bitcoin

bitcoin-mcp provides read-only access to Bitcoin Core data via MCP. It exposes a suite of tools that let MCP clients like Claude Desktop query the current blockchain state, block and transaction details, mempool information, and various analytics without exposing wallet functionality. The server communicates with Bitcoin Core through bitcoin-cli, so you can request real-time blockchain information, block and transaction data, and even generate a 3D representation of blocks based on TX outputs. Use the available tools to build prompts that fetch blockchain metrics, inspect blocks, or analyze transaction patterns, all while preserving a secure read-only posture.

To use the server, ensure your MCP client is configured to connect to the Python MCP server (as described in the installation section). The available tool categories include Blockchain Information, Transaction Information, Analytics, and Configuration. Each tool maps to a specific bitcoin-cli query or a combination of queries implemented in the Python backend. For example, you can query current blockchain status, fetch block data by height or hash, inspect mempool contents, or retrieve historical fee trends. The 3D bitfeed representation tool can generate a visual representation of a block based on its transaction outputs, which helps in visual data exploration within compatible MCP clients.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.10+
• Bitcoin Core node with bitcoin-cli available and properly configured
• Access to clone repository and install Python dependencies

Step-by-step installation:

1. Clone the repository to your Bitcoin Core host:

git clone <repository-url-for-bitcoin-mcp>
cd bitcoin-mcp

2. Create and activate a Python virtual environment (optional but recommended):

python -m venv venv
# Windows
venv\Scripts\activate
# macOS/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

3. Install Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure bitcoin-cli path for the MCP server. Set BITCOIN_CLI_PATH to your bitcoin-cli executable. Example (Windows):

BITCOIN_CLI_PATH=C:\\Program Files\\Bitcoin\\daemon\\bitcoin-cli

5. Start the MCP server to verify installation:

python bitcoin_mcp_server.py

6. Optional: Set up Claude Desktop or your MCP client configuration to point to the server as described below in the configuration snippet.

Environmental and configuration tips:

• The server is read-only by default; wallet-related MCP calls are not exposed. If you enable wallet-related features later, ensure proper security controls.
• By default, the server binds to localhost. If you need remote access, adjust network bindings carefully and consider additional authentication.
• Ensure BITCOIN_CLI_PATH points to the correct bitcoin-cli binary on your system.
• If bitcoin-cli is not found, you will need to install Bitcoin Core and ensure the daemon’s binaries are accessible in your PATH or via the specified path.
• The available tools are implemented to query Bitcoin Core and are exposed through the MCP API. Use descriptive prompts to fetch data efficiently and avoid overly large responses when requesting block data with many transactions.
• When testing locally, you can run: python bitcoin_mcp_server.py to confirm the server loads and can query your connected Bitcoin Core node.