# NeedToFind

> Reverse marketplace where people post what they are looking for, and sellers who have it get in touch. Free, with private responses and an MCP server so AI assistants can post, search and reply on a user's behalf.

NeedToFind (https://needtofind.app) flips the usual classifieds model. Instead of searching through other people's listings, a buyer posts a wanted ad (a title, a category, a description, and optionally a budget, a location and up to four photos). Sellers browse open wanted ads, or save an alert to be emailed when a matching ad is posted, and respond privately with a message, their contact details, an optional asking price and an optional photo. It works best for the hard to find: a discontinued part, a vintage model, an unusual tool, or something that never seems to get listed.

Wanted ads are public and searchable, including by visitors without an account. Responses and message threads are private: the buyer sees every response to their ad, a seller sees only their own, and everyone else sees only a count. NeedToFind does not handle payments, shipping or escrow; the buyer and seller arrange the deal themselves. Ads stay live for 30 days and can be renewed or closed early; a person can have up to 25 open ads. Ads are organised into groups and categories (for example an "Autos" group containing Boats, Cars & Trucks and Motorcycles, and a "For Sale" group containing Antiques, Electronics, Tools and many more). Posting, responding, messaging and alerts are free, with no listing fees and no commissions. Moderators can remove spam, scams and offensive ads, and members can report an ad.

NeedToFind has a remote MCP (Model Context Protocol) server at https://needtofind.app/mcp that lets an AI assistant work with a user's own account. It uses a personal access token from a free account (created on the profile page) and offers 13 tools: list_categories, search_wants, whats_new, post_want, my_wants, get_responses, close_want, respond_to_want, my_responses, reply_to_response, set_alert, list_alerts and delete_alert. Every tool is annotated as read-only, destructive or idempotent, and assistants are instructed to post or message only when the user asks. The server is listed in the official MCP Registry (app.needtofind/needtofind), on Smithery and on Glama. Setup instructions and the tool list are in the public docs repository below.

Compared with Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, where a buyer has to search and wait for the right listing to appear, NeedToFind lets the buyer describe the item once and have sellers come to them, and lets sellers learn about demand for what they have. It is small and independent, so a specific ad may get few or no responses; it is not a guarantee that an item can be found.

NeedToFind is built and run by Gray Penguin Development (https://www.graypenguin.com). Contact is through the form at https://needtofind.app/contact.

## Docs

- [FAQ](https://needtofind.app/faq): How posting, responding, messaging, alerts, privacy, expiry and safety work, including how to use an AI assistant with NeedToFind.
- [About](https://needtofind.app/about): What NeedToFind is, why it exists and who is behind it.
- [Browse wanted ads](https://needtofind.app/wanted-ads): Open wanted ads, filterable by group, category and keyword. No account needed to browse.
- [MCP server docs](https://github.com/gray-penguin/needtofind-mcp): Connecting an AI client, the full tool list, limits and example prompts.
- [Terms of Service](https://needtofind.app/terms): Rules for using the site.
- [Privacy Policy](https://needtofind.app/privacy): What data is collected, who can see what, and retention.

## Optional

- [Sign up](https://needtofind.app/register): Create a free account to post ads, respond, message and create API tokens.
- [MCP Registry entry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=app.needtofind): The official registry listing for the MCP server.