Alby Bitcoin MCP

Name: Alby Bitcoin MCP
Author: Alby

by Alby

Connect Bitcoin Lightning wallet to AI agents for payments and transactions

finance Node.js Intermediate Self-hostable

⭐ 100 stars 📅 Updated: 1mo ago

View on GitHub View package

Description

Connect bitcoin Lightning wallet to AI agents for payments and transactions. Send and receive Lightning payments, manage invoices, check balance, and handle Bitcoin operations through MCP. Powered by Alby's Lightning infrastructure, this server enables AI assistants to interact with the Bitcoin Lightning Network — creating invoices, sending instant payments, decoding payment requests, and tracking transaction history. Ideal for developers building AI agents that need programmatic access to Bitcoin micropayments.

✅ Best for

Developers building AI agents that need Bitcoin Lightning payment capabilities

⏭️ Skip if

You don't work with Bitcoin or prefer on-chain transactions over Lightning

💡 Use cases

Sending and receiving Lightning payments through AI assistants
Creating and managing Bitcoin Lightning invoices via natural language
Checking wallet balance and transaction history from development tools
Building AI agents that can autonomously handle Bitcoin micropayments

👍 Pros

✓ Instant Bitcoin payments via Lightning Network with near-zero fees
✓ Official Alby integration with robust Lightning infrastructure
✓ Simple npx install with Alby account authentication
✓ Enables AI agents to handle real monetary transactions

👎 Cons

✗ Requires an Alby account with a connected Lightning wallet
✗ Lightning Network channels need sufficient liquidity for payments
✗ Real monetary transactions require extra care with security and access control

🔧 Exposed tools (5 tools)

Tool	Category	Description
list_transactions	history	List recent Lightning transactions and their statuses
create_invoice	invoicing	Create a Lightning invoice for receiving payments
send_payment	payments	Send a Lightning payment to a recipient
decode_invoice	utilities	Decode a Lightning invoice to inspect amount and details
check_balance	wallet	Check current wallet balance and available funds

⚡ Installation

Prerequisites:

• Node.js v18+
• Alby account with connected Lightning wallet
• API key required

Check Claude Code documentation to configure this MCP server.

💡 Tips & tricks

Start with small amounts to test payment flows before scaling. Use Alby's testnet configuration for development. Always secure your Alby connection credentials and consider setting spending limits for AI agent operations.

🔄 Alternatives

bitcoin-mcp

MCP server — editorial content pending

Similar functionality

btcmcp