Flexport launches MCP Server for AI agents to book freight

Flexport launched a Model Context Protocol server on Tuesday that lets shippers’ AI agents track, quote, and book freight on its platform. Businesses can connect Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or their own internal agents and make requests in plain language.

An agent can track shipments, surface exceptions or customs holds, search rates on any lane, or book outright, according to the company. It can submit cargo details, book against negotiated rates, and return a booking ID and transit time without logging into the Flexport platform.

The server leads a broader release from the San Francisco-based forwarder, which says more than 13,000 companies use it. The update also extends Flexport Atlas beyond ocean freight and adds customs tools.

“The future of global logistics is autonomous: intelligent supply chains that see problems before they happen, calculate the fix, and execute it in a recurring self-improvement loop,” said Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport, in the release. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {var gptSlot = googletag.

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A quoting agent converts rate requests into custom quotes whether they arrive by email, through MCP, or inside the platform. Flexport said each agent runs with guardrails set through a custom evaluation platform built for governance and traceability, and that every exception routes to a human expert. Customs audits and HTS codes With U. S.

tariff policy shifting frequently, Flexport extended its Customs Technology Suite, which it said audits entries against hundreds of rules before they reach government agencies. Customers can now build audit rules around their own standard operating procedures. Those rules run against every entry in real time and flag issues to operations staff before filing.

The feature is live for U. S. entries. The Netherlands and the U. K. are next. A new classification tool turns the assignment of 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes into a guided conversation. Flexport said it returns a recommended code in seconds, with linked U. S. Customs and Border Protection rulings and its reasoning shown in real time.

Users can then send the code to one of Flexport’s licensed customs brokers for validation before filing. Atlas adds air, rail, and barge Flexport Atlas, the no-cost map of global trade the company introduced in February, launched as a view of the world’s ocean network.

It now adds air, rail, and barge routing, so users can compare every mode between any two locations. Atlas also gained an AI-curated disruption layer that monitors news sources for events that could affect shipments, plus per-container emissions estimates on every ocean route. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd.

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enableServices(); setInterval(function() {if (! document. hidden) {googletag. pubads(). refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 30000); }); googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); Robots outside Chicago Flexport opened its first fully automated e-commerce fulfillment center outside Chicago.

More than 350 robots bring inventory to workers at the site, which the company said runs at double the efficiency of a traditional warehouse. The opening follows Flexport’s launch of fulfillment services in Canada and the U. K. earlier this month, in Mississauga, Ontario, and Manchester, England.

Over the past year, the company opened offices in eight new countries: Japan, France, Belgium, Cambodia, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia. It now runs 47 offices worldwide. AI-powered translation in Japanese and French brings the platform to 11 supported languages.

“Our goal is to let the companies we serve spend all their time developing amazing products, building their brand, and connecting with customers — with Flexport’s autonomous supply chain execution platform handling everything,” Petersen said. Why it matters: Flexport is opening booking, tracking, and quoting to the AI agents