About hummingbot
MCP Hummingbot Server is an MCP server that lets Claude and Gemini CLI interact with Hummingbot for automated cryptocurrency trading across multiple exchanges. It is aimed at users who want to manage trading bots through an AI client and can run through uv or Docker.
Key features
- 01Server connection view and update through configure_server
- 02Account and connector setup with balance queries
- 03Order placement, position management and market data
- 04Funding rate queries and bot deployment management
- 05Local uv setup or Docker deployment
Use cases
- 01Checking balances across several exchanges from Claude Code
- 02Deploying and managing trading bots through an AI client
- 03Running alongside the Hummingbot API on a cloud server with Docker Compose
MCP support
This project is an MCP server that runs over stdio and provides tools for interacting with the Hummingbot API to clients such as Claude Code and Gemini CLI.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
docker run -i --rm -e HUMMINGBOT_API_URL -e HUMMINGBOT_USERNAME -e HUMMINGBOT_PASSWORD docker.io/hummingbot/hummingbot-mcp:0.1.0HUMMINGBOT_API_URLBase URL of the Hummingbot API (e.g., http://host.docker.internal:8820 or http://localhost:8000)HUMMINGBOT_USERNAMESecretHummingbot API usernameHUMMINGBOT_PASSWORDSecretHummingbot API passwordLocal servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEMCP Hummingbot Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables Claude and Gemini CLI to interact with Hummingbot for automated cryptocurrency trading across multiple exchanges.
Installation & Configuration
Option 1: Using uv (Recommended for Development)
-
Install uv (if not already installed):
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh -
Clone and install dependencies:
git clone https://github.com/hummingbot/mcp cd mcp uv sync -
Create a .env file:
cp .env.example .env -
Edit the .env file with your Hummingbot API credentials:
HUMMINGBOT_API_URL=http://localhost:8000 HUMMINGBOT_USERNAME=admin HUMMINGBOT_PASSWORD=admin -
Configure in Claude Code or Gemini CLI:
{ "mcpServers": { "hummingbot-mcp": { "type": "stdio", "command": "uv", "args": [ "--directory", "/path/to/mcp", "run", "main.py" ] } } }Note: Make sure to replace
/path/to/mcpwith the actual path to your MCP directory.
Option 2: Using Docker (Recommended for Production)
-
Create a .env file:
touch .env -
Edit the .env file with your Hummingbot API credentials:
HUMMINGBOT_API_URL=http://localhost:8000 HUMMINGBOT_USERNAME=admin HUMMINGBOT_PASSWORD=adminImportant: When running the MCP server in Docker and connecting to a Hummingbot API on your host:
- Linux: Use
--network host(see below) to allow the container to accesslocalhost:8000 - Mac/Windows: Change
HUMMINGBOT_API_URLtohttp://host.docker.internal:8000
- Linux: Use
-
Pull the Docker image:
docker pull hummingbot/hummingbot-mcp:latest -
Configure in Claude Code or Gemini CLI:
For Linux (using --network host):
{ "mcpServers": { "hummingbot-mcp": { "type": "stdio", "command": "docker", "args": [ "run", "--rm", "-i", "--network", "host", "--env-file", "/path/to/mcp/.env", "-v", "$HOME/.hummingbot_mcp:/root/.hummingbot_mcp", "hummingbot/hummingbot-mcp:latest" ] } } }For Mac/Windows:
{ "mcpServers": { "hummingbot-mcp": { "type": "stdio", "command": "docker", "args": [ "run", "--rm", "-i", "--env-file", "/path/to/mcp/.env", "-v", "$HOME/.hummingbot_mcp:/root/.hummingbot_mcp", "hummingbot/hummingbot-mcp:latest" ] } } }(Remember to set
HUMMINGBOT_API_URL=http://host.docker.internal:8000in your.envfile)Note: Make sure to replace
/path/to/mcpwith the actual path to your MCP directory.
