fli

name fli description Guidance for installing and using Fli correctly as a CLI and MCP server. Use when: setting up Fli with pipx, running `fli` flight searches, configuring Claude Desktop with `fli-mcp`, using the HTTP MCP server, or troubleshooting Fli command availability and common usage mistakes. license MIT Fli install and usage skill Use this skill when the goal is to install Fli and use its CLI or MCP server correctly. The primary path is: install with pipx install flights use fli for terminal searches use fli-mcp for Claude Desktop or other STDIO MCP clients use fli-mcp-http only when an HTTP MCP endpoint is specifically needed Do not default to cloning the repository or using a source checkout. Only mention cloning the repo when the user explicitly wants to contribute to Fli itself. What Fli is Fli is a Python package for accessing Google Flights data through direct API interaction. It has three public surfaces: CLI via fli Python library via the fli package MCP server via fli-mcp and fli-mcp-http For this skill, focus on the CLI and MCP server first. Core install rule If the user wants to use Fli as a tool, recommend pipx install flights . Why: it is the documented recommended install path for CLI and MCP usage it keeps the install isolated from other Python projects it exposes fli , fli-mcp , and fli-mcp-http on the user's PATH Only fall back to pip install flights or uvx when: pipx is unavailable the user wants library-only usage the user explicitly prefers another Python package manager Standard installation flow Preferred install python3 -m pip install --user pipx python3 -m pipx ensurepath pipx install flights If pipx is already installed, skip directly to: pipx install flights Verify installation Run these checks after install: fli -- help fli-mcp -- help which fli-mcp If the commands are not found after pipx install flights , have the user run: python3 -m pipx ensurepath Then restart the terminal session. What the install provides After pipx install flights , these commands should be available: fli - main CLI for flight searches fli-mcp - MCP server over STDIO fli-mcp-http - MCP server over HTTP, defaulting to http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp/ Important naming detail: the package to install is flights the commands to run are fli , fli-mcp , and fli-mcp-http Do not tell users to run pipx install fli . CLI usage Basic flight search Use: fli flights JFK LAX 2026-10-25 Cheapest-date search Use: fli dates JFK LAX --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-01-31 Common filters Use filters like these when the user asks for them: fli flights JFK LHR 2026-10-25 \ -- time 6-20 \ --airlines BA,KL \ --class BUSINESS \ --stops NON_STOP \ -- sort DURATION Supported language to map correctly: cabin classes: ECONOMY , PREMIUM_ECONOMY , BUSINESS , FIRST stop filters: ANY , NON_STOP , ONE_STOP , TWO_PLUS_STOPS sort options: CHEAPEST , DURATION , DEPARTURE_TIME , ARRIVAL_TIME CLI shorthand Fli supports a convenience shorthand where a non-command invocation is treated as a flights search. Example: fli JFK LAX 2026-05-15 This behaves like: fli flights JFK LAX 2026-05-15 Use the explicit flights subcommand in examples unless the user asks for shortcuts. MCP usage Default MCP mode Use fli-mcp for Claude Desktop and other STDIO-based MCP clients. fli-mcp This is the default recommendation for local assistant integration. HTTP MCP mode Use fli-mcp-http only when the user needs an HTTP endpoint. fli-mcp-http By default, it serves at: http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp/ For HTTP integrations, the client should send: Accept: application/json, text/event-stream Claude Desktop setup When the user wants Claude Desktop integration, recommend this config first: { "mcpServers" : { "fli" : { "command" : "fli-mcp" , "args" : [ ] } } } Suggested config paths: macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json After editing the config: fully quit Claude Desktop relaunch it start a new conversation ask for a flight search Good validation prompt: Can you search for flights from JFK to LHR on 2026-03-15? Optional MCP environment variables If the user wants defaults, these environment variables are relevant: FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_PASSENGERS FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_CURRENCY FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_CABIN_CLASS FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_SORT_BY FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_DEPARTURE_WINDOW FLI_MCP_MAX_RESULTS Example: { "mcpServers" : { "fli" : { "command" : "fli-mcp" , "args" : [ ] , "env" : { "FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_CURRENCY" : "EUR" , "FLI_MCP_DEFAULT_CABIN_CLASS" : "BUSINESS" , "FLI_MCP_MAX_RESULTS" : "10" } } } } How to guide users well If the user asks to install Fli Give them the pipx install flights path first. If the user asks how to use the command line tool Show fli flights ... and fli dates ... examples first. If the user asks how to connect Claude or another assistant Show fli-mcp and the Claude Desktop config first. If the user asks for a web endpoint Then show fli-mcp-http and mention the /mcp/ path and Accept header. If the user asks how to contribute or hack on the codebase That is outside the primary scope of this skill. Only then discuss cloning the repository and using development commands. Common mistakes to prevent telling users to clone the repository when they only want the tool telling users to install fli instead of flights focusing on the Python API when the user asked for CLI or MCP setup giving HTTP MCP instructions when STDIO MCP is enough forgetting to tell Claude Desktop users to fully restart the app omitting the PATH fix when pipx installs successfully but commands are not found Troubleshooting fli or fli-mcp not found Try: python3 -m pipx ensurepath Then restart the terminal. Python version problems Fli requires Python 3.10 or newer. Check with: python3 --version Claude Desktop does not show the tools Check these in order: fli-mcp --help works in a terminal the Claude Desktop config file path is correct the JSON is valid Claude Desktop was fully quit and reopened Rate limiting or temporary failures Fli includes automatic rate limiting and retries, but live Google Flights requests can still fail temporarily. If a query fails: retry after a short delay reduce repeated back-to-back searches do not assume the CLI or MCP setup is broken just because one upstream request failed Public docs Use these docs for product-facing guidance: introduction: https://punitarani-fli.mintlify.app/introduction installation: https://punitarani-fli.mintlify.app/installation MCP setup: https://punitarani-fli.mintlify.app/mcp/setup docs index: https://punitarani-fli.mintlify.app/llms.txt Use product docs for examples and onboarding. Use the actual installed command names when writing instructions. Summary The default recommendation is pipx install flights . After that, use fli for terminal searches, fli-mcp for Claude Desktop and other STDIO MCP clients, and fli-mcp-http only when an HTTP MCP endpoint is specifically needed.