GetAlby MCP

What getAlby/mcp MCP server does

The getAlby/mcp MCP server gives an MCP-compatible agent access to a Bitcoin Lightning wallet through Nostr Wallet Connect. The wallet connection is represented by an NWC connection string, typically beginning with nostr+walletconnect://. With a compatible wallet and client, agents can send and receive instant Lightning payments.

The project also includes knowledge of NWC, LNURL, and L402. These capabilities are implemented with the Alby JavaScript SDK and Alby Lightning Tools. The repository uses the official MCP TypeScript SDK.

Reach for the getAlby/mcp MCP server when an agent needs wallet-backed Lightning payment operations rather than general Bitcoin information. The wallet itself must support NWC, and the connection secret must be available to the server or remote endpoint.

How it works

In its default local mode, the server communicates with an MCP client over STDIO. The npm package can be launched with npx -y @getalby/mcp, while the wallet credential is passed through NWC_CONNECTION_STRING.

The project also supports an HTTP mode. Setting MODE=HTTP enables Streamable HTTP at http://localhost:3000/mcp and SSE at http://localhost:3000/sse; the README marks SSE as deprecated. Alby provides hosted endpoints at https://mcp.getalby.com/mcp and https://mcp.getalby.com/sse for clients that support remote MCP connections.

Remote requests authenticate with the NWC connection secret as a Bearer token. Clients that cannot set bearer authentication can pass the encoded secret in the nwc query parameter instead. Treat this value as a wallet credential.

Setup and configuration

For local use, install Node.js 20 or newer, then run the package through a client’s MCP configuration. The documented STDIO configuration sets NWC_CONNECTION_STRING to the complete NWC connection string. When working from source, install dependencies with Yarn, build with yarn build, and create .env from .env.example with the wallet connection string.

The hosted service avoids a local build. Configure the client with the hosted MCP or SSE URL and provide the NWC secret using the supported authentication method. The README includes setup instructions for Claude, Goose, Cline, N8N, Windsurf, and other MCP-capable environments.

Tools and capabilities

The getAlby/mcp MCP server exposes wallet-related MCP tools from the repository’s src/tools directory. The supported payment scope includes sending and receiving Lightning payments. Its documented protocol knowledge covers:

• Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC)
• LNURL
• L402
• Bitcoin Lightning wallet connections

The repository also provides a yarn inspect command for inspecting or testing the available tools without connecting an LLM.

Limitations and notes

A valid connection string from an NWC-compatible Lightning wallet is required. Connection failures can result from an incomplete or incorrectly copied secret, including spaces in the value.

Remote MCP support depends on the client. The README notes that connecting remote MCP servers in Claude currently requires at least a Claude Pro subscription. HTTP mode requires bearer authorization, and the hosted service requires the wallet’s NWC secret.

The project’s troubleshooting guidance recommends using a capable model, such as Claude Sonnet 3.7, for reliable MCP operation. SSE is available in the documented modes but is marked deprecated for the local HTTP mode.