Cloud Deployment with Docker Compose
For cloud deployment where both Hummingbot API and MCP server run on the same server:
-
Create a .env file:
touch .env -
Edit the .env file with your Hummingbot API credentials:
HUMMINGBOT_API_URL=http://localhost:8000 HUMMINGBOT_USERNAME=admin HUMMINGBOT_PASSWORD=admin -
Create a docker-compose.yml:
services: hummingbot-api: container_name: hummingbot-api image: hummingbot/hummingbot-api:latest ports: - "8000:8000" volumes: - ./bots:/hummingbot-api/bots - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock environment: - USERNAME=admin - PASSWORD=admin - BROKER_HOST=emqx - DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://hbot:hummingbot-api@postgres:5432/hummingbot_api networks: - emqx-bridge depends_on: - postgres mcp-server: container_name: hummingbot-mcp image: hummingbot/hummingbot-mcp:latest stdin_open: true tty: true env_file: - .env environment: - HUMMINGBOT_API_URL=http://hummingbot-api:8000 depends_on: - hummingbot-api networks: - emqx-bridge # Include other services from hummingbot-api docker-compose.yml as needed emqx: container_name: hummingbot-broker image: emqx:5 restart: unless-stopped environment: - EMQX_NAME=emqx - EMQX_HOST=node1.emqx.local - EMQX_CLUSTER__DISCOVERY_STRATEGY=static - EMQX_CLUSTER__STATIC__SEEDS=[[email protected]] - EMQX_LOADED_PLUGINS="emqx_recon,emqx_retainer,emqx_management,emqx_dashboard" volumes: - emqx-data:/opt/emqx/data - emqx-log:/opt/emqx/log - emqx-etc:/opt/emqx/etc ports: - "1883:1883" - "8883:8883" - "8083:8083" - "8084:8084" - "8081:8081" - "18083:18083" - "61613:61613" networks: emqx-bridge: aliases: - node1.emqx.local healthcheck: test: [ "CMD", "/opt/emqx/bin/emqx_ctl", "status" ] interval: 5s timeout: 25s retries: 5 postgres: container_name: hummingbot-postgres image: postgres:15 restart: unless-stopped environment: - POSTGRES_DB=hummingbot_api - POSTGRES_USER=hbot - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=hummingbot-api volumes: - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data ports: - "5432:5432" networks: - emqx-bridge healthcheck: test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U hbot -d hummingbot_api"] interval: 10s timeout: 5s retries: 5 networks: emqx-bridge: driver: bridge volumes: emqx-data: { } emqx-log: { } emqx-etc: { } postgres-data: { } -
Deploy:
docker compose up -d -
Configure in Claude Code or Gemini CLI to connect to existing container:
{ "mcpServers": { "hummingbot-mcp": { "type": "stdio", "command": "docker", "args": [ "exec", "-i", "hummingbot-mcp", "uv", "run", "main.py" ] } } }Note: Replace
hummingbot-mcpwith your actual container name. You can find the container name by running:docker ps
Server Configuration
On first run, the server creates a default configuration from environment variables (or uses http://localhost:8000 with default credentials). Configuration is stored in ~/.hummingbot_mcp/server.yml.
Using the configure_server Tool
# Show the current server configuration
configure_server()
# Update the host and port
configure_server(host="192.168.1.100", port=8001)
# Update credentials
configure_server(username="admin", password="secure_password")
# Update everything at once
configure_server(
name="production",
host="prod-server",
port=8000,
username="admin",
password="secure_password"
)
Only the provided parameters are changed; omitted ones keep their current values. The client automatically reconnects after any update.
Environment Variables
The following environment variables can be set in your .env file for the MCP server:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
HUMMINGBOT_API_URL | http://localhost:8000 | Initial default API server URL (used only on first run) |
HUMMINGBOT_USERNAME | admin | Initial username (used only on first run) |
HUMMINGBOT_PASSWORD | admin | Initial password (used only on first run) |
HUMMINGBOT_TIMEOUT | 30.0 | Connection timeout in seconds |
HUMMINGBOT_MAX_RETRIES | 3 | Maximum number of retry attempts |
HUMMINGBOT_RETRY_DELAY | 2.0 | Delay between retries in seconds |
HUMMINGBOT_LOG_LEVEL | INFO | Logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL) |
Note: After initial setup, use the configure_server tool to update the server connection. Environment variables are only used to create the initial default configuration.
Requirements
- Python 3.11+
- Running Hummingbot API server
- Valid Hummingbot API credentials
Available Tools
The MCP server provides tools for:
Server Management
- configure_server: View or update the active Hummingbot API server connection
- No parameters: show current server config
- Any parameters: update and reconnect
- Configuration persists in
~/.hummingbot_mcp/server.yml
Trading & Account Management
- Account management and connector setup
- Portfolio balances and distribution
- Order placement and management
- Position management
- Market data (prices, order books, candles)
- Funding rates
- Bot deployment and management
- Controller configuration
Development
To run the server in development mode:
uv run main.py
To run tests:
uv run pytest
Troubleshooting
The MCP server now provides comprehensive error messages to help diagnose connection and authentication issues:
Connection Errors
If you see error messages like:
❌ Cannot reach Hummingbot API at <url>- The API server is not running or not accessible❌ Authentication failed when connecting to Hummingbot API- Incorrect username or password❌ Failed to connect to Hummingbot API- Generic connection failure
The error messages will include:
- The exact URL being used
- Your configured username (password is masked)
- Specific suggestions on how to fix the issue
- References to tools like
configure_server
Common Solutions
-
API Not Running:
- Ensure your Hummingbot API server is running
- Verify the API is accessible at the configured URL
-
Wrong Credentials:
- Use
configure_servertool to update server credentials - Or check your
.envfile configuration
- Use
-
Wrong URL:
- Use
configure_servertool to update the server URL - For Docker on Mac/Windows, use
host.docker.internalinstead oflocalhost
- Use
-
Docker Network Issues:
- On Linux, use
--network hostin your Docker configuration - On Mac/Windows, use
host.docker.internal:8000as the API URL
- On Linux, use
Error Prevention
The MCP server will:
- Not retry on authentication failures (401 errors) - it will immediately tell you the credentials are wrong
- Retry on connection failures with helpful messages about what might be wrong
- Provide context about whether you're running in Docker and suggest appropriate fixes
- Guide you to the right tools (
configure_server) to fix issues
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.