pinata-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides Claude with access to Pinata. This integration allows Claude to interact with Public and Private IPFS through Pinata's API.

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ installed
• A Pinata account with an API key (JWT)
• A Pinata Gateway URL

Installation

Installation will depend on whether you are using Claude Code or Claude Desktop.

Claude Code

Run claude mcp add and follow the prompts with the following information:

Server Name: pinata
Server Scope: Project or Global
Server Command: npx
Command Arguments: pinata-mcp /path/to/allowed/directory
Environment Variables: PINATA_JWT=<YOUR_JWT>,GATEWAY_URL=example.mypinata.cloud

Claude Desktop

Add the following config to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pinata": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "pinata-mcp",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory",
        "/another/allowed/directory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PINATA_JWT": "<YOUR_JWT>",
        "GATEWAY_URL": "example.mypinata.cloud"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The directory arguments are optional. If not provided, the server will only allow access to the current working directory. You can specify multiple directories to allow file access from multiple locations.

Available Tools

Authentication

Tool	Description
testAuthentication	Verify that your Pinata JWT is valid and working

File Operations

Tool	Description
uploadFile	Upload a file to Pinata (public or private IPFS)
searchFiles	Search files by name, CID, or MIME type
getFileById	Get detailed file information by ID
updateFile	Update file metadata (name, key-values)
deleteFile	Delete a file from Pinata

Content Access

Tool	Description
createLink	Create a gateway link for public or private files
createPrivateDownloadLink	Generate a temporary download link for private files
fetchFromGateway	Fetch content from IPFS via Pinata gateway

Group Operations

Tool	Description
listGroups	List groups with optional filtering
createGroup	Create a new group for organizing files
getGroup	Get group details by ID
updateGroup	Update group information
deleteGroup	Delete a group
addFileToGroup	Add a file to a group
removeFileFromGroup	Remove a file from a group

x402 Payment Instructions

Tools for content monetization using the x402 protocol:

Tool	Description
createPaymentInstruction	Create payment requirements for gated content
listPaymentInstructions	List/filter existing payment instructions
getPaymentInstruction	Get details of a specific payment instruction
updatePaymentInstruction	Modify payment instruction settings
deletePaymentInstruction	Remove a payment instruction
listPaymentInstructionCids	List CIDs associated with a payment instruction
addCidToPaymentInstruction	Associate a CID with a payment instruction
removeCidFromPaymentInstruction	Remove a CID association

CID Signatures

Tools for cryptographic content verification using EIP-712 signatures:

Tool	Description
addSignature	Add a cryptographic signature to a CID
getSignature	Get signature details by CID
deleteSignature	Remove a signature

Signed Upload URLs

Tool	Description
createSignedUploadUrl	Create a presigned URL for client-side uploads

Pin by CID

Tool	Description
pinByCid	Pin an existing CID from the IPFS network
queryPinRequests	Query the status of pin requests
cancelPinRequest	Cancel a pending pin request

Vectorize (AI/Semantic Search)

Tool	Description
vectorizeFile	Vectorize a file for semantic search
deleteFileVectors	Delete vectors for a file
queryVectors	Query vectorized files using semantic search

Utilities

Tool	Description
listAllowedDirectories	List directories the server can access for file operations

Local Development

To test the MCP server locally during development:

1. Clone and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/PinataCloud/pinata-mcp.git
cd pinata-mcp
npm install

2. Build the project

npm run build

3. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root (optional, you can also pass these in the MCP config):

PINATA_JWT=your_pinata_jwt_here
GATEWAY_URL=your-gateway.mypinata.cloud

4. Configure Claude to use the local build

Claude Code

Run claude mcp add with the local path:

Server Name: pinata-dev
Server Scope: Project
Server Command: node
Command Arguments: /path/to/pinata-mcp/dist/index.js /path/to/allowed/directory
Environment Variables: PINATA_JWT=<YOUR_JWT>,GATEWAY_URL=example.mypinata.cloud

Claude Desktop

Update claude_desktop_config.json to point to your local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pinata-dev": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/pinata-mcp/dist/index.js",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PINATA_JWT": "<YOUR_JWT>",
        "GATEWAY_URL": "example.mypinata.cloud"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Testing changes

After making code changes:

1. Rebuild: npm run build
2. Restart Claude Code or Claude Desktop to pick up the changes

Testing with MCP Inspector

Use the MCP Inspector to test the server:

Web UI (interactive debugging)

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector \
  -e PINATA_JWT=your_jwt \
  -e GATEWAY_URL=your-gateway.mypinata.cloud \
  -- node dist/index.js

This opens a browser UI where you can interactively list tools, call them with parameters, and inspect responses.

CLI mode (for scripting/CI)

# List all available tools
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --cli --method tools/list \
  -e PINATA_JWT=your_jwt \
  -e GATEWAY_URL=your-gateway.mypinata.cloud \
  -- node dist/index.js

# Call a specific tool
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --cli --method tools/call \
  --tool-name testAuthentication \
  -e PINATA_JWT=your_jwt \
  -e GATEWAY_URL=your-gateway.mypinata.cloud \
  -- node dist/index.js

Example Prompts for Claude

Test my Pinata connection:
"Test my Pinata authentication to make sure everything is working"

Upload an image to Pinata:
"Upload this image to my Pinata account as a private file named 'My Example Image'"

Search for files:
"Search my Pinata account for all PNG files"

Create a group and add files:
"Create a new group called 'Project Assets' on Pinata, then find all my JSON files and add them to this group"

Fetch content from IPFS:
"Fetch the content with CID QmX... from IPFS"

Create a payment instruction for content monetization:
"Create a payment instruction called 'Premium Content' that requires 0.01 USDC on Base to access"

Pin an existing CID:
"Pin the CID bafkreih5aznjvttude6c3wbvqeebb6rlx5wkbzyppv7garjiubll2ceym4 to my account"

Vectorize files for AI search:
"Vectorize the file with ID abc123 so I can search it semantically"

Query vectorized content:
"Search my vectorized files in group xyz for 'machine learning concepts'"