How to сonnect Chainstack MCP server to Claude

What if Claude could check an Ethereum wallet balance, deploy a Solana node, or search Chainstack’s docs — all from a single prompt?

With the Chainstack MCP server, it can. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard by Anthropic that lets Claude talk directly to external tools and APIs. Connect it to Chainstack and your AI assistant gets live access to 70+ blockchain networks, your node infrastructure, and the full Chainstack documentation — without leaving your IDE or chat window.

This guide walks you through setup for Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, and Claude Code.

What is the Chainstack MCP server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard by Anthropic that gives Claude secure, structured access to external tools and APIs.

Chainstack is a blockchain infrastructure provider (RPC nodes for 70+ networks: Ethereum, Solana, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, and more). Chainstack MCP server lets Claude:

• search Chainstack documentation;
• deploy and manage Global or Trader Nodes via the MCP server;
• make direct JSON-RPC calls to Ethereum, Solana, and all other chains available on the platform.

Available tools

No API key required:

API key required (get one at console.chainstack.com/user/settings/api-keys):

Prerequisites

1. Claude account — a paid plan is required for remote MCP via “Custom Connectors”; any plan works for claude_desktop_config.json.
2. Claude Desktop — download at claude.ai/download and sign in with your Anthropic account.
3. Node.js ≥ 18 — required for npx. Check with: node -v.
4. Chainstack account — sign up at console.chainstack.com/user/account/create. Create an API key under Settings → API Keys (shown only once — save it).
5. Optional Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

Where Is claude_desktop_config.json

Quickest way to open it: Claude → Settings → Developer → Edit Config — the file will be created automatically if it doesn’t exist.

Connecting to Claude

A cloud server combining documentation search, platform management, and RPC access. No local installation needed.

Quickest setup

Paste this into Claude Code or Claude Desktop chat:

get mcp.chainstack.com

The agent will open the discovery page and handle all configuration steps automatically.

Option 1: Install as a skill (Claude Code)

A lightweight alternative to full MCP registration — the skill file tells Claude Code how to call Chainstack tools on demand without adding them permanently to context. Best if you don’t need Chainstack tools in every session.

bash

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/chainstack
curl -o ~/.claude/skills/chainstack/SKILL.md https://mcp.chainstack.com/skill

Restart Claude Code or start a new session. Claude will automatically pick up the skill.

Option 2: Register as MCP server

Chainstack tools are always available in context. Use any of the methods below.

Claude Desktop — via mcp-remote

Claude Desktop only supports stdio natively — connect remote HTTP servers using the mcp-remote proxy. Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chainstack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://mcp.chainstack.com/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q on macOS) and relaunch. A 🔨 tools indicator should appear in the chat input area.

Claude.ai / Claude Desktop — via “Custom Connectors”

Go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector and enter: https://mcp.chainstack.com/mcp.

Claude Code CLI

bash

claude mcp add --transport http chainstack https://mcp.chainstack.com/mcp
# Available across all projects:
claude mcp add --transport http chainstack https://mcp.chainstack.com/mcp --scope user
# Verify:
claude mcp list

Passing the Chainstack Platform API key

bash

claude mcp add --transport http chainstack https://mcp.chainstack.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" -s user

Example prompts

EVM:

• “Get the ETH balance of 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045 on Ethereum mainnet.”
• “Trace transaction 0xabc…def and explain what happened step by step.”
• “Simulate this transaction with a modified sender balance.”

Solana:

• “What’s the SOL balance of Gh9ZwEmdLJ8DscKNTkTqPbNwLNNBjuSzaG9Vp2KGtKJr?”
• “Get recent prioritization fees and recommend a priority fee for a swap.”

Documentation:

• “How do I enable the Yellowstone gRPC Geyser plugin on my Chainstack Solana node?”
• “Which chains on Chainstack support Warp transactions?”

Platform operations (unified MCP):

• “Deploy a new Chainstack Global Node on Ethereum mainnet.”
• “Scan my repo for RPC URLs and suggest Chainstack replacements.”

Troubleshooting

Conclusion

Once connected, Chainstack MCP turns Claude into a live blockchain development assistant — you can query on-chain data, deploy and manage nodes, and search Chainstack’s documentation without leaving your IDE or chat interface. The unified server at mcp.chainstack.com/mcp requires no local setup and works across Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, and Claude Code.

For node management and platform operations, grab your API key at console.chainstack.com/user/settings/api-keys — public tools like documentation search and platform status work without one.

FAQ

Related reading

• Chainstack MCP server documentation
• Blockchain RPC nodes for AI agents
• MCP for Web3 builders: Solana, EVM and Documentation
• Migrate blockchain RPC endpoints to Chainstack