MCP Server

What @arbitova/mcp-server MCP server does

The @arbitova/mcp-server MCP server gives MCP-compatible agents access to a non-custodial USDC escrow contract on Base Sepolia. It supports the main buyer and seller actions in the escrow lifecycle: creating an escrow, recording delivery, confirming delivery, opening a dispute, cancelling an undelivered escrow after the delivery window, and reading escrow state.

Funds remain in the EscrowV1 smart contract rather than in an Arbitova-operated wallet. The contract address documented for Base Sepolia is 0xA8a031bcaD2f840b451c19db8e43CEAF86a088fC, and the deployment uses Circle USDC on that network. Base mainnet is listed as pending audit and multisig arbiter support.

How it works

The agent connects to a configured Ethereum RPC endpoint and calls the deployed contract directly. Write requests are signed in the local process with ethers v6. The private key is not sent outside the process; omitting it starts read-only introspection mode for observing escrow data.

The supported flow begins when a buyer locks USDC for a seller. The seller can attach delivery information, including an on-chain content hash. The buyer can then confirm the delivery or either party can dispute it. A buyer can cancel when delivery has not occurred within the configured delivery window. Review-window expiry can move an escrow into a disputed state rather than automatically releasing funds.

The MCP package is one integration path for the same contract used by the project’s Node.js and Python SDKs. Arbiter resolution is described in the protocol documentation, but the README’s MCP tool list does not include a resolution tool.

Setup and configuration

Install and run the @arbitova/mcp-server MCP server with the package manager command shown in the project documentation:

npx -y @arbitova/mcp-server

Configure these environment variables in the MCP client:

• ARBITOVA_RPC_URL: RPC endpoint for the target network, shown with https://sepolia.base.org for Base Sepolia.
• ARBITOVA_ESCROW_ADDRESS: deployed EscrowV1 contract address.
• ARBITOVA_USDC_ADDRESS: USDC token contract address.
• ARBITOVA_AGENT_PRIVATE_KEY: optional signing key for transactions.

The documented example uses Claude Desktop configuration, but the package is described as usable with any MCP client. A private key is needed for actions that submit transactions; read-only inspection works without it. The README states that the server requires no API key or registration.

Tools and capabilities

The documented MCP entry points are:

• arbitova_create_escrow to lock USDC for a seller with delivery and review periods.
• arbitova_mark_delivered to record seller delivery and its content hash.
• arbitova_confirm_delivery to confirm delivery and complete the normal release path.
• arbitova_dispute to place an escrow into the dispute flow.
• arbitova_cancel_if_not_delivered to cancel after the delivery window when delivery has not been recorded.
• arbitova_get_escrow to inspect escrow state without a signing key.

Limitations and notes

The documented live deployment is Base Sepolia, not Base mainnet. Transactions require the relevant network assets and can incur the protocol fees described in the repository: 0.5% for confirmation or review-window expiry settlement, and 2% for arbiter dispute resolution. The project says its earlier custodial HTTP-based MCP architecture is deprecated; current integrations should use the non-custodial on-chain design.