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MCP Servers Guide

How to set up and use the 6 Model Context Protocol servers — the core technology that connects AI to blockchains.

New to MCP? Don't worry — this guide explains everything from scratch. Also see the Glossary for term definitions.

What Is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard (created by Anthropic) that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources.

The simplest way to understand MCP: Without MCP, AI can only talk about crypto. With MCP, AI can interact with crypto.

Without MCP With MCP
"BNB is probably around $600" "BNB is exactly $623.47 right now"
"You could try swapping on PancakeSwap" Actually executes the swap for you
"I can't check your wallet" "Your wallet has 1.5 BNB and 4 tokens"

Think of MCP like USB for AI — a universal way to plug in new capabilities. Each MCP server exposes "tools" (individual actions the AI can call), and any MCP-compatible AI client can use them.

How MCP Works (Simplified)

 You ask Claude a question
        │
        ▼
 Claude recognizes it needs real data
        │
        ▼
 Claude calls an MCP tool (e.g., "get_balance")
        │
        ▼
 The MCP server handles the request
   (talks to the blockchain, exchange, or API)
        │
        ▼
 Server returns the data to Claude
        │
        ▼
 Claude uses the data to answer you in plain English

This all happens in about 1-2 seconds, completely automatically.

Which AI Assistants Support MCP?

Assistant MCP Support Notes
Claude Desktop ✅ First-class support
Claude Code ✅ CLI-based
GitHub Copilot ✅ Via extensions
Cursor ✅ Built-in
Windsurf ✅ Built-in
ChatGPT ❌ Not yet — use as API with wrapper
Any MCP client ✅ The protocol is open standard

Quick Setup

All MCP servers follow the same pattern:

# 1. Navigate to the server
cd mcp-servers/<server-name>

# 2. Install dependencies
bun install    # or npm install

# 3. Build (if needed)
bun run build  # or npm run build

# 4. Start the server
bun start      # or npm start

Then add it to your AI assistant's config (details for each server below).

Which server should I start with? If you're on BNB Chain, start with BNB Chain MCP (#1 below). If you trade on Binance.com, start with Binance MCP (#2). If you work across many chains, try Universal Crypto MCP (#4).

The 6 Servers

1. BNB Chain MCP

Location: mcp-servers/bnbchain-mcp/ Tools: 466+ Best for: BNB Smart Chain (BSC), opBNB, BNB Greenfield, Sperax Protocol, and 10+ EVM chains

What It Can Do

Category Examples
Token Operations Transfer BNB/BEP-20, check balances, approve tokens
DEX Trading Swap on PancakeSwap, add/remove liquidity
Smart Contracts Deploy, read, write, verify contracts
Chain Data Block info, transaction history, gas prices
BNB Greenfield Upload/download files, manage buckets
Staking Delegate BNB, check rewards, validator info
Market Data CoinGecko prices, OHLCV, trending tokens
DeFi Analytics DefiLlama TVL, yields, fees, protocols
Social Sentiment LunarCrush metrics, influencers, trending
DEX Analytics GeckoTerminal pools, trades, OHLCV
Sperax Protocol USDs, SPA, veSPA, Demeter vaults (72 tools)

Setup

cd mcp-servers/bnbchain-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bnbchain": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nirholas/bnbchain-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PRIVATE_KEY": "your-private-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable Required Description
PRIVATE_KEY For writes Wallet private key (for transactions)
COINGECKO_API_KEY No CoinGecko Pro API key
LUNARCRUSH_API_KEY No LunarCrush social sentiment API key
CRYPTOCOMPARE_API_KEY No CryptoCompare social data API key
COINSTATS_API_KEY No CoinStats API key
UNIVERSAL_CRYPTO_API_KEY No Tatum / Universal Crypto API key
ARBITRUM_RPC_URL No Arbitrum RPC for Sperax module
PORT No HTTP/SSE server port (default: 3001)
LOG_LEVEL No Logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)

Security Note: Never commit private keys. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.

