/base-mcp

title: "Base MCP Skill"
description: "Base MCP — gives your AI assistant access to a Base Account via the Base MCP server (wallet-mcp.coinbase.com). Wallet, portfolio, sending, swapping, signing, x402 payments, batched contract calls, and transaction history across supported chains."
name: base-mcp
version: 0.1.0

Base MCP

> **Deprecated:** this skill has been renamed to `wallet-mcp`. Install with `npx skills add base/skills --skill wallet-mcp`. This copy still works and will be removed later.

> [!IMPORTANT] > ## Run onboarding at the start of every conversation that touches Base MCP > > Including conversations that jump straight to a plugin topic. Onboarding is short — see below.

Detection

The Base MCP exposes its tools to the harness when connected. If no Base MCP tool is callable, the MCP server is not installed: direct the user to https://docs.cdp.coinbase.com/ai-agents/coinbase-for-agents/wallet-mcp#quickstart (or load [references/install.md](references/install.md) for app-specific steps) and stop.

If Base MCP tools are available, load [references/tone.md](references/tone.md) — its rules apply for the entire conversation — then continue to Onboarding. If — and only if — sibling files aren't readable (e.g. you were handed just this `SKILL.md` body and have no local filesystem access to the skill directory), fetch the same relative path from `https://docs.cdp.coinbase.com/coinbase-for-agents/wallet-mcp/references/tone.md` using the `web_request` tool from Base MCP. The same fallback applies to every other reference and plugin link in this file (see "Loading referenced files" below).

Onboarding

Keep it short. Do this once per session, before doing real work:

1. **Briefly mention what's available** — one or two sentences. The user has a Base Account wallet and can do things like check balances, send and swap tokens, sign messages, make x402 payments, batch contract calls, and (if installed) use third-party plugins for DeFi, swaps, and other onchain actions. Do not enumerate every tool — the agent discovers tools and plugins directly from the MCP.

2. **Show this disclaimer verbatim** before proceeding:

> By using the Base MCP, you agree to the [Base Account and Base App Terms of Service](https://wallet.coinbase.com/terms-of-service). Base MCP provides access to plugins that are built by third parties, not Base. Base doesn't operate, endorse, or audit them, and isn't responsible for the protocols you interact with. Transactions are irreversible — always review before approving.

3. **Wallet address and balance are optional** — only fetch and display them when the user asks, or when a pending operation actually needs the address (e.g., a write call, a position lookup). Don't volunteer a wallet dump up front.

Tools

The Base MCP advertises its own tool catalog to the harness. Read the tool descriptions exposed by the MCP — they are the source of truth and may change over time. Do not assume a fixed list; do not preload a tool catalog from this skill.

Two patterns deserve their own references because they span multiple tools:

| Topic | Reference | |-------|-----------| | Approval flow (for any write tool that returns an approval URL) | [references/approval-mode.md](references/approval-mode.md) | | Batched contract calls (EIP-5792) | [references/batch-calls.md](references/batch-calls.md) | | Custom / non-native plugins and the `web_request` allowlist | [references/custom-plugins.md](references/custom-plugins.md) | | Platform install steps | [references/install.md](references/install.md) | | Tone and language rules | [references/tone.md](references/tone.md) |

Loading referenced files

• **Default — local.** Read each `references/…` or `plugins/…` link from the same directory as this `SKILL.md` (filesystem read, e.g. `Read`/`cat`). This is the canonical source — always try this first.
• **Fallback — web (only when local read fails).** If — and only if — the local file is genuinely unreadable (e.g. you were handed `SKILL.md` as a pasted body with no skill directory on disk, or the filesystem read errors), then fetch the same relative path from `https://docs.cdp.coinbase.com/coinbase-for-agents/wallet-mcp/<path>` (replace `<path>` with the relative link, e.g. `references/tone.md`, `plugins/morpho.md`). Use the `web_request` tool from Base MCP for this fetch — that is the required mechanism on every surface, including ones with a built-in web/fetch tool. Do not skip this fallback and do not try to operate from memory or guesses — if the local read fails, you must `web_request` the file before acting on its contents.
• **Lazy.** Only load a reference or plugin when the conversation actually needs it. Don't preload the catalog.

Plugins

Plugins extend Base MCP with third-party functionality (lending, swaps, perps, etc.). Each plugin is a separate third-party service that Base does not operate, endorse, or audit. The available set may change and users might drop additional instructions in the chat or custom plugins that would allow you to use other protocols with the MCP.

Routing rule — name-gated, never auto-routed

Open a plugin **only** when the user names that specific third-party platform (e.g. "swap on Uniswap", "lend on Moonwell", "buy a gift card on Bitrefill") or otherwise unambiguously points to it. Never infer a platform from a bare capability — choosing one third-party service over another is the user's decision, not yours.

If the user asks for a capability **without** naming a platform — "swap some USDC", "earn yield", "launch a token", "buy a gift card" — do **not** pick a plugin for them. Instead, list the plugins from the table below that cover that capability (and mention any native Base MCP tool that also does, e.g. the built-in `swap`), then let the user choose. Only after the user names a platform do you open its plugin and act.

Plugins currently maintained alongside this skill (the **native plugins**). Use the table two ways: (a)