launchfast-mcp/QUICKSTART.md

🚀 Professional Amazon & Alibaba research tools for Claude AI - Product research, keyword intelligence, and supplier discovery via MCP

# ⚡ Quick Start - LaunchFast MCP Server

Get up and running in under 5 minutes.

---

## 📦 Installation

### The Fastest Way (NPX)

1. **Get your LaunchFast API credentials**:
   - Visit: https://launchfastlegacyx.com/admin/usage-stats
   - Copy your `API Key` (starts with `lf_`) and `User ID`

2. **Add to your Claude Desktop config**:

   **macOS**: Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
   **Windows**: Edit `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`

   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "launchfast": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "@launchfast/mcp-server"],
         "env": {
           "LAUNCHFAST_API_URL": "https://launchfastlegacyx.com",
           "LAUNCHFAST_API_KEY": "lf_your_key_here",
           "LAUNCHFAST_USER_ID": "your_user_id_here"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   ```

3. **Restart Claude Desktop**

4. **Verify** - Look for 🔨 hammer icon and ask:
   ```
   What LaunchFast tools do you have?
   ```

---

## 🎯 Your First Query

Try these commands to test each tool:

### Market Research
```
Research the Amazon market for "wireless earbuds"
```

### Keyword Analysis
```
Research keywords for ASIN B08N5WRWNW with gap analysis
```

### Supplier Search
```
Find Gold Suppliers for "bluetooth speakers" on Alibaba
```

---

## 💡 Real-World Example

**Full product launch workflow:**

```
Help me launch a portable sauna business on Amazon.

Please:
1. Research the market for "portable sauna"
2. Analyze keywords for the top 3 products
3. Find suppliers on Alibaba
4. Give me a launch strategy with pricing, keywords, and supplier recommendations
```

Claude will automatically:
- ✅ Research 50 Amazon products
- ✅ Grade the market (A10-F1 scale)
- ✅ Extract top ASINs
- ✅ Find 150+ keywords with opportunities
- ✅ Identify keyword gaps vs competitors
- ✅ Search 20 Alibaba suppliers
- ✅ Score suppliers by quality (0-100)
- ✅ Calculate profit margins
- ✅ Provide complete launch strategy

**Time:** ~30 seconds
**Manual research equivalent:** 8-10 hours

---

## 🛠️ Three Available Tools

### 1. `research_amazon_market`
**What it does:** Market research & product analysis
**Key params:** `keyword`, `limit`, `minPrice`, `maxPrice`, `minRating`
**Returns:** Market grade, revenue, top products, sales data, keywords

### 2. `research_asin_keywords`
**What it does:** Keyword intelligence & gap analysis
**Key params:** `asins` (1-10), `includeOpportunities`, `includeGapAnalysis`
**Returns:** Keywords, rankings, opportunities, gaps, comparison matrix

### 3. `search_alibaba_suppliers`
**What it does:** Supplier discovery & quality scoring
**Key params:** `searchQuery`, `goldSupplierOnly`, `maxMoq`
**Returns:** Top 20 suppliers, pricing, MOQ, quality scores, certifications

---

## 🐛 Common Issues

### Tools not appearing?

**Check 1 - Config location**:
```bash
# macOS
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

# Windows
type %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
```

**Check 2 - Valid JSON**:
- Copy config to https://jsonlint.com/
- Look for missing commas or quotes

**Check 3 - Restart**:
- Fully quit Claude (not just close window)
- Reopen from Applications/Start Menu

### Authentication errors?

**401 Unauthorized**:
- Verify API key starts with `lf_`
- Check for extra spaces when copying

**403 Forbidden**:
- Verify User ID matches the API key
- Check key is active in admin dashboard

### API timeouts?

- Enable caching: Use `useCache: true` for market research
- Reduce results: Use `limit: 10` instead of 50
- Check rate limits: 20 req/min globally

---

## 📚 Learn More

- **Full Docs**: [README.md](README.md)
- **Installation Guide**: [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md)
- **Tool Reference**: [README.md#available-tools](README.md#-available-tools)
- **Examples**: [README.md#usage-examples](README.md#-usage-examples)

---

## 🚀 Pro Tips

### 1. Chain Tools for Power
```
Research "portable charger" → Get top 5 ASINs → Research keywords for all 5 → Find gap opportunities → Search Alibaba suppliers → Calculate profit margins
```

### 2. Use Filters
```
Research wireless earbuds under $50 with 4.5+ stars and at least 500 reviews
```

### 3. Enable Caching
Market research runs **3x faster** with `useCache: true` (default)

### 4. Opportunity Mining
Always enable `includeOpportunities: true` for keyword research to find low-competition gems

### 5. Gap Analysis
Use `includeGapAnalysis: true` to discover what your competitors rank for that you don't

---

## 🎯 What to Ask Claude

### Market Validation
- "Is [product] a good niche to enter?"
- "What's the competition level for [keyword]?"
- "Show me the top products in [category]"

### Keyword Strategy
- "Find low-competition keywords for [ASIN]"
- "What keywords should I target for PPC?"
- "Show me keyword gaps vs my competitors"

### Supplier Sourcing
- "Find suppliers for [product] with low MOQ"
- "Which supplier offers the best quality-to-price ratio?"
- "Show me Gold Suppliers in China for [product]"

### Complete Analysis
- "Help me launch [product] on Amazon"
- "Give me a complete market analysis for [niche]"
- "Find the best product opportunity in [category]"

---

**That's it! You're ready to research. 🎉**

Need help? → [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md) • [Issues](https://github.com/launchfast/mcp-server/issues)