BinaSmart
Quote and book fixed-price rides in Addis Ababa, search the BinaSmart directory and Ethiopia guides
What it can do
What data it sees
Do you need an account
No: the server works without sign-in
Quote and book fixed-price rides in Addis Ababa, search the BinaSmart directory and Ethiopia guides
How to connect
How to connect BinaSmart to Claude
The server address to paste into Claude settings:
https://bina.et/mcp
- Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
- Go to Settings → Connectors.
- Click Add custom connector.
- Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
- In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.
Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.
Authorization
After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.
How to connect BinaSmart to ChatGPT
The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:
https://bina.et/mcp
- Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
- Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
- Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
- Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
- Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
- In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.
OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.
Authorization
On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.
How to connect BinaSmart to Cursor
The server address to paste into Cursor settings:
https://bina.et/mcp
Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.
Manually:
- In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
- Paste the JSON copied below into
~/.cursor/mcp.json(per project:.cursor/mcp.jsonin the repo root). - Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.
Authorization
If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.
Server tool list (13)
Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.
| quote_ride | Fixed upfront price for a ride inside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — no surge, cash or telebirr/Chapa. Returns distance, ETA and the fare for every vehicle tier (moto, bajaj, economy, comfort, XL). Call this before request_ride and read the fare to the user. |
| request_ride | Books a ride in Addis Ababa at the fixed fare from quote_ride. ALWAYS confirm pickup, drop-off, tier, fare and the rider's Ethiopian phone number with the user before calling. A dispatcher assigns a driver; the rider is contacted on the phone given. Returns the ride id and a live tracking link. To book for someone else (e.g. a relative in Addis while you are abroad), pass passenger_name and passenger_phone; rider_name/rider_phone are then the booker and may be a foreign number. |
| get_ride_status | Current status of a BinaSmart ride (dispatching, assigned, arriving, arrived, ontrip, completed, cancelled) with driver name, vehicle and plate once assigned. Needs the ride id and the rider phone used to book. |
| cancel_ride | Cancels a BinaSmart ride that has not started yet. Confirm with the user first. Needs the ride id and the rider phone used to book. |
| search_places | Find buildings, hotels, hospitals and shops in Addis Ababa listed on BinaSmart (bina.et): cafés, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, gyms, salons, clinics, offices. Returns names (English + Amharic), building and unit, the phone only for shops that have claimed their listing, coordinates when known (usable as pickup/dropoff for quote_ride), and the bina.et page. Hotels and hospitals are flagged — use get_hotel_rooms / get_hospital_departments for details. |
| list_events | Upcoming films, concerts, theatre and events on BinaSmart in Addis Ababa with venue, hall, start time, prices per tier and seats left. Seats are chosen and paid at the url returned (Chapa or at the counter); the ticket is a QR code. |
| list_films | Licensed Amharic (Ethiopian) films that can be watched online on BinaSmart Watch (bina.et/watch): title in Amharic and English, year, genre, whether it is free or rented for 48 hours (ETB), and the watch url. Free titles are public YouTube releases played through the YouTube player; rentals need Chapa. Optional search by title or genre. |
| get_hotel_rooms | Room types, nightly prices (ETB), capacity and amenities for a hotel listed on BinaSmart. Use the slug from search_places (is_hotel = true). |
| get_hospital_departments | Departments of a hospital listed on BinaSmart with consultation fee (ETB), doctors, hours, floor/room and appointment slots left for a date. Use the slug from search_places (is_hospital = true). |
| get_ethiopia_guide | BinaSmart's bilingual (Amharic + English) step-by-step guides to Ethiopian government and banking services: Fayda ID, telebirr, CBE Birr, e-Passport, eVisa, TIN, business licence, VAT/TOT, customs, driving licence, car import, Yellow Card, bank account, birth/marriage certificate, utility bills, Labor ID and LMIS registration and the COC occupational competency certificate (Overseas Employment Proclamation 1389/2025), rental agreements, tenant screening. Call with no slug to list guides; call with a slug for the full text. The guides hold the correct official names and links — prefer them over guessing. |
| search_knowledge | Semantic search over BinaSmart's knowledge base: every service (BinaRide, BinaPool shared commute, Bina Airport, hotels, cinema, BinaWatch, insurance, flights, property, cars, tenders), the product rules (fixed fares, what is demo, payments), the 24 Digital Ethiopia guides, and practical Addis Ababa knowledge (neighbourhoods, transport hubs, Ethiopian time and calendar, emergency numbers). Returns the best-matching passages with a source url to cite. Use it before answering any question about BinaSmart, Ethiopia paperwork or getting around Addis; never invent a fare or an official portal name. |
| list_pool_corridors | BinaPool (ጋራ ጉዞ) is BinaSmart's shared commute in Addis Ababa: up to four riders share one Comfort car and pay per seat. Lists the corridors open right now (Megenagna → Bole, CMC → Bole, Megenagna → Kazanchis, Piassa → Kazanchis, Mexico → Kazanchis; inbound until 13:00 Addis time, outbound after) with their stops, the live seat-price ladder (1–4 riders) and cars currently filling. Riders join at https://bina.et/ride?pool=1. |
| find_pool_groups | Cars currently filling within about 2.5 km of a point in Addis Ababa: destination, seats left, seat price, women-only flag, and a share url (https://bina.et/pool/<id>) the rider can open to join. Driver-opened cars at stations are listed first. Requires lat/lng. |