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Quick start

Get data (or control a vehicle) in seconds.

  1. Generate an access token. Sign in, then generate a personal access token under Developers → Applications (or create an OAuth application).
  2. Send it as a bearer token. Include Authorization: Bearer <token> and Accept: application/json.
  3. Call an endpoint. Start with vehicle data, then swap in any endpoint from the sidebar.
bash
curl -s "https://teslascope.com/api/vehicle/:public_id" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
bash
curl -s "https://teslascope.com/api/vehicle/:public_id/drives" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
bash
curl -s "https://teslascope.com/api/software/latest" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
bash
curl -s "https://teslascope.com/api/account" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

OAuth 2.0

Authenticated requests send Authorization: Bearer <access_token> and usually Accept: application/json. Each endpoint requires a token that includes the right scopes for that operation; otherwise the API responds with 401 or 403.

Token scopes

Scopes describe what a token is allowed to do on the API. Ask for the minimum you need. The names below are the same strings you pass in scope when authorizing or when creating a personal access token.

  • account Teslascope user profile and account APIs (e.g. GET/POST /api/account and related account security routes). Does not grant Tesla account linkage or vehicle data.
  • tesla-accounts Linked Tesla accounts under the user: list accounts, per-account vehicle listings, add/remove account associations, and refresh operations exposed under /api/account/tesla-*. Independent of drive/charge history and command execution.
  • vehicles Read-oriented vehicle APIs: metadata, drives, charges, trips, locations, and other /api/vehicle/... resources that do not send commands. Required for most vehicle data retrieval; does not include Fleet command pass-through.
  • controls Vehicle command surfaces (including Tesla Fleet API proxy command endpoints). Implies the ability to mutate vehicle state (climate, charging, honk, etc.). Keep separate from read-only vehicles where possible.
  • mcp:use Model Context Protocol (MCP): allows approved AI clients to use MCP tools on the user’s behalf over HTTP, including vehicle reads and remote commands. Does not grant the REST /api/* vehicles or controls scopes documented in this reference.

Register or sign in to create clients and tokens.

API Keys

On endpoints that still support it, send the key only as a query parameter: ?api_key=<your_key>.

Security. Query strings often end up in browser history, analytics, and referrer headers. Treat API keys like passwords: keep them out of public repos, client-side code, and anywhere they could leak.

Compatibility. Only some older-style endpoints accept api_key; many newer paths require a bearer token. If you get 401 despite a valid key, switch to a personal access token with the scopes you need.

Create an account or sign in to issue keys from security settings.

Questions or corrections: [email protected] · Support