carsxe

name

carsxe

description

Access the full suite of CarsXE vehicle data APIs — VIN decoding, license plate lookup, market value, vehicle history, safety recalls, lien/theft checks, OBD-II diagnostic code decoding, vehicle images, international VIN decoding, Year/Make/Model lookups, and plate/VIN OCR from images. Use this skill any time the user asks about a vehicle by VIN, plate, make/model, or OBD code. Also triggers for: "what's this car worth", "check for recalls", "vehicle history report", "decode this plate", "what does check engine code X mean", or any automotive data query. Always use this skill when working with CarsXE APIs — do not guess API behavior without it.

CarsXE Skill

CarsXE provides a REST API for comprehensive vehicle data. All endpoints are at https://api.carsxe.com and require an API key passed as ?key=YOUR_API_KEY.

API Key setup: The user must have a CarsXE API key from https://api.carsxe.com/dashboard/developer. If no key is configured, ask the user to provide it before making any API calls.

See references/api-reference.md for full endpoint details, parameters, and response formats.

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Quick API Map

User intent	Endpoint	Parameters
Decode a VIN / get specs	GET /specs	vin
Decode a license plate	GET /platedecoder	plate, country (required), state (optional)
Market value	GET /marketvalue	vin
Vehicle history report	GET /history	vin
Vehicle images	GET /images	make, model + optional filters
Safety recalls	GET /recalls	vin
Lien & theft check	GET /lientheft	vin
International VIN	GET /internationalvin	vin
Year/Make/Model lookup	GET /ymm	year, make, model, optional trim
OBD code diagnosis	GET /obd	code
VIN OCR from image	POST /vinocr	imageUrl in JSON body
Plate OCR from image	POST /platerecognition	imageUrl in JSON body

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Workflow

1. Authenticate

Always confirm or ask for the API key before making requests. The key is passed as a query param:

https://api.carsxe.com/specs?key=USER_API_KEY&vin=WBAFR7C57CC811956

2. Choose the right endpoint

Match the user's query to the table above. When context is ambiguous:

• VIN provided → prefer /specs first, then chain to other endpoints as needed
• Plate provided → use /platedecoder to resolve VIN, then chain if needed
• Make/Model/Year only → use /ymm or /images
• OBD code (P/C/B/U + digits) → use /obd
• Image URL provided → use /vinocr or /platerecognition (POST)

3. Chain requests when helpful

A common power workflow: plate → VIN → specs + history + recalls in parallel. Example: "Is this plate stolen and does it have open recalls?"

1. GET /platedecoder → extract VIN
2. In parallel: GET /lientheft + GET /recalls

4. Present results

Format output clearly with sections per API call. Use Markdown tables or lists for specs, highlight important findings (open recalls, theft records, salvage titles) prominently.

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Error Handling

HTTP Status	Meaning	Action
401 / invalid key	Bad or missing API key	Ask user to check their key
404 / no results	VIN/plate not found in database	Inform user, suggest double-checking
429	Rate limit exceeded	Wait and retry, inform user
5xx	Server error	Retry once, then report error

Always check the error field in JSON responses — CarsXE sometimes returns HTTP 200 with an error body.

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Examples

"What are the specs for VIN WBAFR7C57CC811956?" → GET https://api.carsxe.com/specs?key=KEY&vin=WBAFR7C57CC811956

"Decode California plate 7XER187" → GET https://api.carsxe.com/platedecoder?key=KEY&plate=7XER187&state=CA&country=US

"What's my car worth? VIN WBAFR7C57CC811956" → GET https://api.carsxe.com/marketvalue?key=KEY&vin=WBAFR7C57CC811956

"Does this car have any recalls? 1C4JJXR64PW696340" → GET https://api.carsxe.com/recalls?key=KEY&vin=1C4JJXR64PW696340

"My check engine light shows P0300" → GET https://api.carsxe.com/obd?key=KEY&code=P0300

"Extract the VIN from this photo: https://example.com/vin.jpg" → POST https://api.carsxe.com/vinocr?key=KEY with body {"imageUrl":"https://example.com/vin.jpg"}

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Reference Files

• references/api-reference.md — Full parameter lists, response field descriptions, and edge cases for all 11 endpoints. Read this when you need exact field names or want to use optional filters.