Give Your Coding Agent a Backend in One Command (ReqRes MCP Server)

Ask a coding agent to build you an app and it will happily write the frontend. Then it stops and asks where the data should live. Set up a database? Write a server? Sign up for something and paste in a key?

Now it doesn't have to ask. The ReqRes MCP server gives your agent a real backend it can create by itself, in one tool call, with no account.

Set it up in one command

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http reqres https://reqres.in/mcp

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{ "mcpServers": { "reqres": { "url": "https://reqres.in/mcp" } } }

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json):

{ "servers": { "reqres": { "type": "http", "url": "https://reqres.in/mcp" } } }

Setup for Windsurf and Claude desktop is on the MCP server page.

Then just ask

Build me a reading list app. Use ReqRes for the backend.

Here's what happens:

The agent calls create_project. It gets a hosted project with a manage key (for writes), a public key (safe in the browser) and a claim link for you.
It calls create_collection to make a books collection, which is now a REST endpoint at https://reqres.in/api/collections/books/records.
It writes your frontend against that endpoint with plain fetch(), and seeds a few records with create_record.

The data is real and it persists. Reload the app tomorrow and the books are still there.

Keeping it

Agent-created projects are free, on free-plan limits (250 requests a day, 3 collections, 100 records). They're deleted after 72 hours unless you claim them.

To keep one, open the claim link the agent gives you and sign up or sign in. The project moves to your account with its data and keys unchanged, and it no longer expires.

Why we built it

ReqRes has been the fake API in tutorials since 2014, and AI coding tools already know it. When an agent needs a quick backend, it's a natural fit. What was missing was a way for the agent to get its own backend without a human creating an account first.

The MCP server closes that gap. The agent does the setup, and you only step in when you've decided the thing it built is worth keeping.

Not using MCP?

The same thing works over plain HTTP:

curl -X POST https://reqres.in/api/projects/sandbox

That returns the project, keys and claim link, ready to use with the records API.

Testing agents, not just building with them

If you're testing how an agent handles real-world API behaviour (pagination, rate limits, timeouts, auth expiring mid-session), see the ReqRes Agent Sandbox. Its deterministic fixtures and replayable run logs are built for exactly that.

Try it: add https://reqres.in/mcp to your agent and ask it to build something.