Install in Your AI Client
Connect Hive to Claude Code
Add Hive to Claude Code and Anthropic's CLI agent gets live crypto data without any wrapper code. One claude mcp add command and you're connected.
Before you start
- Claude Code installed — instructions here.
- A free Hive API key from /dashboard/keys.
30-second setup
Pick one of the two transports below. Option 1 (remote HTTP) is recommended — no Node install, no local wrapper, one command, no manual JSON editing.
Option 1 — Remote HTTP endpoint (recommended)
claude mcp add accepts the auth header inline via -H (alias --header), so you never have to open ~/.claude.json by hand:
claude mcp add --transport http hive https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_HIVE_API_KEY"
Replace YOUR_HIVE_API_KEY with the key from /dashboard/keys. Claude Code writes the config for you and picks up Hive on the next session.
Useful flags:
-s user— install into~/.claude.jsonso Hive is available in every project. Default scope islocal(this repo only).-s projectcommits it to the repo's.mcp.json.-His repeatable if you need more than one header:-H "Authorization: Bearer …" -H "X-Workspace: prod".-t httpmust come before the server name. The positional args are<name> <url>; there is no--urlflag.
Secret hygiene. Your key lands in plaintext in the config file either way, and your shell history will capture the full command. If that's a concern, export the key first and reference it:
export HIVE_API_KEY=…
claude mcp add --transport http hive https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HIVE_API_KEY"
The shell still expands it into the written config, but the raw token stays out of history.
Option 2 — Local stdio wrapper
If you'd rather run Hive as a subprocess (useful when the machine can't reach mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz directly and you route through a corporate proxy at the Node layer):
claude mcp add hive \
--env HIVE_API_KEY=YOUR_HIVE_API_KEY \
-- npx -y hive-intelligence@latest
This requires Node 18+. Everything after -- is the subprocess command, so flags like --env must come before it.
Verify it worked
Start a new Claude Code session and run /mcp — you should see hive in the list with a tool count. Or ask:
"What is the current price of BTC and ETH?"
Claude Code will call Hive's get_price tool. If the tool invocation shows up in the session log, you're connected.
What to ask once connected
Claude Code is especially good at multi-step data flows. Try:
- "Check the top 10 DeFi protocols by TVL, then flag any whose TVL dropped more than 5% in the last 24 hours."
- "Scan the top 50 coins by market cap for any showing >15% price drop today — summarize as a briefing."
- "For this wallet 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045, show every token held, current USD value, and 24h P&L."
- "Run a security check on this token list and tell me which ones are safe to hold."
Claude Code will chain multiple Hive tools together automatically — you don't need to name each one.
Managing the MCP server
List configured MCP servers:
claude mcp list
Remove Hive if you need to:
claude mcp remove hive
Rotate the API key (HTTP transport) — remove and re-add with the new Bearer token:
claude mcp remove hive
claude mcp add --transport http hive https://mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz/mcp \
-H "Authorization: Bearer NEW_HIVE_API_KEY"
Force a fresh stdio install (tool catalog is server-side, so @latest matters only for the local wrapper):
claude mcp remove hive
claude mcp add hive --env HIVE_API_KEY=YOUR_HIVE_API_KEY -- npx -y hive-intelligence@latest
Troubleshooting
HTTP transport — 401 Unauthorized or Authentication failed. The header format matters: -H "Authorization: Bearer <key>" with a literal space after Bearer. Don't wrap the key in quotes inside the header string. Verify the key at /dashboard/keys.
HTTP transport — connection error / timeout. Hive's endpoint is mcp.hiveintelligence.xyz over HTTPS. Corporate firewalls sometimes block it; test on a home network first to isolate. If you must stay behind the proxy, fall back to Option 2 (stdio) and route Node through the proxy.
stdio transport — "hive: command not found" or tool calls fail. Check node --version — the local wrapper requires Node 18+. Upgrade Node and re-run claude mcp add.
stdio transport — "HIVE_API_KEY is invalid". Verify at /dashboard/keys. The key should not contain quotes inside the --env value.
MCP server not listed after add. Run claude mcp list to confirm the entry exists. If it's there but Claude Code doesn't see it in-session, restart your terminal — environment sometimes doesn't propagate until a fresh shell. Scope matters too: a local (default) entry is only visible inside the directory where you ran claude mcp add; install with -s user if you want it globally.
Other clients
- Claude Desktop — GUI version of Claude
- Cursor — if you want IDE-native crypto queries
- All clients — full list
Next steps
- Hive for AI Agents — what Claude Code can build once connected
- CLI Reference — Hive's own CLI for terminal workflows
- Tools Reference — every tool Claude Code can call