Alby MCP Server
Bitcoin Lightning wallet connectivity for AI agents via Nostr Wallet Connect.
Data last scanned today · Reviewed today
Overview
The Alby MCP Server enables AI agents to interact with Bitcoin Lightning wallets using the Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) protocol. It provides deep integration with NWC, LNURL, and L402 standards, leveraging the Alby SDK and Lightning Tools to facilitate payments and wallet operations directly through AI workflows. Users can connect via SSE or HTTP Streamable transports, utilizing Bearer token authentication or NWC query parameters to authorize requests. It supports both remote server connections for platforms like N8N and local installation via npx for integration into environments like the Claude desktop application.
Our verdict
This server carries a high risk level with a security score of 35/100. The primary concern is the lack of a read-only mode, as the server provides full write access to the connected wallet upon installation. Additionally, it is a community-maintained project rather than an official vendor release. Due to the nature of handling financial transactions, users should exercise caution and ensure they understand the NWC permissions they are granting to their AI.
- Supports NWC, LNURL, and L402 protocols
- Uses only 8 direct dependencies
- Active repository with recent commits
- Apache-2.0 open source license
- Lacks a read-only mode for safety
- Community-maintained without official vendor oversight
- No OAuth support detected
Setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"getalby-mcp": {
"args": [
"-y",
"@getalby/mcp"
],
"command": "npx"
}
}
}Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows), then restart Claude Desktop. Some servers require API keys or tokens as environment variables — check the project's README and add an "env" object if needed.
- No read-only mode — running this grants full read/write access.
Compatibility
| Client | Local | Docker | Remote | Read-only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | ||||
| Cursor | ||||
| VS Code | ||||
| Windsurf | ||||
| ChatGPT |
Frequently asked questions
›What authentication method does the Alby MCP server require?
The server requires a Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) connection secret. You can provide this via Bearer authentication or as a query parameter in the endpoint URL.
›How do I encode my NWC connection secret for use in a query parameter?
You can encode your secret using your browser's developer console by entering the command encodeURIComponent("nostr+walletconnect://...") and replacing your secret in the URL with the output.
›Are there specific subscription requirements to use the remote Alby MCP server with Claude?
Yes, connecting to remote MCP servers with Claude currently requires at least a Claude Pro subscription.
›Can I run the Alby MCP server locally?
Yes, you can run the server locally by adding it to your configuration file (such as claude_desktop_config.json) using the npx command and setting the NWC_CONNECTION_STRING environment variable.
›What protocols does the Alby MCP server support?
The server has built-in knowledge of Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC), LNURL, and L402 protocols via the Alby SDK and Lightning Tools.
›What should I do if my AI agent does not support the MCP protocol?
If your agent does not support MCP, you should check the Alby CLI repository as an alternative way to interact with your Bitcoin Lightning wallet.
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