MCP Introduction

What is MCP

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol proposed by Anthropic to standardize how AI applications connect to external data sources.

Simply put, MCP enables AI to:

Discover available tools and data sources
Call external tools to perform operations
Understand returned structured data

Traditional vs MCP

Method	Flow
Traditional	User → Write code → Call API → Parse data → Input to AI → Get answer
MCP	User → Natural language question → AI auto-calls tools → Get answer

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
MCP Server	Server providing tools and data, like ChainStream MCP Server
MCP Client	Client using tools, like Claude Desktop, Cursor
Tools	Functions callable by AI, like query balance, analyze wallet
Resources	Data resources accessible by AI

Why MCP Matters

AI Agents Need “Hands and Eyes”

AI large models have powerful reasoning capabilities, but they:

❌ Cannot directly access real-time data
❌ Cannot execute external operations
❌ Have knowledge cutoff dates

MCP solves this by enabling AI to:

✅ Get real-time on-chain data
✅ Call professional tools for analysis
✅ Interact with the external world

AnalogyMCP to AI is like:

Eyes → Let AI see real-time data
Hands → Let AI execute operations
Tools → Let AI use professional capabilities

ChainStream MCP Capabilities

ChainStream MCP Server exposes blockchain data and analysis capabilities to AI applications via the MCP protocol. MCP Endpoint: https://mcp.chainstream.io/mcp

Capability Matrix

ChainStream MCP Server supports all REST API and WebSocket subscription features in API Reference:

Feature	Description
Token Search	Search tokens by name/symbol
Token Info	Get token basic info and metadata
Token Price	Real-time and historical prices
Token Stats	Volume, market cap statistics
Holder Analysis	Holder distribution and top holders
Candlestick Data	OHLCV data for various periods
Market Data	Liquidity, trading pair info
Security Check	Token contract security analysis
Creation Info	Token creator and time
Mint/Burn History	Token minting and burning records
Liquidity Snapshots	Historical liquidity data

Feature	Description
Balance Query	Wallet token balances
PnL Calculation	Profit and loss analysis
Wallet Stats	Transaction count, activity, etc.
Balance History	Balance change records

Feature	Description
Trade History	Get trade records
Trade Activities	Real-time trading activities
Top Traders	Top traders ranking

Feature	Description
Quote Query	Get trade quotes
Route Calculation	Optimal trading path
Swap Execution	Build swap transactions
DEX List	Supported DEX information

Feature	Description
Hot Tokens	Ranking by time period
New Tokens	Newly listed tokens
Final Stretch	Near graduation on Bonding Curve
Migrated	Migrated to DEX

Subscription	Description
Token Candles	Real-time candlestick updates
Token Stats	Real-time statistics
Token Holders	Holder changes
New Tokens	New token creation notifications
Wallet Balance	Real-time balance updates
Wallet Trades	Real-time trade notifications
Liquidity Pools	Pool balance changes

Supported Blockchains

Chain	Identifier	Type	Status
Solana	`sol`	L1	✅
Ethereum	`eth`	L1	✅
BSC	`bsc`	L1	✅

Use lowercase chain identifiers in all MCP tool parameters: sol, eth, bsc.

Supported Platforms

Claude Desktop

Officially supported MCP client with the most complete feature support.

Feature	Status
Tool Calling	✅
Multi-turn Dialog	✅
Streaming Response	✅

// claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chainstream": {
      "url": "https://mcp.chainstream.io/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor IDE

Developer-friendly AI coding assistant with MCP integration.

Feature	Status
Tool Calling	✅
Code Context	✅

// .cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chainstream": {
      "url": "https://mcp.chainstream.io/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Custom Agent

Any client following MCP protocol can integrate.

import { Client } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js';
import { StreamableHTTPClientTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/streamableHttp.js';

const transport = new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(
  new URL('https://mcp.chainstream.io/mcp'),
  {
    requestInit: {
      headers: {
        'X-API-KEY': process.env.CHAINSTREAM_API_KEY
      }
    }
  }
);

const client = new Client({
  name: 'my-agent',
  version: '1.0.0'
});

await client.connect(transport);

// List available tools
const { tools } = await client.listTools();

// Call a tool
const result = await client.callTool({
  name: 'wallets_profile',
  arguments: {
    address: '0x...',
    chain: 'eth'
  }
});

Typical Use Cases

Case 1: AI Research Assistant

Need: Use AI to analyze a specific wallet’s trading behavior

User Question

Analyze the trading style of address 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045

AI Calls Tool

Calls wallets_profile tool

AI Returns Analysis

Based on analysis, this address (Vitalik) characteristics:

Wallet age: Over 5 years
Main holdings: ETH, various ERC-20 Tokens
Trading style: Long-term holding, occasional donations and project support
Active protocols: Uniswap, ENS, Gitcoin
Labels: Core developer, Philanthropist

Case 2: Smart Money Tracking

Need: Track Smart Money large trades

User Question

Which Smart Money addresses have been buying ARB in the last 24 hours?

