> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://conto.finance/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP Server

> Connect Claude and other AI agents to Conto via Model Context Protocol

## What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol that allows AI agents to connect to external tools and data sources. Conto's MCP server gives Claude and other MCP-compatible agents the ability to manage wallets, make payments, track transactions, and query analytics, with custody-aware policy controls across managed and external-wallet flows.

## MCP vs AI Assistant vs Conto Pay

Conto has three natural-language surfaces. They differ by who acts, how you reach them, and whether they move funds onchain:

| Surface                                            | Who acts                                                                    | Reach it via                      | Auth                              | Onchain execution                                                                                 |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **MCP Server**                                     | Your own external AI agent (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, other MCP clients) | An MCP client wired to your agent | Agent SDK key (`conto_agent_...`) | Yes, with custody-aware policy checks before execution                                            |
| **[AI Assistant](/assistant/overview)** (Conto AI) | You, working in the dashboard                                               | Dashboard chat panel              | Dashboard login                   | No. It configures agents, wallets, and policies. Payments still run through the SDK or agent flow |
| **[Conto Pay](/conto-pay/overview)**               | A Conto-hosted payment agent                                                | Dashboard chat workspace          | Dashboard login                   | Yes, through the normal request, approval, and execution flow                                     |

## Package

Install from npm:

```bash theme={null}
npm install @conto_finance/mcp-server
```

Or run directly with npx:

```bash theme={null}
npx @conto_finance/mcp-server
```

## Quick Start

See [Install MCP server](/mcp/install) for setup instructions covering Claude Desktop (macOS, Windows) and Claude Code (CLI).

## Getting an Agent SDK Key

1. Sign in to [Conto](https://conto.finance)
2. Go to **Agents** and create or select an agent
3. Generate an SDK key from the agent's detail page
4. Use the `conto_agent_...` key as `CONTO_API_KEY`

<Info>
  MCP uses an agent SDK key, not an organization API key. If your backend also provisions agents or
  repairs ownership, use a separate `CONTO_ORG_API_KEY` for that work.
</Info>

## How It Works

1. **User requests an action**: A user asks Claude to make a payment, check balances, or perform another financial operation in natural language.
2. **Policy evaluation**: Claude calls Conto MCP tools. The server evaluates the request against your organization's spending policies (limits, time windows, counterparty rules, etc.).
3. **Execution**: If approved, the action is executed onchain and Claude reports the result with transaction details.

## Environment Variables

The server reads `CONTO_API_KEY` (required) and `CONTO_BASE_URL` (optional). See the
[configuration reference](/mcp/install#configuration-reference) in the install guide for defaults
and details.

## Available Tools

The MCP server exposes tools for payments, wallets, limits, budgets, trust checks, alerts,
analytics, and setup reads. See the [full tools reference](/mcp/tools) for details.

| Category                  | Tools | Description                                    |
| ------------------------- | ----- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Payments                  | 6     | Request, execute, and monitor payments         |
| Wallets and limits        | 3     | Query balances and spending limits             |
| Budget requests           | 2     | Request and check temporary budget increases   |
| Transactions              | 3     | List, fetch, retry transactions                |
| x402 protocol             | 4     | Pre-authorize and track x402 API micropayments |
| MPP protocol              | 4     | Pre-authorize and track MPP payments           |
| Card payments             | 2     | Approve and confirm card transactions          |
| Agent-to-agent            | 6     | Send and manage inter-agent payments           |
| Trust and counterparties  | 4     | Trust scores and counterparty management       |
| Alerts and approvals      | 4     | Manage alerts and pending approval requests    |
| Policies                  | 3     | Read and request policy exceptions             |
| Agent info                | 2     | Get agent profile and full data snapshot       |
| Setup, audit, rate limits | 3     | Bootstrap config, audit log, rate-limit status |
| Analytics                 | 1     | Spending analytics                             |