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Give Claude Code a Lightning Wallet

Get Claude Code paying Lightning invoices and accessing L402 APIs in under 3 minutes.

For the full MCP setup guide (all clients, all wallet options), see MCP Quickstart.

Step 1: Get a Strike API Key​

Strike is the fastest way to get started — no infrastructure required.

  1. Go to developer.strike.me and log in with your Strike account
  2. Click Generate API Key and copy the key
Why Strike?

Strike requires zero infrastructure, supports L402 (returns preimage), and handles custody. Other options: NWC wallets (CoinOS, Alby Hub, CLINK) or LND (self-hosted).

Step 2: Install the MCP Server​

# .NET (recommended)
dotnet tool install -g LightningEnable.Mcp

# Or Python
pip install lightning-enable-mcp
NWC wallets (Python)

The base Python install works on every platform (including Windows). If you connect a Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) wallet, install the optional extra instead: pip install lightning-enable-mcp[nwc]. Other wallets (LND, Strike, OpenNode) don't need it. (.NET is unaffected.)

Step 3: Configure Claude Code​

Register the server with the claude mcp add command:

.NET:

claude mcp add --transport stdio lightning-enable \
  --env STRIKE_API_KEY=your-strike-api-key \
  -- lightning-enable-mcp

Python:

claude mcp add --transport stdio lightning-enable \
  --env STRIKE_API_KEY=your-strike-api-key \
  -- uvx lightning-enable-mcp

Alternatively, create a project-scoped .mcp.json in your project root (don't commit API keys):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lightning-enable": {
      "command": "lightning-enable-mcp",
      "env": {
        "STRIKE_API_KEY": "your-strike-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code after saving, then run /mcp to verify the server is connected.

Claude Desktop is different

Claude Desktop does not use claude mcp add — it reads claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\, Linux: ~/.config/claude/). See the MCP Complete Guide for the Desktop config format.

Step 4: Test It​

Check my Lightning balance

Claude will call check_wallet_balance and show your Strike balance. Try also:

  • Pay this Lightning invoice: lnbc...
  • Fetch data from https://agent-commerce.store/api/weather/forecast?lat=40.71&lon=-74.00
  • Buy me a Lightning Enable t-shirt from store.lightningenable.com

Spending Limits​

Create ~/.lightning-enable/config.json to protect yourself:

{
  "currency": "USD",
  "tiers": {
    "autoApprove": 0.10,
    "logAndApprove": 1.00,
    "formConfirm": 10.00
  },
  "limits": {
    "maxPerPayment": 50.00,
    "maxPerSession": 20.00
  }
}

Available Tools​

The MCP server is open-source (MIT) and free to install. Wallet, invoice, L402, budget, and API-discovery tools work out of the box with just a wallet. Producer tools (sell access via L402) and Agent Service Agreement tools (agent-to-agent commerce over Nostr) unlock with a Lightning Enable API key. See the MCP Complete Guide for the full tool list.

Next Steps​