/blockrun-setup

name: blockrun-setup
description: "Use when asked to install, add, configure, or set up the BlockRun MCP server (@blockrun/mcp) in Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, Grok or another MCP client — including first-run wallet creation, funding with USDC, choosing a tool profile, and proving the install works. Also use when a fresh install 'doesn't show up' or a user asks how to pay for calls."
triggers:
  - "install blockrun"
  - "add blockrun mcp"
  - "set up blockrun"
  - "blockrun setup"
  - "claude mcp add blockrun"
  - "grok mcp add blockrun"
  - "blockrun unavailable"
  - "mcp server timed out"
  - "@blockrun/mcp"
  - "fund my blockrun wallet"
  - "how do I pay for blockrun"
  - "blockrun profile"

Installing BlockRun MCP

One command per client, then one tool call to see the wallet. Do it in this order; the PATH step is the one people skip and then spend an hour on.

1. Check Node first

node -v      # must print v20.19 or newer
which npx

If `node` is from **nvm, Homebrew, fnm, volta or asdf**, assume the client's launcher will NOT find it. GUI-launched apps and Claude Code's MCP spawner do not source your shell profile. The fix is to pass your shell's PATH through at install time — not to pin `nvm alias default`, not to edit `.zshrc`, not to symlink node into `/usr/local/bin`.

2. Install — pick the client

**Claude Code** (recommended; `-s user` = every project):

claude mcp add blockrun -s user -e PATH="$PATH" -- npx -y @blockrun/mcp@latest

The `--` matters: it stops `-y` being parsed by `claude mcp add`. The `-e PATH="$PATH"` is the nvm/Homebrew fix from step 1; it is harmless on a system Node, so always include it.

**Codex CLI** (`--env` is Codex's equivalent of `-e`; config lands in `~/.codex/config.toml`):

codex mcp add blockrun --env PATH="$PATH" -- npx -y @blockrun/mcp@latest

**Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf** — JSON, in the client's MCP config file:

{ "mcpServers": { "blockrun": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@blockrun/mcp@latest"] } } }

| Client | File | |---|---| | Claude Desktop | `claude_desktop_config.json` (Settings → Developer → Edit Config) | | Cursor | `~/.cursor/mcp.json` · Windows `%APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json` | | Windsurf | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` · Linux `~/.config/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` |

For a JSON client with nvm/Homebrew Node, put the absolute `npx` path (`which npx`) in `command` — there is no `-e PATH` equivalent there.

**Grok** — raise the startup timeout BEFORE the first run. Grok waits `startup_timeout_sec` (default **30**) for the server to answer, and a cold `npx -y` has to download this package and its dependencies first: measured 17s on a fast connection, 42-46s on a slower box. Lose that race and the UI says `blockrun [unavailable]` for an install that is merely still downloading. In `~/.grok/config.toml`:

[mcp_servers.blockrun]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@blockrun/mcp@latest"]
enabled = true
startup_timeout_sec = 120

Or sidestep it: `npm install -g @blockrun/mcp@latest` then `grok mcp add blockrun -- blockrun-mcp`, which launches an already-installed binary. Only the first run is slow either way — npx caches by exact spec.

**Optional flags** (append after `@latest`): `--profile trading|research|media|chat` exposes a smaller tool set so the client loads fewer schemas. Omit for all <!-- br:mcp.tools -->19<!-- /br:mcp.tools --> tools.

**Optional env** (`-e KEY=value` on Claude Code, `"env": {}` in JSON): `BLOCKRUN_CONFIRM_SPEND=on` asks before each paid call on clients that support MCP elicitation; `BLOCKRUN_CONFIRM_THRESHOLD=0.05` limits that to calls above $0.05; `BLOCKRUN_BUDGET_LIMIT=5` hard-caps the process at $5.

3. Restart, then prove it

Restart the client — for Claude Code that means quit and relaunch `claude`; a running session does not pick up a new server. Then:

claude mcp list        # expect:  blockrun: npx -y @blockrun/mcp@latest - ✓ Connected
claude mcp get blockrun  # confirms the scope and that PATH / any -e vars were captured

Inside the session, call **`blockrun_wallet`** with no arguments. It prints the wallet address, chain, and balance. That call is free and needs no funds — if it returns, the install works. Do not "test" with a paid tool.

4. The wallet and how paying works

• The server **creates a wallet on first run**: an EVM key in `~/.blockrun/.session`

(`0600`). On macOS/Linux it is also mirrored into the OS keychain, but the file stays authoritative unless the user opts into `BLOCKRUN_KEYCHAIN=strict`. Tell the user to **back that file up** — it is the only copy of the key; BlockRun cannot recover it.

• Payment is **per call**, and there are two ways to pay. Free tools (`blockrun_wallet`,

`blockrun_models`, `blockrun_dex`, crypto `blockrun_price`, `blockrun_chat mode:"free"`) need neither.

**Wallet (the default — no account, no signup).** USDC over x402. New installs default to **Solana**; an install that already has a Base wallet stays on Base.

• `blockrun_wallet action:"setup"` shows the address and a QR. Send USDC (SPL) on Solana

— Coinbase (pick "Solana"), Phantom, Solflare or Backpack. $5 covers hundreds of calls.

• To use Base instead: `blockrun_wallet action:"chain" chain:"base"` then `action:"setup"`,

and send USDC on the Base network. No restart either way.

• Only `blockrun_defi`, `blockrun_modal` and native `claude-*` chat are Base-only; they say

so rather than charging.

**API key (for teams who cannot hand a wallet to an agent).** Ask the user whether they want this before setting it up — it is a real account, not a local file.

1. Sign in at <https://user.blockrun.ai> (Google). 2. Mint a key at <https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/keys> — `brk_live_…`, shown once. 3. Add credit at <https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/credits> (card or wire). 4. Set `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` in the client's MCP server config, e.g. `claude mcp add