yejiming kraken-mcp-integration
Use this skill to connect any MCP-compatible client to kraken-cli for structured tool calling over stdio.
MCP tool calls execute through the same command path as CLI commands, so error handling and rate-limit behavior is identical between MCP and CLI.
Supported Clients
Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and any client that supports the MCP mcpServers configuration block.
Setup
1. Configure your MCP client
Add this to your MCP client configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json, Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"kraken": {
"command": "kraken",
"args": ["mcp", "-s", "market,trade,paper"]
}
}
}
2. Set credentials
The MCP server reads credentials from environment variables:
export KRAKEN_API_KEY="your-key"
export KRAKEN_API_SECRET="your-secret"
Public market data and paper trading require no credentials.
3. Restart your MCP client
The client discovers tools on startup.
Service Filtering
Control which command groups the MCP server exposes:
kraken mcp -s market # public data only (safe, no auth)
kraken mcp -s market,paper # market data + paper trading
kraken mcp -s market,trade,paper # add live trading
kraken mcp -s market,account,trade # add account queries
kraken mcp -s all # everything (many tools)
Keep the service list to what you need. MCP clients typically handle 50-100 tools well.
| Service | Auth | Tools | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| market | No | ~10 | None |
| account | Yes | ~18 | Read-only |
| trade | Yes | ~9 | Orders (dangerous) |
| funding | Yes | ~10 | Withdrawals (dangerous) |
| earn | Yes | ~6 | Staking (dangerous) |
| subaccount | Yes | ~2 | Transfers (dangerous) |
| futures | Mixed | ~39 | Orders (dangerous) |
| paper | No | ~10 | None (simulation) |
| auth | No | ~3 | Read-only (auth set/auth reset excluded) |
Safety
Dangerous tools include [DANGEROUS: requires human confirmation] in their description and carry the MCP destructive_hint annotation. In guarded mode (default), calls must include acknowledged=true. In autonomous mode (--allow-dangerous), the per-call confirmation is disabled. MCP clients that respect annotations may still prompt at the client layer.
For fully autonomous operation, see skills/kraken-autonomy-levels/SKILL.md.
Gemini CLI Extension
If using Gemini CLI, install the extension directly:
gemini extensions install https://github.com/krakenfx/kraken-cli
The gemini-extension.json includes mcpServers config, so the MCP server starts automatically.
Troubleshooting
"No tools found": Check that kraken is on your PATH and the service list is valid. Run kraken mcp -s market manually to verify it starts.
Auth errors on tool calls: Set KRAKEN_API_KEY and KRAKEN_API_SECRET in the environment where your MCP client runs.
Too many tools: Reduce the service list. kraken mcp -s market,trade is a good starting point.
Streaming commands not available: WebSocket streaming commands are excluded from MCP v1. Use kraken ws ... directly from the terminal for streaming.