DefiLlama — DeFi Protocol Metrics

DefiLlama is the canonical free dashboard and API for decentralized finance. TVL (total value locked), protocol tokens, yield aggregators, stablecoins, derivatives, lending markets, DEX volumes — across every major chain and protocol. Used by everyone in crypto. Free, no auth.

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.

Why this matters for AI agents

For DeFi research — comparing yields, tracking TVL flows between protocols, analyzing stablecoin issuance, monitoring liquidations — DefiLlama is the source. The data is normalized across chains (Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, etc.) so cross-chain comparison is sane. Pair with Alpha Vantage or Finnhub for the public-equity intersection (Coinbase, Microstrategy, etc.).

Common flows:

• Protocol TVL. "What's Aave's TVL?" → current TVL with history.
• TVL leaderboard. "Top 20 DeFi protocols by TVL" → rankings.
• Yield search. "Best stablecoin yields right now?" → APY across pools, with volume + risk indicators.
• Stablecoin supply. "USDC supply across chains" → issuance + bridge flows.
• DEX volume. Trading volumes by exchange or pair.

Auth

Free, no auth. DefiLlama is community-supported and welcomes API use; rate limits are gentle.

What's tracked

Common pitfalls

• TVL ≠ protocol value. TVL is the dollar amount of assets deposited. Doesn't reflect protocol revenue, token price, or actual usage. A protocol can have $1B TVL and zero users (sleeping idle deposits).
• Double-counting across chains. A protocol on Ethereum + Arbitrum has TVL on both. DefiLlama mostly handles this but edge cases (assets bridged-then-deposited) can double-count.
• Yield decay. APYs in pools change rapidly. The "current APY" snapshot may not last days. For "expected return" computations, use longer-term averages.
• Risk isn't priced. A 100% APY pool isn't free money — it usually reflects high impermanent-loss risk, smart-contract risk, or token-emission inflation. DefiLlama exposes some risk metrics but agents should report them prominently.
• Stablecoin supply ≠ stable. "Stablecoin" supply tracks token-level supply. Not all stablecoins are equally stable (USDT, USDC ≈ truly stable; algorithmic stables can deviate). Trust depends on issuer and mechanism.
• Bridge data is approximate. Cross-chain flows are tracked via bridge contracts; not every bridge is monitored, and centralized bridges (CEX deposits/withdrawals) are invisible.
• Token prices vary by source. DefiLlama has its own price index. May differ slightly from CoinGecko / CoinMarketCap. For high-precision price work, use a dedicated price feed.

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "defillama": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/defillama/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/defillama/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Defillama data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

More

• Docs and guides
• pipeworx.io

License

MIT