Coinbase MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with the Coinbase Advanced Trading API. This repository includes both the MCP server and a Claude Skill for fully autonomous crypto trading.

With this project, AI assistants like Claude can not only check account balances, place trades, and view market data, but also execute automated trading strategies end-to-end via the included autonomous trading agent (/trade Skill).

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⚠️ WARNING: REAL MONEY TRADING ⚠️

This MCP server and the included Autonomous Trading Bot will execute real trades on your Coinbase account if you use them with valid API keys. Your actual funds can be bought, sold, or lost automatically.

Never use this software with funds you cannot afford to lose.

• Always test with dry-run mode first.
• Use read-only or test API keys for development.
• Automated trading is risky and can result in significant financial loss.

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Getting Started

Get from zero to running /trade 10 EUR from BTC in 5 minutes.

1. Get Coinbase API Credentials

1. Go to Coinbase Developer Platform
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Navigate to API Keys → Create API Key
4. Select Trading permissions (read and trade)
5. Download your credentials:
   • API Key Name: organizations/xxx/apiKeys/yyy
   • Private Key: PEM format (starts with -----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----)

Warning: Save your private key immediately. You won't be able to retrieve it again.

2. Clone and Setup

git clone https://github.com/visusnet/coinbase-mcp-server
cd coinbase-mcp-server
npm install

3. Create .env File

Copy the example and fill in your credentials:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env:

COINBASE_API_KEY_NAME=organizations/your-org/apiKeys/your-key-id
COINBASE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----
MHcCAQEEI...your-key-here...
-----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----"

4. Start the Server

npm run build
npm start

You should see: Coinbase MCP Server running on http://localhost:3005/mcp

5. Open Claude Code

claude

The MCP server is automatically configured (via .claude/settings.json in this repo).

6. Start Trading

/trade 10 EUR from BTC dry-run

That's it! The trading agent will analyze the market and show you what trades it would make.

Remove dry-run to execute real trades.

Alternative: Use with npx (without cloning)

If you just want to use the MCP server without the /trade skill or development setup:

1. Install and Run

npx coinbase-mcp-server

2. Set Environment Variables

The server requires Coinbase API credentials. Create a .env file in your current directory:

COINBASE_API_KEY_NAME=organizations/your-org/apiKeys/your-key-id
COINBASE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----
...your-key...
-----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----"
PORT=3005

Or export them in your shell:

export COINBASE_API_KEY_NAME="organizations/your-org/apiKeys/your-key-id"
export COINBASE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----
...your-key...
-----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----"
export PORT=3005

Then start the server:

npx coinbase-mcp-server

3. Configure Claude

Add the MCP server to your Claude settings (e.g., ~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coinbase": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3005/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Now you can use all 74 tools (46 Coinbase API + 24 indicators + 2 analysis + 1 event + 1 market intelligence) and the /coinbase:assist prompt in Claude, but without the autonomous /trade skill.

Features

74 Tools: Trading, Indicators & Analysis

Full access to the Coinbase Advanced Trading API plus a fully autonomous trading skill for Claude:

• Accounts: List accounts, get balances
• Orders: Create, edit, cancel, preview orders
• Products: List trading pairs, get candles (including batch for up to 10 products), order books, market trades, market snapshots
• Portfolios: Create, manage, move funds between portfolios
• Converts: Currency conversion quotes and execution
• Futures & Perpetuals: Position management
• Public Data: No-auth endpoints for market data
• Autonomous Trading Agent (Skill): Automates technical/sentiment analysis and trading decisions via /trade command in Claude
• TOON Output Format: All tools support optional compact format (~35% fewer tokens for list operations)

For a complete list of all trading skill features, see SKILL_FEATURES.md.

Trading Assistant Prompt (/coinbase:assist)

A built-in prompt that provides comprehensive guidance for trading on Coinbase:

/coinbase:assist

What it provides:

• Complete overview of all available tools and capabilities
• Trading best practices and safety guidelines
• Fee considerations and market context
• Recommended workflow for order creation (always preview first)

Autonomous Trading Agent (/trade)

A built-in Claude command that runs an autonomous trading bot:

/trade 10 EUR from BTC
/trade 5 EUR dry-run

What it does:

