Getting Started with Scottfree Sports #

This guide walks you through buying a Scottfree Sports subscription, receiving your API key, and using it through the available access methods. Basic includes the Scottfree Sports web app and REST API. Premium adds the Python CLI and MCP access for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other compatible assistants. ChatGPT support depends on your ChatGPT plan/workspace supporting custom remote MCP apps/connectors.

Prerequisites #

• A Scottfree Sports subscription (Basic or Premium)
• Modern web browser for the Scottfree Sports web app (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Python 3.11+ if you plan to use the Premium CLI
• Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP-capable assistant if you plan to use the Premium MCP integration

Step 1 — Buy a subscription #

Visit the Scottfree Sports store and choose a plan:

• Scottfree Sports Basic — $39/month, 50,000 requests/month
• Scottfree Sports Premium — $59/month, 200,000 requests/month, priority support

Both Basic and Premium give you access to all 6 sports and all 9 model probability columns through the web app and REST API. Premium adds CLI and MCP workflows. You can optionally add Scottfree Sports Data ($19/month) to refresh historical odds datasets you've purchased.

Step 2 — Receive your welcome email #

After checkout, you'll receive a welcome email containing:

• Your Scottfree Sports API key (starts with sk_alphapysports_...)
• The Scottfree Sports web app URL
• Quick-start links

Your API key is sensitive — treat it like a password. You can rotate it anytime from the Account page in the web app.

Step 3 — Log in to the Scottfree Sports web app #

1. Open the web app URL from your welcome email
2. Click the Settings icon
3. Paste your API key
4. You're in

The web app is the fastest way to start reading predictions. Browse today's games by sport, view model performance summaries, check historical results, and manage your account — all without writing any code.

What you can do in the web app #

• Predictions — today's games across all 6 sports, one view per model
• Results — historical game results with model hit rates
• Summary — 1-week, 4-week, and all-time model performance
• Account — API key management, usage stats, subscription controls
• Scottfree Sports Data — if you're subscribed, trigger dataset refreshes

Step 4 (optional) — Use the REST API directly #

If you prefer to integrate Scottfree Sports into your own tools, the REST API is there. Three authentication methods work:

# Header (recommended)
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  https://sports-api.scottfreellc.com/api/v1/predictions/nba/over_under

# Bearer token
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  https://sports-api.scottfreellc.com/api/v1/predictions/nba/over_under

# Query parameter
curl "https://sports-api.scottfreellc.com/api/v1/predictions/nba/over_under?api_key=YOUR_KEY"

The full endpoint reference is in the API docs.

Step 5 (Premium) — Use the Python CLI #

Install the CLI:

python3 -m pip install --upgrade scottfree-sports-cli

Configure your API key:

sfs config set --api-key YOUR_KEY

Run commands:

# Today's NBA over/under predictions
sfs predictions get nba over_under

# Last week's NFL spread model performance
sfs summary get nfl won_on_spread

# Current MLB odds
sfs odds get mlb

sfs --help lists all 12 command groups and 23 subcommands.

Step 6 (Premium) — Chat with your data in Claude Desktop, Cursor, or another MCP host #

The sfs-mcp server exposes Scottfree Sports as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools. Configure it once and a compatible assistant can answer questions about your data directly.

Claude Desktop setup #

1. Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or the equivalent on your OS
2. Add sfs-mcp to the mcpServers block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sfs": {
      "command": "sfs-mcp",
      "env": {
        "SFS_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop
4. Start a new conversation and ask Claude about your data

Example conversations #

You: Show me tonight's NBA over/under model picks and the supporting research.

Claude: Calls get_daily_brief, get_predictions, get_odds, and get_summary, then explains the model pick, model probability, market-implied probability, and recent model performance.

You: How has the MLB moneyline model been doing lately?

Claude: Calls get_summary and get_results through the MCP and summarizes recent model performance and results history.

You: Show me the current NHL odds for tomorrow's games.

Claude: Calls get_odds through the MCP and lists the games with spreads and totals.

The full MCP tool list (16 public tools) is in the MCP Server Setup. Multi-tool assistant examples are in MCP Workflows, and a Premium research walkthrough is available in the Premium CLI/MCP research demo.

What's included in every subscription #

Every Scottfree Sports Basic and Premium subscription includes:

• All 6 sports: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAAF, NCAAB
• All 9 model probability columns: CatBoost, LightGBM, XGBoost, Random Forest, Extra Trees, Logistic Regression, AI, Implied, Blend
• All 3 prediction targets: over/under, won on spread (ATS), moneyline (won on points)
• Fresh predictions updated daily
• Odds refreshed every 2 hours
• Historical results for backtesting

Troubleshooting #

"Invalid API key" error #

• Copy your key directly from the welcome email — whitespace at the start or end will break it
• Check that your subscription is active (log in to the web app; if your key shows as active there, it's valid)
• If you rotated your key, old keys stop working immediately

Predictions look stale #

Predictions are refreshed daily. Odds are refreshed every 2 hours. If you're seeing data older than that, email support with your API key (redact the secret part) and the timestamp of what you're seeing.

Rate limit errors (429) #

Basic is 50,000 requests per month; Premium is 200,000. If you're hitting the limit, check your usage on the Account page in the web app — you may want to upgrade, or throttle your calling pattern.

MCP not appearing in Claude Desktop #

• Make sure sfs-mcp is installed and on your PATH (which sfs-mcp)
• Check SFS_API_KEY is set in the config — not your shell env
• Fully quit and relaunch Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
• Look at Claude Desktop's MCP logs for startup errors

Support #

• Email: scottfree.analytics@scottfreellc.com
• GitHub Issues: scottfreellc/alphapy-sports

Next steps #

• API Reference
• Pricing
• Sports Coverage

FAQ #

Q: Can I use all access methods with the same API key? A: Yes, for the access methods included in your plan. Basic unlocks the web app and REST API. Premium unlocks the web app, REST API, CLI, and MCP.

Q: How often are predictions updated? A: Once per day for model predictions, every 2 hours for odds.

Q: Can Scottfree Sports place bets for me? A: No. Scottfree Sports provides data and analysis only. You place bets with your own sportsbook.

Q: Does Scottfree Sports guarantee wins? A: No. Sports betting always involves risk. Scottfree Sports provides statistical model predictions — use them to inform your own decisions.

Q: Can I share my API key with teammates? A: Technically you can, but quotas are per key. For team use, contact us about volume pricing.

Q: Can I cancel anytime? A: Yes. Subscriptions are managed through SquareSpace. After a cancellation is processed, Scottfree Sports updates app/API access for that product while preserving any separate products still active under the same email.