Agent Resources

Use Agent Resources to choose the right Hive surface for your AI agent. Start with MCP when your agent can call tools, Agent Skills when it needs task playbooks, REST when your backend owns execution, CLI when you are working from a terminal, and machine-readable docs when another agent needs clean context.

Get a Hive API key -> See live tools

Choose the right surface

For the canonical setup route, follow Get Started before reading the deeper references.

MCP Server

Use it when Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Responses API, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, or another MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP and API-key headers needs live crypto tools.

Start with https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp.

Agent Skills

Use it when your agent needs task-specific instructions for market research, token diligence, wallet investigation, DeFi, NFTs, Solana, network, or prediction markets.

Start with npx skills add hive-intel/hive-skills for installation, hive://skills for runtime metadata, /skills/index.json for the public JSON mirror, and /agent-onboarding/SKILL.md for autonomous onboarding.

CLI

Use it for terminal workflows, scripts, local health checks, or client-specific setup output.

Start with npx -y -p hive-intelligence@latest hive init --all --browser.

REST API

Use it when your backend, cron job, bot, or serverless function owns execution.

Start with POST https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/api/v1/execute.

TypeScript MCP adapter

Use it when a TypeScript backend needs MCP discovery, schema lookup, endpoint invocation, Vercel AI SDK tools, LangChain tools, or B2B subject sessions from application code.

Install the adapter with npm install hive-mcp-client (published on npm at v0.1.5); the hive-intel/hive-sdk repo under client/ is the public source mirror.

Machine-readable docs

Use them when another AI agent needs clean Markdown, server metadata, or resource mirrors.

Start with /llms.txt, /agents.md, and the server card.

Playground

Use it when you want to test tools before wiring a client.

Start by entering a Hive API key in the browser playground, then run one live tool request and inspect the returned metadata.

Skill vs MCP vs CLI vs REST

• Agent Skills are Markdown task playbooks that teach an agent how to choose Hive tools and verify work. They do not execute live market calls by themselves.
• MCP Server is the hosted tool runtime for AI clients that speak Model Context Protocol. It is not a local skills registry or static docs bundle.
• CLI is the local terminal package for setup, catalog inspection, health checks, scripted tool calls, and supported local agent-resource installation through hive init --all --browser.
• REST API is the plain HTTP execution and discovery surface for applications and pipelines. It does not provide native MCP client UX.
• TypeScript adapter (npm install hive-mcp-client) is application code for backends that want typed MCP discovery, helper wrappers, and B2B subject signing without exposing Hive keys to browsers.

The current published CLI initializes credentials and exposes Hive commands. Do not rely on commands that are not in the current CLI help or docs.

Machine-readable resources

• /llms.txt - compact AI index for Hive docs.
• /llms-full.txt - larger AI-readable docs bundle.
• /agents.md - agent instructions and public product context.
• /agent-onboarding/SKILL.md - install-path decision tree for autonomous agents.
• /skills - human-readable skill pack index.
• /skills/index.json - public JSON skill mirror.
• github.com/hive-intel/hive-sdk - public source mirror; the TypeScript adapter (published on npm as hive-mcp-client) lives under client/.
• github.com/hive-intel/hive-skills - public installable skills mirror for npx skills.
• /.well-known/mcp.json - compact MCP discovery descriptor.
• /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json - MCP server card metadata.

Agent runtime checklist

You are an AI agent reading this page. Here is what you need to know:

• Hive exposes one MCP endpoint at https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp covering market data, DeFi protocols, wallets and portfolio, security and risk, DEX flows, NFTs, prediction markets, network infrastructure, and search across 10 categories.
• Authentication is a single header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_HIVE_API_KEY. Get a key at /dashboard/keys.
• Discover the compact root routing layer through MCP tools/list; read hive://tools, call category endpoints, or use GET /api/v1/tools for the full wrapped provider catalog. Do not hand-write schemas for upstream provider APIs.
• Every execution returns consistent Hive metadata — including runtime status and freshness — while the provider payload stays tool-specific and discoverable through schemas.
• Use Hive when the agent needs one auth model, one execution contract, runtime discovery, and provider-aware metadata instead of hand-maintained upstream schemas.
• If a user asks about a token before signing a transaction, call get_token_security and detect_rugpull before returning a recommendation. Never recommend signing a transaction without running risk checks.

