Claude Code — MCP Server

Configure the NACHO API MCP server in Claude Code to give Claude direct access to 16 Cardano blockchain tools.

The nacho-api-mcp package is a Model Context Protocol server that gives Claude Code 16 tools for querying live Cardano blockchain data.

Quick setup

Add this to your .claude/settings.json (project-level) or ~/.claude/settings.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nacho-api": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "nacho-api-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NACHO_API_KEY": "napi_your_key_here",
        "NACHO_DEFAULT_NETWORK": "mainnet"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code. The 16 nacho_* tools will be available immediately.

Free account includes a free API key.

Sign up at https://app.nacho.builders — your API key is created automatically. The free tier covers all standard and explorer tools within rate limits.

Environment variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`NACHO_API_KEY`	Yes	—	Your API key (`napi_xxx`). Required for all endpoints.
`NACHO_DEFAULT_NETWORK`	No	`mainnet`	Default network when tools don't specify one (`mainnet` or `preprod`)
`NACHO_API_BASE_URL`	No	`https://api.nacho.builders`	Override for custom deployments

Available tools (16)

Standard tools (free tier key)

Tool	Description
`nacho_get_price`	Current ADA/USD exchange rate
`nacho_get_protocol_params`	Cardano network protocol parameters
`nacho_get_pool_status`	NACHO pool live stats (stake, blocks, delegators)
`nacho_get_pool_info`	Any pool's metadata and fees by pool ID
`nacho_get_stake_account`	Stake account delegation status and rewards
`nacho_get_tx_status`	Transaction confirmation status and block info

Explorer tools (free tier key)

Tool	Description
`nacho_get_network_stats`	Epoch, block height, supply, active stake
`nacho_get_blocks`	Recent blocks with fees and output
`nacho_get_block`	Block details by number or hash
`nacho_get_transaction`	Full transaction with inputs, outputs, tokens
`nacho_get_address`	Address type, balance, token and UTxO counts
`nacho_get_address_utxos`	Address UTxOs with token details
`nacho_get_pool_detail`	Full pool info including relays and owners
`nacho_get_dreps`	Governance DRep list with voting power

Advanced tools

Tool	Description
`nacho_graphql_query`	Run any GraphQL query over the Cardano DB-Sync schema (all tiers)
`nacho_submit_transaction`	Submit a signed Cardano transaction (CBOR hex) — free: 10 tx/hr, paid: unlimited

Example prompts

Once configured, ask Claude Code:

"What's the current ADA price and which epoch are we in?"
"Look up pool NACHO and show me its current fees and active stake"
"Check if transaction abc123...def was confirmed"
"Show me the last 5 blocks on mainnet"
"What tokens does addr1... hold?"

Alternative: global install

If you prefer a permanent global install over npx:

npm install -g nacho-api-mcp

Then use "command": "nacho-api-mcp" without the npx args in your settings.

Testnet

Set NACHO_DEFAULT_NETWORK to preprod to work with the Cardano pre-production testnet (tADA, not real ADA). Individual tools also accept a network parameter to override the default per-call.

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