Boltwork

mcp-name: io.github.Squidboy30/boltwork-mcp

boltwork-mcp

MCP server for Boltwork — AI services that pay for themselves via Bitcoin Lightning.

Give your AI agent PDF summarisation, code review, translation, web extraction, document comparison, and persistent memory — all paid autonomously in sats. No API keys. No subscriptions. No accounts.

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What this is

Boltwork is a pay-per-call AI services API that uses the L402 protocol — your agent makes a request, receives a Lightning invoice, pays it automatically, and gets the result back. No human involved.

This package wraps Boltwork as an MCP server so any MCP-compatible AI (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) can use it as a tool — with payments handled transparently in the background.

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Try it immediately — no wallet required

Two tools work right now with zero setup:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boltwork": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["boltwork-mcp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Then ask your AI:

"Use trial_review_code to review this: def add(a, b): return a + b"
"Use trial_summarise to summarise this: <paste any text>"

Real AI results instantly. No Lightning wallet. No setup. Rate limited to 5 calls/hour.

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Install

pip install boltwork-mcp

# If using NWC (Alby, Mutiny, Coinos, etc.):
pip install "boltwork-mcp[nwc]"

Or use directly with uvx — no install needed:

uvx boltwork-mcp

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Setup — pick a wallet

Four wallet backends are supported. Pick whichever fits your setup:

Option A — NWC / Nostr Wallet Connect (easiest)

Works with Alby, Mutiny Wallet, Coinos, Primal, Cashu.me, and any NWC-compatible wallet.

1. Get a connection string:
   • Alby — go to nwc.getalby.com, create a budget, copy the string
   • Mutiny — Settings → Connections → Add connection
   • Coinos — coinos.io → Settings → Nostr Wallet Connect
2. Add to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boltwork": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["boltwork-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NWC_CONNECTION_STRING": "nostr+walletconnect://your-string-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires: pip install "boltwork-mcp[nwc]"

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Option B — LNbits

Works with lnbits.com or any self-hosted LNbits instance. Popular with BTCPay Server users and home node operators.

1. Create a wallet at lnbits.com or your instance
2. Go to API info → copy your Invoice/read key

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boltwork": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["boltwork-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LNBITS_URL": "https://lnbits.com",
        "LNBITS_API_KEY": "your-invoice-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For self-hosted: set LNBITS_URL to your instance URL (e.g. https://lnbits.yourdomain.com).

---

Option C — Strike

Works with a Strike account. Custodial, simple API key setup. Good for US users or anyone who already uses Strike.

1. Create an account at strike.me
2. Go to dashboard.strike.me/developers/api-keys → create an API key

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boltwork": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["boltwork-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIKE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Option D — Phoenixd

Works with Phoenixd — ACINQ's self-hosted Lightning node. Simple REST API, no channel management.

1. Install Phoenixd: phoenix.acinq.co/server
2. Get your HTTP password from the Phoenixd config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boltwork": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["boltwork-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PHOENIXD_URL": "http://localhost:9740",
        "PHOENIXD_PASSWORD": "your-password-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

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MCP config locations

Client	Config file
Claude Desktop (macOS)	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Desktop (Windows)	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Cursor	.cursor/mcp.json in your project
Windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

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Available tools

Tool	What it does	Cost
trial_summarise	Summarise text — free trial	Free
trial_review_code	Review code — free trial	Free
summarise_pdf	Summarise a PDF from URL	500 sats
summarise_webpage	Summarise any web page	100 sats
review_code	Full code review with bugs, security, quality	2000 sats
review_code_url	Review code from GitHub/GitLab URL	2000 sats
extract_data	Extract structured data from PDF	200 sats
translate	Translate text or document (24 languages)	150 sats
extract_tables	Extract all tables from a PDF	300 sats
compare_documents	Diff two PDFs	500 sats
explain_code	Explain code in plain English	500 sats
memory_store	Store persistent agent memory	10 sats
memory_retrieve	Retrieve agent memory	5 sats
memory_delete	Delete a memory key	Free
run_workflow	Chain multiple services in one call	1000 sats

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Payment flow

When your agent calls a paid tool:

1. boltwork-mcp calls the Boltwork API
2. Receives HTTP 402 with a Lightning invoice
3. Pays the invoice automatically using your configured wallet
4. Retries the request with the payment proof
5. Returns the result to your agent

Your agent never sees this — it just gets the result.

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Links

• Boltwork API — live API
• Agent spec — full endpoint documentation
• L402 manifest — machine-readable service discovery
• Cracked Minds — by Cracked Minds