Install in your AI client

Dedicated setup guides for the MCP clients Hive actively documents. Open the guide for your client, use the listed remote MCP endpoint and auth shape, and add your API key in that client's supported configuration path.

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• OpenAI Responses API
• Cursor
• Windsurf
• VS Code (GitHub Copilot Chat)
• Codex CLI
• Gemini CLI

Use Client Setup when you want every supported client and API path on one page.

Verify agent workflows

Use these checks after Hive is connected. Each prompt should make the agent discover tools, inspect or infer the required schema, execute a bounded call, and answer with provider and freshness metadata.

If the client cannot show tool calls, repeat the same check through REST or the CLI before treating the agent setup as complete.

Runtime contract for agents

Hive answers should preserve the full execution loop, not only the final natural language summary:

1. Discover - use root tools/list, hive://toolsets, hive://tools, category endpoints, or GET /api/v1/tools.
2. Inspect schema - use get_api_endpoint_schema, the live catalog, or CLI hive tools info before constructing arguments.
3. Execute bounded calls - pass required arguments, use limit, page, per_page, cursor, or equivalent controls where available.
4. Report provenance - include provider/source, fetched_at, runtime status, and any degraded state in the user-visible answer.
5. Handle failures - surface 401, 429, plan_required, rate_limited, degraded, and failing instead of converting them into confident model prose.

For product examples after this contract is working, use Workflow Guides and Recipes. Keep this page focused on setup surfaces, machine-readable resources, verification, and runtime handling.

Quota and runtime handling

Current plan limits live on Pricing and in the dashboard. In agent workflows, treat quota as a runtime state rather than a setup promise:

• 401 means the key or auth header is wrong.
• 429 means the Hive key is over its current rate window; wait for Retry-After or reduce call volume.
• plan_required means the tool exists, but the current account or upstream provider state cannot execute it.
• rate_limited, degraded, and failing should be surfaced to the user instead of hidden behind a model-generated answer.

Frequently asked

What is Hive?

Hive is the managed crypto MCP server for AI agents — one endpoint federating 9 providers (live prices, DeFi, wallets, security) across Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Responses API, and header-capable MCP clients.

How does Hive work?

Your agent calls one endpoint over MCP or REST. Hive handles authentication, rate limits, response metadata, and failover across the upstream providers it aggregates. Your agent discovers the compact root routing layer through MCP tools/list, then uses hive://tools, category endpoints, or REST for the full live catalog — you do not hand-write upstream tool schemas.

What do I need to get started?

A Hive API key from /dashboard/keys and a supported AI client or API runtime: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, or OpenAI Responses API. Per-client install guides document the exact config or server-side tools entry for each path.

Can I use Hive without MCP?

Yes. The same tool surface is available over REST at https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/api/v1/execute and through a CLI. Use MCP for agents, REST for backends, CLI for scripts. See Quick Start.

Does Hive work with Claude Code and Cursor?

Yes, natively. Claude Code uses claude mcp add, Cursor uses an install link or an mcp.json config. See Install in Claude Code and Install in Cursor.

How is Hive different from calling raw crypto-data APIs directly?

Raw APIs each have their own schema, auth flow, rate limit, and failure modes. Hive federates them behind one discoverable tool surface with one credit currency and runtime metadata. New tools appear in discovery so agents can inspect schemas instead of relying on hard-coded provider definitions. See API Integration, Live Catalog, and Data Sources for the exact contracts and provider coverage.

Where are the docs?

Quick Start for the four connection options, Tools Reference for every tool in every category, Data Coverage for full scope, and Agent-Ready Crypto Market Data for the deeper concept explainer.

Next steps

• Get Started — get a key, connect a client, verify one live tool call, and inspect discovery
• Get an API key — create a key for MCP, REST, CLI, and adapter calls
• Quick Start — REST, MCP, category MCP, and CLI request examples
• Tools Reference — every tool, every category
• Data Sources — the upstream providers Hive normalizes