2. Binance Exchange MCP

Location: mcp-servers/binance-mcp/ Tools: 554+ Best for: Trading on Binance.com, portfolio management, market data

What It Can Do

Category Examples
Spot Trading Place orders, cancel orders, order history
Futures Trading Open/close positions, set leverage, funding rates
Margin Trading Borrow, repay, margin transfers
Portfolio Balances, P&L, asset allocation
Market Data Order books, candlesticks, ticker data
Staking & Earn Stake, savings, Launchpool
NFTs Browse, buy, list NFTs
Sub-Accounts Create, manage, transfer between

Setup

cd mcp-servers/binance-mcp
bun install

Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "binance": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nirholas/binance-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "BINANCE_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "BINANCE_SECRET_KEY": "your-secret-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable Required Description
BINANCE_API_KEY Yes Binance API key
BINANCE_SECRET_KEY Yes Binance API secret

3. Binance US MCP

Location: mcp-servers/binance-us-mcp/ Best for: US-based users who need regulatory compliance

Same as Binance MCP but connects to Binance.US servers with US-compliant endpoints. Supports spot trading, staking, and wallet management.

Setup

cd mcp-servers/binance-us-mcp
bun install

4. Universal Crypto MCP

Location: mcp-servers/universal-crypto-mcp/ Tools: 59+ Networks: Best for: Multi-chain DeFi, cross-chain operations

What It Can Do

Category Examples
Multi-Chain DEX Swap on any chain via aggregators
Cross-Chain Bridging Bridge tokens between networks
DeFi Protocols Interact with lending, yield, derivatives
Automated Trading Set up strategies across chains
Portfolio Tracking Unified view across all chains

Supported Networks (Partial List)

BSC, opBNB, Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Avalanche, Fantom, Gnosis, zkSync, Scroll, Linea, Mantle, Celo, Moonbeam, Harmony, Cronos, Aurora, NEAR, Solana, and 40+ more.

5. Agenti

Location: mcp-servers/agenti/ Best for: Simple EVM + Solana access with AI-to-AI payment support

What It Can Do

  • All EVM chains: BSC, Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism
  • Solana network support
  • x402 payment protocol for AI-to-AI transactions
  • Smart contract deployment and interaction

6. UCAI (ABI-to-MCP Generator)

Location: mcp-servers/ucai/ Best for: Converting any smart contract into an MCP server

What It Does

Takes a smart contract's ABI (Application Binary Interface) and automatically generates an MCP server that exposes every contract function as a tool.

# Install
pip install ucai

# Generate an MCP server from a contract ABI
ucai generate --abi ./MyContract.json --chain bsc --output ./my-mcp-server

# Start the generated server
cd my-mcp-server && python server.py

This means you can turn any deployed smart contract into an AI-accessible tool in seconds.

Using Multiple Servers Together

You can run multiple MCP servers simultaneously:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bnbchain": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nirholas/bnbchain-mcp"],
      "env": { "BSC_RPC_URL": "https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org" }
    },
    "binance": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nirholas/binance-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "BINANCE_API_KEY": "your-key",
        "BINANCE_SECRET_KEY": "your-secret"
      }
    },
    "market-data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@nirholas/crypto-market-data"]
    }
  }
}

Now Claude can query BNB Chain, trade on Binance, and fetch market data — all in one conversation.

Example prompt when all three are connected:

"Check the current BNB price, compare it to the 7-day average, and if it's more than 5% below the average, place a limit buy order for 1 BNB on Binance at the current price."

Claude will use the BNB Chain MCP for on-chain data, market data for the 7-day history, and Binance MCP to place the order — all in one response.

Security Best Practices

These are critical if you're using real funds. If you're just exploring, you can skip to the next section.

Practice Why How
Never commit API keys Anyone who finds them can use your accounts Use .env files (already in .gitignore)
Use read-only API keys first Prevents accidental trades while learning In Binance: uncheck "Enable Trading" when creating a key
Set IP restrictions Blocks unauthorized access even if keys leak In Binance API settings: whitelist your IP
Start on testnet Use fake money while learning Set BSC_RPC_URL to a testnet endpoint
Start with small amounts Limit potential losses from bugs or mistakes Don't connect your main wallet until you're confident
Review transactions before confirming AI can make mistakes; you are the final check MCP servers request confirmation for write operations

Full security reference: SECURITY.md

Troubleshooting

Problem Likely Cause Solution
"Connection refused" Server not running Run bun start in the server directory
"Invalid API key" Env var not set or typo Check: echo $BINANCE_API_KEY — is it set?
Claude doesn't show MCP tools Config file error or Claude not restarted Validate JSON in config file, fully restart Claude
"Rate limited" Too many requests Add delays, use caching, or upgrade API plan
"Transaction failed" Insufficient gas or balance Check wallet has enough BNB for gas fees
Server crash on start Missing dependencies Run bun install first, verify Node.js 18+
"CORS error" Server blocking your origin Set CORS_ORIGINS env var — see Troubleshooting

More help: See the full Troubleshooting guide for in-depth solutions.

See Also