# Using MCP with SiteTrax.io

![Using MCP with SiteTrax.io](https://docs.sitetrax.io/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/st-intel-using-mcp-feature.png)

Once an assistant is connected and you have verified its project access, this page explains what to ask for and how to phrase it. For setup and permissions, see [Account access and OAuth](https://docs.sitetrax.io/books/ai-integrations/page/account-access-and-oauth). For tool names and response contracts, see the [SiteTrax.io MCP Server](https://docs.sitetrax.io/books/mcp-server/page/sitetraxio-mcp-server) reference.

## What you can ask for

<table id="bkmrk-if-you-need-toask-fo"><thead><tr><th>If you need to</th><th>Ask for</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Locate one unit</td><td>The most recent observation of a specific identifier, with project, time and image</td></tr><tr><td>Understand a period</td><td>Activity across your sites for a date range, with totals and trends</td></tr><tr><td>Compare</td><td>A breakdown by project, camera, asset type, status code or time period</td></tr><tr><td>Measure dwell</td><td>Observed time between defined operational boundaries, such as gate-in to gate-out</td></tr><tr><td>Find problems</td><td>Records meeting review criteria, unreadable results, or unusual volume gaps</td></tr><tr><td>Check capture health</td><td>Camera activity and scan health across your projects</td></tr><tr><td>Get the evidence</td><td>The detection image, video metadata and saved audit feedback for a specific record, or supporting records behind an analytical result</td></tr><tr><td>Receive a recurring update</td><td>A new-detection watch or scheduled aggregate email digest, after confirming its conditions and approving the additional write permission</td></tr><tr><td>Check an existing notification</td><td>Its status and delivery history, using read permission</td></tr></tbody></table>

## How to phrase it

Six things make the difference between a vague answer and a usable one.

1. **Name SiteTrax.io** so the assistant reaches for the connector rather than answering from memory.
2. **Name the site or project.** Without it, the answer spans everything you can see.
3. **Give a date or time range.** This is the single most common cause of a surprising number.
4. **Say the asset type** when it matters, such as containers rather than chassis.
5. **Confirm the complete identifier** when following one unit. Query search supports partial text and prefixes to discover candidates; exact latest-observation and identifier-based image/video lookups need the full identifier.
6. **Ask for the supporting record** whenever the answer will be used in an invoice, a dispute or a report.

### A weak prompt

> How busy were we?

### The same question, answerable

> Using SiteTrax.io, summarize container and chassis activity at the Utah site for the last seven days and break the results down by status code and asset type.

## Reading the answer honestly

These are the mistakes that turn a good answer into a wrong decision.

- **A record is a stored processing result**, not a guaranteed physical event. Combined container and chassis processing can add a synthetic row for the paired side.
- **A processing status is not a condition report.** An unreadable result does not establish that the unit is damaged.
- **An observed interval is not an explanation.** Time between two camera observations is a measurement, not a cause.
- **A USDOT number identifies a carrier**, not an individual tractor.
- **Missing pairing is reported, not estimated.** Where a sequence cannot be paired reliably, SiteTrax.io says so instead of filling the gap.

## When the answer will be acted on

Ask for the record. SiteTrax.io can return a link in the form `app.sitetrax.io/dashboard/assets/view/{asset_id}`, which opens the same detail page you would reach in the application, with the image and the full payload. Verify there before an invoice is disputed or a charge is paid.

![The asset record an assistant answer can be traced back to](https://docs.sitetrax.io/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/st-intel-ui-asset-detail.png)

Creating a detection watch or digest, or cancelling one, requires your confirmation and `sitetrax:notifications:write` in addition to read access. A client may request that additional permission at initial connection or later. Listing notifications and reading history need read access only. See [Alerts and scheduled digests](https://docs.sitetrax.io/books/operational-use-cases/page/alerts-and-scheduled-digests).

<p class="callout info">A connected assistant can retrieve selected published facts and priorities when relevant. The public MCP profile response excludes your working brief, custom instructions and response-style preferences, and publication does not guarantee retrieval or use. Ask directly for the level of explanation you need, such as: give the answer, explain the calculation and link to its supporting records.</p>