Concepts
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.
Try the anonymous demo -> Connect an AI client See live tools
Choose the right surface
| If you want to... | Use | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Give Claude, Cursor, OpenAI, Codex, Gemini, Windsurf, or VS Code live crypto tools | MCP Server | Connect https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp |
| Teach an AI coding agent how to route crypto tasks safely | Agent Skills | Run npx skills add hive-intel/hive-skills |
| Run terminal setup, catalog checks, cron jobs, or JSON pipelines | CLI | Run npx -y -p hive-intelligence@latest hive init --all --browser |
| Call Hive from backend code or serverless jobs | REST API | POST to /api/v1/execute with tool and args |
| Let an agent read Hive docs without scraping HTML | Machine-readable docs | Fetch /llms.txt, /llms-full.txt, /agents.md, or the server card |
| Test before installing | Playground | Run the fixed read-only demo without an account or user-supplied key |
For the canonical setup route, follow Get Started before reading the deeper references.
MCP Server
Use it when Claude, ChatGPT/OpenAI, Grok, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, Windsurf, VS Code, or another Streamable HTTP client needs live crypto tools. Interactive clients should start with the URL alone and complete OAuth; API-key headers are the headless fallback.
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.
The source-backed adapter release candidate is v0.2.0. Publish it before treating npm install hive-mcp-client as a live 0.2.0 install; 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 with the fixed read-only demo—no account or user-supplied key required—then inspect provider, evidence timing, runtime status, and the execution receipt. Bring your own key only for custom tool requests.
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 ashive-mcp-client) lives underclient/.github.com/hive-intel/hive-skills- public installable skills mirror fornpx 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/mcpcovering market data, DeFi protocols, wallets and portfolio, security and risk, DEX flows, NFTs, prediction markets, network infrastructure, and search across 10 categories. - Interactive MCP authentication is URL-only OAuth. Headless agents, REST, CLI, and automation use
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_HIVE_API_KEYfrom secret storage; create a key at /dashboard/keys only for those paths. - Discover the compact root routing layer through MCP
tools/list; readhive://tools, call category endpoints, or useGET /api/v1/toolsfor 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_securityanddetect_rugpullbefore 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 and use the listed remote MCP endpoint and auth shape. Interactive clients should not embed an API key; headless paths should load it from secret storage.
- 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.
| Workflow | Prompt to test | Evidence to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Market data | "Use Hive tools to get the current price of Bitcoin and Ethereum in USD." | Tool call for price data, provider name, fetched_at, and current USD values |
| Token security | "Assess the risks for 0x6B175474E89094C44Da98b954EedeAC495271d0F before a purchase. Show honeypot flags, owner privileges, and a pass/block/escalate outcome." | Security or risk tools, schema-valid chain fields, evidence-backed pass/block/escalate state |
| Wallet analysis | "Summarize vitalik.eth portfolio activity from live Hive wallet tools." | Wallet-resolution or wallet-history calls, bounded output, provider metadata |
| DeFi research | "Find high-TVL DeFi pools on Ethereum or Base and include yield context." | DeFi or yield tools, TVL/yield fields, filters or limits used in the call |
| Prediction markets | "Show current activity for a major Polymarket event using Hive prediction-market tools." | Prediction-market tools, event or market identifiers, runtime status |
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:
- Discover - use root
tools/list,hive://toolsets,hive://tools, category endpoints, orGET /api/v1/tools. - Inspect schema - use
get_api_endpoint_schema, the live catalog, or CLIhive tools infobefore constructing arguments. - Execute bounded calls - pass required arguments, use
limit,page,per_page,cursor, or equivalent controls where available. - Report provenance - include provider/source,
fetched_at, runtime status, and any degraded state in the user-visible answer. - Handle failures - surface
401,429,plan_required,rate_limited,degraded, andfailinginstead 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:
401means the key or auth header is wrong.429means the Hive key is over its current rate window; wait forRetry-Afteror reduce call volume.plan_requiredmeans the tool exists, but the current account or upstream provider state cannot execute it.rate_limited,degraded, andfailingshould be surfaced to the user instead of hidden behind a model-generated answer.
Frequently asked
What is Hive?
Hive gives AI agents one connection for evidence-backed crypto due diligence across 11 normalized provider groups, including live prices, DeFi, wallets, security, derivatives, and long-tail public sources.
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?
For the anonymous demo, nothing. For an interactive MCP client, use the hosted URL and complete OAuth. For REST, CLI, OpenAI Responses API, or other headless automation, create a Hive API key at /dashboard/keys and keep it in server-side secret storage. Per-client install guides document the exact 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: run the anonymous demo, 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