Bitcoin MCP

What Bortlesboat/bitcoin-mcp MCP server does

Bortlesboat/bitcoin-mcp MCP server exposes Bitcoin data and operations to MCP-compatible AI clients. Its capabilities cover fee estimation, transaction and block inspection, mempool analysis, mining statistics, network status, address validation, UTXO queries, BTC pricing, and market sentiment. The repository documents 50 standard tools, 6 prompts, and 8 resources.

The server is suited to agents that need current chain information rather than static reference data. For example, an agent can compare confirmation-target fee estimates, inspect a transaction, summarize current network conditions, or determine whether sending now is preferable to waiting for lower fees. The tool list also includes send_raw_transaction, so deployments should account for the consequences of exposing a backend that can broadcast signed transactions.

How it works

Bortlesboat/bitcoin-mcp MCP server uses a Bitcoin data backend. It can connect to a local Bitcoin Core or Knots node by discovering its cookie or using configured RPC settings. The README also supports an explicitly configured compatible remote API through SATOSHI_API_URL; SATOSHI_API_KEY can be supplied when that API requires it.

The agent communicates with the server over the MCP process started by the client. Fee-related tools return rates in satoshis per virtual byte and can compare different confirmation targets. Other tools query chain state, blocks, transactions, mempool entries, mining data, addresses, and UTXOs. Address balance and history tools require a blockchain indexer, so those functions depend on backend capabilities beyond basic node access.

Setup and configuration

Install the current GitHub source with uvx in an MCP client configuration:

{
  "command": "uvx",
  "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/Bortlesboat/bitcoin-mcp.git", "bitcoin-mcp"]
}

The README provides configurations for Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and Zed, as well as a Claude Code command. Docker and Docker Compose are also documented. When running in Docker, pass the backend settings into the container, such as BITCOIN_RPC_HOST, BITCOIN_RPC_PORT, or SATOSHI_API_URL.

The repository states that the public API previously hosted at bitcoinsapi.com is paused and should not be treated as a default endpoint. Configure a local node or a known compatible API instead. It also notes that the current GitHub source contains fixes not present in PyPI release 0.5.1 as of September 7, 2026.

Tools and capabilities

Bortlesboat/bitcoin-mcp MCP server groups its tools into several functional areas:

• Recommend fees, estimate confirmation-target fees, compare fee sources, and estimate transaction costs.
• Analyze blocks and transactions, decode raw transaction hex, inspect UTXOs, and broadcast signed transactions.
• Measure mempool size, fee floor, congestion, transaction entries, and ancestor chains.
• Report mining difficulty, hashrate, block rewards, pool rankings, difficulty changes, and halving timing.
• Inspect chain state, peers, network status, chain tips, throughput, supply, and node health.
• Validate addresses and retrieve address UTXOs; indexed deployments add address balances and transaction histories.
• Retrieve BTC/USD price data, market sentiment, and an aggregated Bitcoin situation summary.

Limitations and notes

A backend is required; installing the MCP package alone does not provide Bitcoin data. Local-node access depends on reachable Bitcoin Core or Knots RPC settings, while remote access depends on a compatible API and any credentials it requires. Indexed address features require a blockchain indexer. The README also distinguishes the current GitHub source from the older PyPI release, so package-source selection matters when configuring a client.

The project is MIT licensed. It is self-hosted software, but using a remote API may introduce separate availability, authentication, or service constraints that are not defined by the MCP server itself.