AI Calls Tool

Calls market_trending tool

AI Returns Results

In the past 24 hours, the following Smart Money addresses bought ARB:

0xabc...123 (Labels: whale, defi_expert)
- Amount: 500,000 ARB
- Value: $450,000
- Time: 2 hours ago
0xdef...456 (Labels: institution)
- Amount: 200,000 ARB
- Value: $180,000
- Time: 5 hours ago

Overall trend: Smart Money net buying ARB

Case 3: Token Security Analysis

Need: Analyze token security

User Question

Help me check if this token 0x... is safe

AI Calls Tool

Calls tokens_analyze tool

AI Returns Results

Token security check results:

Check Item	Result
Contract Verified	✅
No Malicious Functions	✅
Liquidity Locked	✅
Holder Distribution	⚠️ Top 10 hold 45%
Trading Tax	Buy 1% / Sell 1%

Risk Level: Medium (watch holder concentration)

Technical Architecture

Connection Modes

Mode	Endpoint	Best For
Cloud	`https://mcp.chainstream.io/mcp`	Zero setup, always up-to-date
npm stdio	`npx @chainstream-io/mcp`	Local IDE integration (Claude Desktop, Cursor)
npm HTTP	`chainstream-mcp --transport http`	Team servers, cloud deployment

Difference from Traditional API

Feature	Traditional API	MCP
Call Method	HTTP REST	Protocol Standardized
Target User	Developers	AI Models
Parameter Handling	Manual Construction	AI Auto-inference
Error Handling	Status Codes	Semantic Errors
Context	Stateless	Session Context Maintained

Authentication

ChainStream MCP Server authenticates via API Key. Get your key from the ChainStream Dashboard and configure it based on your transport:

Transport	How to Pass API Key
npm package (stdio)	`CHAINSTREAM_API_KEY` environment variable or `--api-key` CLI flag
Cloud endpoint	`X-API-KEY` request header

# Stdio: set env var
export CHAINSTREAM_API_KEY=your-key
chainstream-mcp

# Stdio: or use CLI flag
chainstream-mcp --api-key your-key

API Keys do not expire unless you set an expiration in the Dashboard. No token refresh is needed.

Security Model

Authentication

Both connection modes authenticate via API Key. The npm package reads CHAINSTREAM_API_KEY from the environment. The cloud endpoint accepts the X-API-KEY header.

Tool Safety

Tools are categorized by risk level:

Read-only tools: Token search, wallet profile, market data — safe by default
Trading tools (dex_swap, dex_create_token, transaction_send): Marked as HIGH RISK, MCP clients should require explicit user confirmation

Audit Logs

All tool calls are fully logged and viewable in Dashboard.

Next Steps

Setup Guide

Configure MCP Server in 5 minutes

Tools Catalog

View all available tool details

Data Products

Access Methods

AI Agents

Compliance (KYT/KYA)

Tutorials

Recipes

Platform

Ecosystem

Reference

What is MCP

Traditional vs MCP

Core Concepts

Why MCP Matters

AI Agents Need “Hands and Eyes”

ChainStream MCP Capabilities

Capability Matrix

Supported Blockchains

Supported Platforms

Claude Desktop

Cursor IDE

Custom Agent

Typical Use Cases

Case 1: AI Research Assistant

Case 2: Smart Money Tracking

Case 3: Token Security Analysis

Technical Architecture

Connection Modes

Difference from Traditional API

Authentication

Security Model

Next Steps

Setup Guide

Tools Catalog

​What is MCP

​Traditional vs MCP

​Core Concepts

​Why MCP Matters

​AI Agents Need “Hands and Eyes”

​ChainStream MCP Capabilities

​Capability Matrix

​Supported Blockchains

​Supported Platforms

​Claude Desktop

​Cursor IDE

​Custom Agent

​Typical Use Cases

​Case 1: AI Research Assistant

​Case 2: Smart Money Tracking

​Case 3: Token Security Analysis

​Technical Architecture

​Connection Modes

​Difference from Traditional API

​Authentication

​Security Model

​Next Steps

Setup Guide

Tools Catalog

What is MCP

Traditional vs MCP

Core Concepts

Why MCP Matters

AI Agents Need “Hands and Eyes”

ChainStream MCP Capabilities

Capability Matrix

Supported Blockchains

Supported Platforms

Claude Desktop

Cursor IDE

Custom Agent

Typical Use Cases

Case 1: AI Research Assistant

Case 2: Smart Money Tracking

Case 3: Token Security Analysis

Technical Architecture

Connection Modes

Difference from Traditional API

Authentication

Security Model

Next Steps