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

File Operations

Content Access

Group Operations

x402 Payment Instructions

Tools for content monetization using the x402 protocol:

CID Signatures

Tools for cryptographic content verification using EIP-712 signatures:

Signed Upload URLs

Pin by CID

Vectorize (AI/Semantic Search)

Utilities

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'"