| name | messari |
| description | Use this skill whenever the user asks any question about crypto assets, blockchain networks, DeFi protocols, token unlocks, fundraising rounds, market data, social sentiment, news, or governance — and live data from the Messari API would improve the answer. This includes questions like "what's the price of X", "who invested in Y", "what are the top DeFi protocols by TVL", "what's trending in crypto", "show me upcoming token unlocks", "what's the latest news on Ethereum", "compare L1 network activity", "which exchanges have the most volume", and any other crypto query. Always use this skill proactively when the user's query could benefit from real-time or historical crypto data — don't wait for the user to explicitly ask to "use Messari". If the user asks a general crypto question that requires synthesis or research, route to the Messari AI service first. |
Messari — Leading Crypto Data Platform
Answer crypto questions using the Messari API: 34,000+ assets, 210+ exchanges, 14 data services
covering market metrics, social sentiment, research, on-chain analytics, fundraising, governance,
and more.
Base URL for all endpoints: https://api.messari.io
Step 1: Confirm Authentication
Follow this decision tree before every session. Do not skip to Step 2 until auth is confirmed.
1. Is `payments-mcp` available as a tool?
├── YES → Run `payments-mcp:get_wallet_balance`
│ ├── Success → x402 is ready. Proceed to Step 2.
│ └── Error → Run `payments-mcp:show_wallet_app`, then prompt user (see Setup below)
└── NO → Is $MESSARI_API_KEY set or has the user provided an API key?
├── YES → API key mode. Include `x-messari-api-key: <key>` on all requests. Proceed to Step 2.
└── NO → Neither auth is configured. Prompt user (see Setup below).
x402 Setup (Recommended — wallet-based, no API key needed)
If x402 is not yet configured, tell the user:
To use Messari, you'll need to set up a payment wallet first. Here's how:
-
Run this command to install the payments connector (replace claude with your client if different):
npx @coinbase/payments-mcp --client claude --auto-config
Supported clients: claude | claude-code | codex | gemini
-
Restart your AI client to load the connector.
-
Come back and I'll open the wallet app for you to sign in.
Once signed in, deposit some Base USDC to cover API requests (costs are fractions of a cent per call).
After the user has installed and restarted, run payments-mcp:show_wallet_app to open the wallet and prompt them to sign in and deposit USDC.
API Key (Alternative)
If the user has a Messari API key, include this header on every request:
x-messari-api-key: <MESSARI_API_KEY>
Note: some endpoints are only available via API key (marked api_key only below).
Step 2: Route to the Right Service
| User is asking about... | Service | Auth |
|---|
| General crypto question, synthesis, open-ended research | AI | api_key, x402 |
| Price, volume, market cap, ROI, ATH, performance comparison | Metrics | api_key, x402 |
| Sentiment, mindshare, trending tokens, social buzz | Signal | api_key, x402 |
| Headlines, recent events, breaking news | News | api_key, x402 |
| Analyst reports, deep dives, sector overviews | Research | api_key only |
| Stablecoin supply, flows, chain breakdowns | Stablecoins | api_key, x402 |
| Exchange volumes, comparisons | Exchanges | api_key only |
| L1/L2 network activity, fees, active addresses | Networks | api_key, x402 |
| DeFi protocols, TVL, lending, DEX volume | Protocols | api_key only |
| Token unlocks, vesting schedules | Token Unlocks | api_key, x402 |
| Fundraising rounds, investors, VC activity, M&A | Fundraising | api_key, x402 |
| Governance events, protocol upgrades | Intel | api_key only |
| Trending narratives, topic momentum | Topics | api_key only |
| Crypto influencers, X/Twitter accounts | X-Users | api_key, x402 |
When in doubt, start with the AI service — it synthesizes across all sources and handles
open-ended questions well.
Example query routing
"Tell me about x402 and how it works." → AI /ai/v2/chat/completions
"What are upcoming token unlocks this month?" → Unlocks /token-unlocks/v1/assets
"10 most recent AI/compute fundraising rounds" → Funding /funding/v1/rounds
"Latest crypto regulation headlines" → News /news/v1/news/feed
"Recent DePIN sector developments" → Research /research/v1/reports
"Most active seed investor over last year" → Funding /funding/v1/rounds/investors
"Top AAVE events last quarter" → Intel /intel/v1/events
"Solana ecosystem map" → Networks /metrics/v2/networks
"Recent a16z crypto investments" → Funding /funding/v1/projects
"Compare BitTensor vs Render native assets" → Metrics /metrics/v2/assets/details
Step 3: Read detailed endpoint documentation and call the endpoint
After deciding which service to use, read the detailed endpoint documentation from url in the "spec" column below before calling the endpoint.
Many endpoints require an assetID, for these you should first call the unauthenticated lsit assets endpoint /metrics/v2/assets?limit=200 with curl to get the assetID.
AI Service
Chat completions trained on 30TB+ of structured crypto data. Handles synthesis, comparisons,
and open-ended research. x402 access does not require pre-purchased credits.
Body: { "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "..."}], "stream": false }
Metrics Service
Price, volume, market cap, fundamentals for 34,000+ assets. Use for quantitative questions,
performance comparisons, ROI, ATH, and historical timeseries. The NO AUTH REQUIRED endpoints are not authenticated so access them with curl
Key params: slugs, assetIds, metrics, start, end, interval, limit, page
Signal Service
Real-time social intelligence: sentiment scoring, mindshare tracking, trending.
Key params: assetIds, sort, sortDirection, limit, page, start, end
News Service
Key params: assetSlugs, sourceIds, limit, page
Research Service (api_key only)
Institutional reports, sector deep dives, protocol diligence.
Key params: tags, assetSlugs, limit, page
Stablecoins Service
Key params: metrics, chains, start, end, interval, limit, page
Exchanges Service (api_key only)
Key params: type, granularity, start, end, limit, page
Networks Service
L1/L2 on-chain activity — fees, active addresses, usage metrics.
Key params: networkSlugs, metrics, start, end, interval, limit, page
Protocols Service (api_key only)
DeFi protocols: TVL, DEX, lending, liquid staking, bridges.
Key params: sort, order, limit, page, granularity, start, end
Token Unlocks Service
Before calling the endpoint, you should first curl the /token-unlocks/v1/assets?limit=100 endpoint to get the assetID to filter by. This endpoint is not authenticated so access it with curl
Key params: assetIDs, start, end, limit, page
Fundraising Service
Key params: assetSlugs, investorSlugs, roundTypes (seed, series-a, …), start, end, limit, page
Intel Service (api_key only)
Governance events, protocol upgrades, project milestones.
Key params: assetSlugs, eventTypes, start, end, limit, page
Topics Service (api_key only)
Key params: classes, assetIDs, start, end, granularity, sort, limit, page
X-Users Service
Crypto X/Twitter influencer metrics and rankings.
Key params: sort, sortDirection, accountType, limit, page, start, end
