AI + Alchemy API Integration Guide
Prerequisites
- Create a free API key at https://dashboard.alchemy.com/
- Export the key:
export ALCHEMY_API_KEY=<your-key> - If no API key is available, use the alchemy-agentic-gateway skill instead (wallet-based auth).
Mandatory Routing Gate (Hard Requirement)
Before the first network call or implementation step, you MUST ask the user the following question and wait for an explicit answer:
Do you want to use an existing Alchemy API key, or should I use the agentic gateway flow instead?
If the user chooses the API key path, continue with this skill.
If the user chooses the agentic gateway path, switch to the alchemy-agentic-gateway skill immediately and follow its existing wallet flow.
If the user chooses the API key path but ALCHEMY_API_KEY is unset or empty, tell them they can create a free API key at https://dashboard.alchemy.com/ or switch to the alchemy-agentic-gateway skill.
You MUST NOT call any keyless or public fallback (including .../v2/demo) unless the user explicitly asks for that endpoint.
Execute no network calls before this gate is evaluated.
Base URLs + Auth (Cheat Sheet)
| Product | Base URL | Auth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum RPC (HTTPS) | https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | Standard EVM reads and writes. |
| Ethereum RPC (WSS) | wss://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | Subscriptions and realtime. |
| Base RPC (HTTPS) | https://base-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | EVM L2. |
| Arbitrum RPC (HTTPS) | https://arb-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | EVM L2. |
| BNB RPC (HTTPS) | https://bnb-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | EVM L1. |
| Solana RPC (HTTPS) | https://solana-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | Solana JSON-RPC. |
| Solana Yellowstone gRPC | https://solana-mainnet.g.alchemy.com |
X-Token: $ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
gRPC streaming (Yellowstone). |
| NFT API | https://<network>.g.alchemy.com/nft/v3/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | NFT ownership and metadata. |
| Prices API | https://api.g.alchemy.com/prices/v1/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | Prices by symbol or address. |
| Portfolio API | https://api.g.alchemy.com/data/v1/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY |
API key in URL | Multi-chain wallet views. |
| Notify API | https://dashboard.alchemy.com/api |
X-Alchemy-Token: <ALCHEMY_NOTIFY_AUTH_TOKEN> |
Generate token in dashboard. |
Endpoint Selector (Top Tasks)
| You need | Use this |
|---|---|
| EVM read/write | JSON-RPC eth_* |
| Realtime events | eth_subscribe (WebSocket) |
| Token balances | alchemy_getTokenBalances |
| Token metadata | alchemy_getTokenMetadata |
| Transfers history | alchemy_getAssetTransfers |
| NFT ownership | GET /getNFTsForOwner |
| NFT metadata | GET /getNFTMetadata |
| Prices (spot) | GET /tokens/by-symbol |
| Prices (historical) | POST /tokens/historical |
| Portfolio (multi-chain) | POST /assets/*/by-address |
| Simulate tx | alchemy_simulateAssetChanges |
| Create webhook | POST /create-webhook |
| Solana NFT data | getAssetsByOwner (DAS) |
Full reference: https://www.alchemy.com/docs
One-File Quickstart (Copy/Paste)
No API key? Use the
alchemy-agentic-gatewayskill instead.
EVM JSON-RPC (Read)
curl -s https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[]}'
Token Balances
curl -s https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"alchemy_getTokenBalances","params":["0x00000000219ab540356cbb839cbe05303d7705fa"]}'
Transfer History
curl -s https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"alchemy_getAssetTransfers","params":[{"fromBlock":"0x0","toBlock":"latest","toAddress":"0x00000000219ab540356cbb839cbe05303d7705fa","category":["erc20"],"withMetadata":true,"maxCount":"0x3e8"}]}'
NFT Ownership
curl -s "https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/nft/v3/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY/getNFTsForOwner?owner=0x00000000219ab540356cbb839cbe05303d7705fa"
Prices (Spot)
curl -s "https://api.g.alchemy.com/prices/v1/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY/tokens/by-symbol?symbols=ETH&symbols=USDC"
Prices (Historical)
curl -s -X POST "https://api.g.alchemy.com/prices/v1/$ALCHEMY_API_KEY/tokens/historical" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"symbol":"ETH","startTime":"2024-01-01T00:00:00Z","endTime":"2024-01-02T00:00:00Z"}'
Create Notify Webhook
curl -s -X POST "https://dashboard.alchemy.com/api/create-webhook" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-Alchemy-Token: $ALCHEMY_NOTIFY_AUTH_TOKEN" \
-d '{"network":"ETH_MAINNET","webhook_type":"ADDRESS_ACTIVITY","webhook_url":"https://example.com/webhook","addresses":["0x00000000219ab540356cbb839cbe05303d7705fa"]}'
To verify webhook signatures, use HMAC-SHA256 with the webhook signing key from your dashboard. See https://www.alchemy.com/docs/webhooks for details.
Network Naming Rules
- Data APIs and JSON-RPC use lowercase network enums:
eth-mainnet,base-mainnet - Notify API uses uppercase enums:
ETH_MAINNET,BASE_MAINNET
Pagination + Limits (Cheat Sheet)
| Endpoint | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
alchemy_getTokenBalances |
maxCount <= 100 |
Use pageKey for pagination. |
alchemy_getAssetTransfers |
maxCount default 0x3e8 |
Use pageKey for pagination. |
| Portfolio token balances | 3 address/network pairs, 20 networks total | pageKey supported. |
| Portfolio NFTs | 2 address/network pairs, 15 networks each | pageKey supported. |
| Prices by address | 25 addresses, 3 networks | POST body addresses[]. |
Common Token Addresses
| Token | Chain | Address |
|---|---|---|
| ETH | ethereum | 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 |
| WETH | ethereum | 0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2 |
| USDC | ethereum | 0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19d4a2e9eb0ce3606eB48 |
| USDC | base | 0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913 |
Failure Modes + Retries
- HTTP
429means rate limit. Use exponential backoff with jitter. - JSON-RPC errors come in
errorfields even with HTTP 200. - Use
pageKeyto resume pagination after failures. - De-dupe websocket events on reconnect.
Troubleshooting
API key not working
- Verify:
echo $ALCHEMY_API_KEY - Confirm the key is valid at https://dashboard.alchemy.com/
- Check if allowlists restrict the key to specific IPs/domains
HTTP 429 (Rate Limited)
- Use exponential backoff with jitter before retrying
- Check your compute unit budget in the Alchemy dashboard
Wrong network slug
- Data APIs and JSON-RPC use lowercase:
eth-mainnet,base-mainnet - Notify API uses uppercase:
ETH_MAINNET,BASE_MAINNET
JSON-RPC error with HTTP 200
- Alchemy returns JSON-RPC errors inside the
errorfield even with a 200 status code - Always check
response.errorin addition to HTTP status
Related Skills
- alchemy-agentic-gateway — Access Alchemy APIs without an API key via x402 or MPP wallet auth