Give Claude Code a Lightning Wallet

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

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Step 1: Get a Strike API Key (1 minute)

Strike is the fastest way to get started. No infrastructure required.

1. Download the Strike app or go to strike.me
2. Create an account (requires phone number)
3. Go to developer.strike.me
4. Log in with your Strike account
5. Click Generate API Key
6. Copy the API key

That's it. Strike gives you a Lightning wallet with full L402 support (preimage on every payment).

Why Strike?

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

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Step 2: Install the MCP Server (30 seconds)

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

# Or Python
pip install lightning-enable-mcp

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Step 3: Configure Claude Code (1 minute)

Edit your Claude Code settings file:

macOS/Linux: ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

.NET:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lightning-enable": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "lightning-enable-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STRIKE_API_KEY": "your-strike-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Python:

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

Restart Claude Code after saving.

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Step 4: Test It

Open Claude Code and try:

Check my Lightning balance

Claude will call check_wallet_balance and show your Strike balance.

Pay an Invoice

Pay this Lightning invoice: lnbc...

Access an L402 API

Fetch data from https://agent-commerce.store/api/weather/forecast?lat=40.71&lon=-74.00

Claude will automatically handle the L402 payment and return the data.

Buy from the Lightning Enable Store

Buy me a Lightning Enable t-shirt from store.lightningenable.com

Claude browses the catalog, checks out, pays the invoice, and gives you a claim link.

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Spending Limits

Protect yourself with budget controls. Create ~/.lightning-enable/config.json:

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

Threshold	Behavior
Under $0.10	Auto-pay silently
$0.10 - $1.00	Pay and log
$1.00 - $10.00	Ask for confirmation
Over $50/payment	Denied
Over $20/session	Denied

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All 15 Tools

Tool	What It Does
pay_invoice	Pay any BOLT11 Lightning invoice
check_wallet_balance	Check wallet balance
get_payment_history	View recent payments
get_budget_status	Check spending limits
configure_budget	Adjust spending limits
create_invoice	Generate invoices to receive payments
check_invoice_status	Check if an invoice was paid
access_l402_resource	Auto-pay L402 APIs
pay_l402_challenge	Pay an L402 challenge manually
discover_api	Find L402 manifests and explore endpoints
get_btc_price	Real-time BTC price
get_all_balances	All currency balances (Strike)
exchange_currency	Convert between currencies (Strike)
send_onchain	Send Bitcoin on-chain
confirm_payment	Confirm a pending payment

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Next Steps

• Spending Security — Advanced budget controls
• Wallet Options — Other wallet choices (NWC, LND)
• Agent Commerce Store — 15 L402 APIs to test with