Cardano Node

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables LLMs to interact with a Cardano node by wrapping the cardano-cli / torsten-cli command-line interface. Compatible with both the Haskell cardano-node and Torsten implementations.

Features

• 64 tools covering the full cardano-cli surface area
• Query — chain tip, UTxOs, protocol parameters, stake distribution, governance state, mempool, treasury, constitution, and more
• Transaction — build, sign, submit, view, witness, assemble, calculate fees, compute policy IDs
• Address & Key — generate key pairs, build addresses, compute key hashes
• Stake — registration, delegation, vote delegation certificates
• Stake Pool — key generation, registration/retirement certificates, operational certificates
• Governance — DRep management, voting, governance actions (info, no-confidence, constitution, hard fork, protocol parameter updates, committee updates, treasury withdrawals)
• Node — cold/KES/VRF key generation, operational certificates

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18
• A Cardano CLI binary — either cardano-cli or torsten-cli
• A running Cardano node with an accessible Unix domain socket

Installation

git clone https://github.com/michaeljfazio/cardano-node-mcp.git
cd cardano-node-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

The server is configured via environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
CARDANO_CLI_PATH	cardano-cli	Path to the CLI binary. Set to torsten-cli for Torsten nodes.
CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH	node.sock	Path to the cardano-node Unix domain socket.
CARDANO_TESTNET_MAGIC	(unset = mainnet)	Testnet magic number (e.g., 1 for preprod, 2 for preview).

Usage

Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration (~/.claude/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cardano-node": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/cardano-node-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CARDANO_CLI_PATH": "cardano-cli",
        "CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH": "/path/to/node.sock"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cardano-node": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/cardano-node-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "CARDANO_CLI_PATH": "cardano-cli",
        "CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH": "/path/to/node.sock"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

npm run dev    # Run with auto-reload via tsx
npm run build  # Compile TypeScript
npm start      # Run compiled server

Tools Reference

See docs/tools.md for a complete reference of all 64 tools with their parameters.

Architecture

The server uses a simple architecture:

LLM ↔ MCP (stdio) ↔ cardano-node-mcp-server ↔ cardano-cli/torsten-cli ↔ cardano-node (Unix socket)

Each MCP tool maps to a CLI subcommand. The server:

1. Validates input parameters via Zod schemas
2. Constructs CLI arguments
3. Executes the CLI binary with CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH set
4. Returns stdout as the tool result (or a structured error)

Network and socket configuration are applied globally from environment variables, so individual tool calls don't need to specify them.

License

MIT