Comparison
Hosted Garmin MCP vs self-hosting
If you can run a Python script, you can run a Garmin MCP server yourself for free. Here's an honest look at what that involves, when it's the right call, and what you get for paying us instead.
The open-source options
| Project | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxuspt/garmin_mcp | Python | Built on python-garminconnect. Read-only. The most-starred starting point. |
| Jack-Abyss/claude-garmin | Python | Claude Desktop focused; recovery checks and session analysis prompts. |
| tamcore/garmin-mcp | Go | Stdio and remote Streamable HTTP modes, OAuth 2.1 for multi-user. The most "production" shaped. |
| zjromani/garmin-mcp | TypeScript | Reads activities and creates workouts and training plans. Closest to what we do. |
| Garmin Community MCP core | TypeScript (Cloudflare Workers) | The server behind this site. We plan to publish the core under a permissive licence; the hosted layer (accounts, MFA, billing) stays ours. |
What self-hosting actually involves
- Install Python or Node and the project.
- Authenticate. Run a login script with your Garmin email and password. If you have MFA on, paste the code. This produces a long-lived OAuth1 token on disk.
- Register the server in Claude Desktop's config (stdio). Works immediately on that computer.
- For ChatGPT or your phone, you need a remote server: host it somewhere with HTTPS (a VPS, Cloudflare Worker, Railway…), add authentication so it's not open to the internet, and keep it running.
- Maintain. About once a year the Garmin token expires and you re-run login. When Garmin changes an endpoint, you wait for a fix or write one.
For a developer who only uses Claude Desktop on one machine, that's an evening and then almost nothing. For everyone else, step 4 is where it stops being fun.
Side by side
| Self-hosted | Garmin Community MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 (plus hosting if remote) | $4.99–$19.99/mo; 48-hour trial |
| Time to first answer | 30–90 minutes | About 5 minutes |
| Claude Desktop | Yes | Yes |
| Claude web / mobile | Only if hosted remotely with HTTPS | Yes |
| ChatGPT | Only if hosted remotely with HTTPS + auth | Yes |
| Garmin MFA | Handled in a terminal | Handled in the browser |
| Token expiry | You notice when it breaks | We check nightly and email you |
| Garmin API changes | Wait or patch | Patched for everyone; status page |
| Data coverage | 10–40 tools depending on project | 50+ endpoints + raw API |
| Writes | Some projects (workouts) | Workouts, scheduling, weight, hydration, BP, activity edits, gear |
| Who holds the token | You, on disk | Us, AES-GCM encrypted, revocable |
| Support | GitHub issues | Email, 24 h (4 h on Coach) |
Security trade-off, honestly
Self-hosting means your Garmin token never leaves your machine. That's a real advantage. Using a hosted service means trusting us with an encrypted token. We've tried to make that trust cheap: no passwords stored, tokens encrypted at rest with a key that lives only in our runtime, one-click revoke, deletes off by default, and no health data kept at rest beyond a short-lived access-token cache. Details on the security page. If that's not enough for you, self-host; we'll still link to the projects.
Our recommendation
- Developer, one computer, Claude Desktop only, enjoys tinkering: self-host.
- Wants it on the phone or in ChatGPT, or doesn't want to think about tokens: hosted.
- Wants workouts on the watch without reading Garmin's workout JSON: hosted (or zjromani's project if you're happy to run it).
FAQ
Can I self-host a Garmin MCP server for free?
Yes. Several open-source servers exist on GitHub, including Taxuspt/garmin_mcp, Jack-Abyss/claude-garmin, tamcore/garmin-mcp and zjromani/garmin-mcp. They run locally with your Garmin credentials and work with Claude Desktop; ChatGPT and mobile need you to expose them over HTTPS.
Why pay for a hosted Garmin MCP server?
It works from your phone and ChatGPT without running anything, handles MFA and token expiry, gets patched when Garmin changes its API, and comes with support. Garmin Community MCP starts at $4.99/month.
Will you open-source your server?
That's the plan: the core server under a permissive licence, the hosted account and billing layer private. Follow the GitHub org.
Skip the VPS
48-hour free trial. If you'd rather self-host afterwards, the links above will still be here.