CIAN apartment search MCP server
cian-mcp
A local MCP server for apartment search on CIAN through a real, authorized browser session rather than bypassing the site's protection
Medium risk
We rate an entry medium when the tool runs code, makes network calls or reads project files. Check what exactly it does before installing.
Why this level
- Uses the user's own authorized account session in a browser
- Automation may conflict with CIAN's terms of service if used carelessly
Install
Manual install
make build && playwright install chromiumInstalls the package from source and downloads the Playwright browser.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
CIAN has no buyer-facing API and the site is protected against automated requests, so the server opens a real Playwright browser where the user manually signs in once with a phone number and an SMS code. The authorized browser profile is then saved locally and reused on later runs. The agent gets four tools: browser sign-in, session validity check, apartment search by city, room count and price with pagination, and a detailed listing card with price history. Once the session is warmed up, repeated requests speed up using direct HTTP calls instead of browser navigation.
Who it is for. For people searching for an apartment on CIAN under their own account who want an agent to handle search and price monitoring.
Good fit when
- You want personal, non-commercial apartment search on CIAN at a slow, human pace
- You want to track the price history of a specific listing
- You have a desktop with a display for the one-time browser sign-in
Not a fit when
- You need bulk scraping or commercial use: the author explicitly disallows this
- The server runs on a headless server with no display: browser sign-in will not work
- You need an official API instead of working around protection through a browser
Example request
Find two-bedroom apartments on CIAN between 8 and 15 million rubles and show the price history of the most interesting oneLimitations
The project has a single author, no releases or packaging, and installs from source. It needs a desktop with a display for the first sign-in; it will not work over plain SSH without display forwarding. The author explicitly warns that automated requests to CIAN may conflict with the site's terms of service, and limits use to personal, human-paced searching.
How to disable. Remove the cian-search entry from your MCP client config and, if needed, delete the local data directory holding the browser profile.
MCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- not required
Security check
- Uses the user's own authorized account session in a browser
- Automation may conflict with CIAN's terms of service if used carelessly
README in short
The README explains why the server uses real browser navigation instead of direct requests, gives installation via make build and playwright install chromium, an opencode config, and the first-login flow with profile persistence. It separately shows example tool calls and a section on local data storage and privacy. The disclaimer explicitly limits use to personal, non-commercial purposes and warns about CIAN's terms of service.
FAQ
Do I need a CIAN API key?
No, instead of an API the server uses a real authorized browser session, signed in manually once.
Is login data stored anywhere besides the user's computer?
No, the browser profile and cache live only locally in the data directory; cookies and headers are never logged or sent anywhere except cian.ru itself.
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