---
title: Technical Architecture
lastUpdated: '2026-05-30'
nextjs:
  metadata:
    title: Technical Architecture - Hive MCP and REST surfaces
    description: High-level architecture for the Hive server, including root MCP, category endpoints, REST execution, discovery resources, and provider-backed tool routing.
    alternates:
      canonical: https://www.hiveintelligence.xyz/technical-architecture
---


## Overview

The Hive server is structured around a provider-backed tool catalog plus Hive-native stateful tools, with multiple access surfaces layered on top.

{% ai-doc-actions path="/technical-architecture" title="Technical Architecture" /%}

---

## Main Layers

### Wrapped provider catalog

This is the live provider-backed tool surface used by the server runtime.

- **351 wrapped provider tools**
- provider-backed handlers
- shared schema and metadata normalization

### Hive-native stateful layer

This layer adds persistence on top of provider calls.

- **18 Hive-native tools**
- monitor, alert, observation, memory, report, and B2B subject handlers
- subject-scoped state for partner integrations

### Root MCP endpoint

The root `/mcp` endpoint is the recommended AI-facing surface.

- compact discovery-oriented `tools/list`
- resource-based discovery through `hive://tools`, `hive://categories`, `hive://providers`, `hive://toolsets`, `hive://task-canaries`, `hive://skills`, and `hive://status`
- exact tool execution through `invoke_api_endpoint`

### Category-scoped MCP endpoints

These are narrower surfaces built from `toolRegistry.ts`.

- **10 scoped endpoints**
- **351 categorized provider tools**
- direct `tools/list` results by category

### REST API

The REST layer exposes:

- `GET /api/v1/tools` for the full 369-tool callable catalog
- `POST /api/v1/execute` for tool execution
- `GET /api/v1/usage` for plan, credit wallet, and key summary
- `GET|POST|DELETE /api/v1/keys` for dashboard key management
- `GET /api/openapi.json` and `/docs` for OpenAPI documentation
- `/status`, `/api/health/*`, `/live`, `/ready`, and `/startup` for health and canaries

---

## Provider Routing

Requests are routed to provider-specific handlers based on tool metadata.

Current live provider inventory:

- CoinGecko
- Alchemy
- DeFiLlama
- GoPlus
- Codex
- CCXT
- Helius
- Tenderly
- Moralis

---

## Discovery Model

There are two important discovery patterns:

1. Root discovery for task routing, schema lookup, and `invoke_api_endpoint`
2. Category-scoped discovery for smaller, direct tool lists

This distinction is the main reason the docs now separate [Tools Reference](/tools) from [Live Catalog](/tools/live-catalog).

---

## Related

- [API Integration](/api-integration)
- [Tools Reference](/tools)
- [Data Sources](/data-sources)