• Technical analysis: 24 indicators across 6 weighted categories (Momentum 25%, Trend 30%, Volatility 15%, Volume 15%, S/R 10%, Patterns 5%)
• Sentiment analysis (Fear & Greed Index with 7 regions, news search)
• Automatic order execution with preview
• Dynamic ATR-based stop-loss/take-profit
• Attached bracket orders (crash-proof TP/SL via Coinbase API)
• Trailing stop (locks in profits)
• Liquidity check before altcoin entries (spread >0.5%: skip, 0.2-0.5%: reduce to 50%)
• HODL Safe portfolio isolation (protects user holdings via separate portfolio)
• Profit protection (configurable % of gains auto-moved to HODL Safe)
• Event-driven market monitoring (price, volume & indicator conditions)
• Opportunity rebalancing (exit stagnant positions)
• Continuous loop until you stop it

For a complete list of all trading features, see SKILL_FEATURES.md.

Configuration:

Setting	Default	Customizable
Strategy	Aggressive	No
Take-Profit	ATR-based (min 2.5%)	Via ATR
Stop-Loss	ATR-based (2.5-10%)	Via ATR
Trailing Stop	1.5% trail after +3%, min lock-in 1.0%	No
Check Interval	15 minutes	Yes (interval=5m)
Profit Protection	50% of profits moved to HODL Safe	Yes (choose at session start: 0%, 50%, 100%, or custom)
Rebalancing	After 12h if <3% move, delta >40, max loss -2%, cooldown 4h, max 3/day	Yes (no-rebalance, rebalance-delta=50, rebalance-max=2)
Pairs	All SPOT pairs (USD, EUR, USDT)	No

Stop the agent: Press Ctrl+C

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Usage Examples

Natural Language

Just ask Claude:

"What are my account balances?"
"Show me the current BTC-EUR price"
"Buy 0.001 BTC at market price"
"Get the last 24 hours of ETH-EUR candles"

Trading Agent

# Dry run (no real trades)
/trade 10 EUR from BTC dry-run

# Real trading with 10 EUR from your BTC
/trade 10 EUR from BTC

# Trade with EUR balance directly
/trade 5 EUR

# Custom interval (check every 5 minutes)
/trade 10 EUR from BTC interval=5m

# Fast trading (every 60 seconds, dry-run)
/trade 5 EUR interval=60s dry-run

# Continue previous session
/trade continue where you left off

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Development

Project Structure

coinbase-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                 # HTTP server entry point
│   └── server/
│       └── CoinbaseMcpServer.ts # MCP server with 74 tools
├── .claude/
│   ├── settings.json            # MCP server config (auto-loaded)
│   └── commands/
│       └── trade.md             # /trade command definition
├── .env.example                 # Environment template
└── package.json

Scripts

npm start          # Start production server
npm run start:dev  # Start with hot-reload
npm test           # Run tests
npm run lint       # Check code style
npm run build      # Build for production
npm run inspect    # Open MCP Inspector for debugging

Testing with MCP Inspector

Interactive UI

1. Start the server: npm run start:dev
2. In another terminal: npm run inspect
3. Connect to http://localhost:3005/mcp
4. Test any of the 74 tools interactively

CLI

Use the MCP Inspector CLI to call tools directly without the browser UI:

# List all accounts
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --cli node dist/index.js --stdio \
  --method tools/call \
  --tool-name list_accounts

# Get a specific product
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --cli node dist/index.js --stdio \
  --method tools/call \
  --tool-name get_product \
  --tool-arg productId=BTC-EUR

The --stdio flag tells the server to use stdio transport instead of HTTP, which the inspector CLI requires.

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Security

1. Never commit .env - It's in .gitignore
2. Use read-only keys for testing - Create separate keys with minimal permissions
3. Rotate keys regularly
4. Monitor API usage - Check your Coinbase account for unexpected activity

API Rate Limits

• Public endpoints: 10 requests/second
• Private endpoints: 15 requests/second

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Authentication failed"	Check API key and private key format (PEM with newlines)
"Server not responding"	Ensure npm start is running, check .env
"/trade not found"	Restart Claude Code to reload commands
Tools not showing	Verify .claude/settings.json exists, restart Claude

Resources

• Model Context Protocol
• Coinbase Advanced Trade API
• Claude Code

Disclaimer

This software is for educational purposes. Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risk. The autonomous trading agent can and will lose money.

• Start with small amounts
• Use dry-run mode first
• Monitor the agent's decisions
• Never invest more than you can afford to lose

License

MIT