Tesla (Tessie)
Tesla vehicle control with summary-first responses and built-in safety gates
Tesla vehicle monitoring and control via the Tessie API — state, battery, charging, climate, drives, and 26 vehicle commands with confirmation-gated safety.
Service Contract
Highlights
About
What it does
Tessie MCP gives your AI agent read and control access to Tesla vehicles through the Tessie third-party API. Tessie wraps Tesla's Fleet API, handling OAuth, vehicle wake-up, retries, and the vehicle security protocol — so you get a single API key instead of a multi-step OAuth registration.
Your agent can check vehicle state (location, battery, climate, locks), search driving history, plot trip coordinates, and issue 26 vehicle commands (lock/unlock, start/stop charging, climate control, sentry mode, seat heating, and more).
Built by keithah and published on Smithery. TypeScript/Node.js, MIT licensed.
How it differs from other vehicle MCPs
| Tessie MCP | Tesla Fleet API MCP | WiCAN Vehicle MCP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle support | Tesla only | Tesla only | Any OBD-II |
| Interface | Tessie cloud API | Tesla Fleet API (direct) | Local hardware (OBD-II → MQTT) |
| Auth complexity | API key (trivial) | OAuth 2.1 + EC key pair (hard) | MQTT credentials (easy) |
| Wake handling | Automatic | Manual | N/A (always listening) |
| Remote commands | 26 operations | Full Fleet API | DTC clear, raw CAN |
| Powerwall/Solar | No | Yes | No |
| Subscription cost | ~$5/mo (Tessie) | Free | None |
| Works offline | No | No | Yes (local network) |
Tessie is the fastest path to Tesla vehicle control — single API key, automatic wake-up, no OAuth dance. Trade-off: you depend on Tessie's availability and pay a monthly subscription.
How it works
The server uses a summary-first design — responses are pre-mapped to concise snapshots rather than dumping raw API payloads. An LRU cache (200 entries, 15-30s TTL with jitter) minimises API calls, and VIN-scoped invalidation ensures state is fresh after commands.
All 6 tools funnel through a single TessieClient with automatic retry (3 attempts, exponential backoff on 429/5xx) and in-flight request deduplication.
Token efficiency
Tessie's raw API returns large JSON payloads (vehicle state is 200+ fields). The MCP server maps responses to summary-first output — only the fields relevant to each tool are included. A fetch_vehicle_state response is typically 10–15 lines; fetch_vehicle_battery is 5–8 lines.
The LRU cache (15-30s TTL with jitter to prevent stampedes) means repeated queries within the TTL window cost zero API calls and return instantly.
Safety model
Read tools work immediately — vehicle state, battery, drives.
The manage_vehicle_command tool gates destructive operations: only flash_lights, honk, and wake execute without confirmation. All other operations (lock, unlock, charging, climate, sentry, seat heating) require params.confirm: true on each invocation.
The full command list:
| Safe (no confirm) | Gated (confirm required) |
|---|---|
| flash_lights, honk, wake | lock, unlock, start_charging, stop_charging, set_charge_limit, set_charging_amps, set_temperature, start_climate, stop_climate, start_defrost, stop_defrost, start_steering_wheel_heater, stop_steering_wheel_heater, set_cabin_overheat_protection, set_cabin_overheat_protection_temp, enable_sentry_mode, disable_sentry_mode, enable_speed_limit, disable_speed_limit, clear_speed_limit_pin, set_seat_heating, set_seat_cooling, set_speed_limit |
Tessie vs Tesla Fleet API
| Tessie API | Tesla Fleet API | |
|---|---|---|
| Auth | Single API key | OAuth 2.1 + EC key pair + public endpoint |
| Wake handling | Automatic | Manual |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 30+ minutes |
| Cost | Tessie subscription (~$5/mo) | Free |
| Coverage | Vehicle state + commands | Vehicle + Energy + Fleet |
| Rate limits | Tessie-managed | Tesla-imposed |
Tessie is ideal for personal use. If you need Powerwall/Solar control or manage a fleet, use a Fleet API MCP instead.
Tool reference
| Tool | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| get_active_context | read | Vehicle roster with next-step guidance |
| fetch_vehicle_state | read | Location, climate, locks, battery snapshot |
| fetch_vehicle_battery | read | Charging-focused battery view (level, limit, rate, schedule) |
| search_drives | read | Recent drives with optional date range |
| get_driving_path | read | Coordinate series for mapping or analysis |
| manage_vehicle_command | gated | 26 operations: lock, unlock, charge, climate, sentry, seats, and more |
Conformance
Setup
You need a Tessie account with an active subscription and at least one Tesla vehicle linked. Generate an API key at dash.tessie.com > Settings > Developer. Tessie handles Tesla OAuth, vehicle wake-up, and the vehicle security protocol on your behalf. No Tesla Developer account registration or public key hosting is required. The API key grants access to all vehicles on your Tessie account. There is no per-vehicle scoping — treat the key as a credential for your entire fleet.
TESSIE_API_KEY API Key required secret Prerequisites
- Tessie account with active subscription
- At least one Tesla vehicle linked in Tessie
Scenarios
Call get_active_context to see all vehicles, then fetch_vehicle_state for the primary car. Report battery level, charge status, location, climate state, sentry mode, and door/window status.
Check fetch_vehicle_state for current interior temperature and climate status. If climate is off, use manage_vehicle_command with operation set_temperature and desired temp, then start_climate. Confirm both operations.
Call search_drives with a 7-day date range. Summarise total trips, distance, and energy consumed. Optionally call get_driving_path for the longest trip to visualise the route.
Call fetch_vehicle_battery for current SoC and charge limit. If below target, use manage_vehicle_command to set_charge_limit and start_charging. Check again in the morning with fetch_vehicle_battery to confirm the charge completed.
Call fetch_vehicle_state to check door lock status and sentry mode. If unlocked, use manage_vehicle_command with operation lock and confirm=true. If sentry is disabled, enable it.
Both use vehicle. Universal vehicle monitoring via meatPi WiCAN Pro OBD-II adapter — standard PIDs over MQTT, raw CAN bus decoding, diagnostic trouble codes, and trip data.
Use the Forge to design an automation pack powered by tessie-mcp for vehicle operations.
Install
sidereal install tessie-mcp