opsloft/tariff-resolver

An MCP server that turns your AI assistant into a **US import duty research tool** — built on official USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule data (US Government public domain, 35,000+ tariff lines).
- 🔍 **HTS code candidates** from plain product descriptions, with CBP CROSS ruling links
- 🧮 **Landed-cost components**: MFN/FTA base rates + Chapter 99 additional duties (IEEPA / Section 301 / 232) + MPF/HMF fees
- 📡 **Tariff change tracking**: watchlist your HTS codes, diff rates between HTS revisions
- 🤖 **AI-optimized, hallucination-resistant**: returns the *actual* Chapter 99 rule text with parsed rates, so your LLM reasons over real exception chains instead of inventing 2024-era numbers
Why now: since the de minimis exemption ended (Aug 29, 2025), **every US-bound shipment needs an HTS code and duty payment** — and 2025–26 rates keep changing by executive order.
**Not affiliated with any government agency. Outputs are candidates/estimates for pre-broker screening — not customs, legal, or tax advice. Estimates exclude AD/CVD duties.**
Install
Requires Node.js ≥ 18.
Or in any MCP client config:
**Claude Desktop (one-click):** download tariff-resolver- .mcpb from Releases and double-click it — no terminal needed.
💡 Try these prompts
- **Basic search:** *"Find the HTS code for a men's 100% cotton t-shirt."*
- **Full scenario:** *"Calculate the tariff scenario for HTS 6109.10.00, origin China, customs value $5,000, ocean freight."*
- **Sourcing decision:** *"I'm importing $10k of stainless steel vacuum flasks. Compare landed cost if I source from China vs Vietnam."*
- **Stay current:** *"Watch tariff changes for my catalog: 6109.10.00, 8507.60.00, 9617.00.10."*
Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| search_hs_candidates | Product description → top HTS candidates with rates + CBP CROSS ruling links |
| calculate_tariff_scenario | HTS code + origin + value (+ weight) → structured JSON: base MFN/FTA rate, candidate Chapter 99 layers with per-layer match/confidence, sourced possibly_expired bucket, MPF/HMF |
| watch_tariff_changes | Register HTS codes to a local watchlist |
| check_tariff_updates | Diff current vs previous HTS revision — see exactly which rates changed |
| dataset_info | Data revision date, row counts, source, license |
Design
The server does the **retrieval**; your LLM does the reasoning. Chapter 99 rules are returned verbatim (with parsed adder_pct where applicable) so the model reads the actual exception chains instead of trusting a black-box calculation. Rates for 10-digit statistical suffixes inherit from their parent rate line. Headings the schedule marks as dead — terminated, suspended, expired — are filtered out and counted, and the USITC's own compiler_note rides along with any rule that carries one.
**Status overrides.** data/status_overrides.json is a short, sourced list of Chapter 99 headings whose collection has stopped, expired, or been suspended even though the schedule still prints them. A layer matching an entry is returned under possibly_expired with the entry's status, reason, source URL and as_of date instead of in layers. Every entry carries a CBP, Federal Register or USITC source; pull requests adding entries must include one.