map directly to the Site Spy API. Here are the ones you will use most.

List your watches

Ask your assistant: "Show me all my active watches."

Behind the scenes, this calls the list_watches tool, which hits the Site Spy API at https://detect.coolify.vkuprin.com/api/v1/watch and returns your monitored URLs with their current status, last check time, and change count.

// What the MCP server executes
const response = await fetch(
  "https://detect.coolify.vkuprin.com/api/v1/watch",
  {
    headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SITE_SPY_API_KEY },
  }
);

The assistant formats this into a readable summary: which sites have changed recently, which are overdue for a check, and any that are returning errors.

Create a new watch

Ask: "Monitor https://example.com/pricing every 4 hours and notify me on changes."

This triggers the create_watch tool:

// The MCP server sends this to the API
await fetch("https://detect.coolify.vkuprin.com/api/v1/watch", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "x-api-key": process.env.SITE_SPY_API_KEY,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: "https://example.com/pricing",
    time_between_check: { hours: 4 },
    title: "Example.com Pricing Page",
  }),
});

The assistant confirms the watch was created and tells you when the first check will run. No dashboard needed.

Get a diff

Ask: "What changed on the competitor's pricing page since last check?"

The get_diff tool fetches the visual diff between the two most recent snapshots of a watched URL. The response includes additions (new content), removals (deleted content), and the timestamps of both snapshots.

// Fetches the latest diff for a specific watch
await fetch(
  "https://detect.coolify.vkuprin.com/api/v1/watch/{watch_id}/diff",
  {
    headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SITE_SPY_API_KEY },
  }
);

Your assistant parses this and presents a clean summary: "They added a new Enterprise tier at $499/month and removed the 14-day trial mention from the Starter plan."

Trigger an immediate recheck

Ask: "Recheck the docs site right now."

The trigger_recheck tool forces an immediate check outside the normal schedule. This is useful when you just deployed a change and want to verify it shows up, or when you need real-time confirmation before a meeting.

await fetch(
  "https://detect.coolify.vkuprin.com/api/v1/watch/{watch_id}/recheck",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SITE_SPY_API_KEY },
  }
);

Automating monitoring workflows with AI

The real power of MCP is not just calling tools one at a time. It is chaining them together into workflows driven by natural language.

Competitive analysis workflow

You can ask your assistant to build a complete competitive analysis:

1. "List all watches tagged 'competitors'."
2. "For each one that changed in the last 7 days, get the diff."
3. "Summarize all the changes into a brief report."

The assistant handles the iteration, the API calls, and the summarization. You get a concise report covering what your competitors changed across all their monitored pages this week.

Deployment verification

After shipping a release, ask: "Recheck all watches tagged 'our-sites' and tell me if any of them are returning errors." The assistant triggers rechecks across your watches, waits for results, and flags anything broken.

Content monitoring for non-technical teams

Product managers and marketers can use Claude or Cursor to interact with Site Spy without learning any API or dashboard. A PM can ask: "Is the feature comparison table on our marketing site still accurate?" and get a direct answer based on the latest snapshot diff.

Scheduled briefings

Combine Site Spy MCP with your daily AI workflow. Start each morning by asking: "Give me a summary of all website changes detected overnight." The assistant queries your watches, filters for recent changes, and presents a prioritized briefing.

Free vs paid MCP tools

Site Spy's MCP server works on every plan, but the available tools depend on your tier.

Free tier (5 watches)

• list_watches -- view all your monitored URLs and their status
• get_diff -- read the latest diff for any watch
• get_watch_details -- see configuration and history for a specific watch

Read-only access is completely free. You can connect the MCP server, explore your watches, and review diffs without paying anything.

Starter plan and above

• create_watch -- add new URLs to monitor
• update_watch -- change check intervals, tags, or notification settings
• delete_watch -- remove watches you no longer need
• trigger_recheck -- force an immediate check outside the schedule

Write operations require a Starter plan or higher. This keeps the free tier sustainable while giving power users full programmatic control over their monitoring setup.

Why this split makes sense

Most developers start by exploring -- connecting the MCP server, listing their watches, reviewing recent diffs. That workflow is entirely free. When you find yourself wanting to create watches or trigger rechecks from your AI assistant, upgrading unlocks those capabilities.

Getting started

Setting up Site Spy with MCP takes under five minutes:

1. Sign up at sitespy.app and grab your API key from the dashboard (Settings > API tab).
2. Install the MCP server: npm install -g @site-spy/mcp-server
3. Configure your AI assistant using the JSON config shown above.
4. Ask your assistant to list your watches -- if it works, you are connected.

From there, explore what is possible. Ask your assistant to set up monitoring for a competitor's page, get a diff from your last deployment, or build a weekly change report.

Learn more

• Developer documentation -- full API reference, MCP tool specifications, and integration guides.
• Pricing -- compare Free, Starter, and Pro tiers to find the right fit.
• Dashboard -- manage watches, view diffs, and generate API keys.

Site Spy is the only website change detection platform with native MCP support. Whether you are tracking competitor moves, verifying deployments, or monitoring regulatory pages, you can now do it all without leaving your AI assistant.