LightningProx MCP Server

1

Add it to Claude Code

Run this in a terminal.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add lightningprox-mcp -- npx lightningprox-mcp
README.md

Pay-per-request AI via Bitcoin Lightning. No accounts, no API keys.

lightningprox-mcp

MCP server for LightningProx — pay-per-request AI via Bitcoin Lightning. No accounts, no API keys. Load a spend token, start querying.

Install

npx lightningprox-mcp

What LightningProx Is

LightningProx is an AI gateway that accepts Bitcoin Lightning payments instead of API keys. You load a prepaid spend token, pass it in the X-Spend-Token header, and each request is deducted from your balance in sats. No signup, no monthly plan, no credentials to manage.

19 models across 5 providers:

Provider Models
Anthropic claude-opus-4-6, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-haiku-4-5
OpenAI gpt-4o, gpt-4-turbo, gpt-4o-mini
Together.ai llama-4-maverick, llama-3.3-70b, deepseek-v3, mixtral-8x7b
Mistral mistral-large-latest, mistral-medium, mistral-small, codestral, devstral, magistral
Google gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro

Vision / multimodal: Pass image_url directly in your request. URL mode only — no base64 encoding required.

Setup

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lightningprox": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["lightningprox-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Config location:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Claude Code

claude mcp add lightningprox -- npx lightningprox-mcp

Tools

Tool Description
ask_ai Send a prompt to any model, authenticated via spend token. Pass model to select (e.g. gemini-2.5-flash, mistral-large-latest, claude-sonnet-4-6).
ask_ai_vision Send a prompt with an image URL for multimodal analysis
check_balance Check remaining sats on a spend token
list_models List available models with per-call pricing
get_pricing Estimate cost in sats for a given model and token count
get_invoice Generate a Lightning invoice to top up a spend token

Spend Token Auth

Every request authenticates via the X-Spend-Token header:

curl -X POST https://lightningprox.com/v1/chat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Spend-Token: lnpx_your_token_here" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "What is the Lightning Network?"}]
  }'

For vision requests, include image_url in the message content — no base64 needed:

curl -X POST https://lightningprox.com/v1/chat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Spend-Token: lnpx_your_token_here" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "messages": [{
      "role": "user",
      "content": [
        {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/chart.png"}},
        {"type": "text", "text": "Describe this chart"}
      ]
    }]
  }'

Getting a Spend Token

  1. Call get_invoice (or ask_ai without a token) to receive a Lightning invoice
  2. Pay the invoice from any Lightning wallet
  3. Your spend token is returned — use it for all subsequent requests until balance runs out

Endpoints

Endpoint Description
POST /v1/chat Chat completions — OpenAI-compatible format
POST /v1/messages Anthropic messages format
GET /v1/models List available models with pricing
GET /v1/balance Check spend token balance
POST /v1/invoice Generate Lightning invoice

Links

Built by LPX Digital Group LLC

Tools (6)

ask_aiSend a prompt to any model, authenticated via spend token.
ask_ai_visionSend a prompt with an image URL for multimodal analysis.
check_balanceCheck remaining sats on a spend token.
list_modelsList available models with per-call pricing.
get_pricingEstimate cost in sats for a given model and token count.
get_invoiceGenerate a Lightning invoice to top up a spend token.

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"lightningprox": {"command": "npx", "args": ["lightningprox-mcp"]}}}

Try it

List all available AI models and their current pricing in sats.
Generate a Lightning invoice to top up my spend token balance.
Analyze this image at https://example.com/chart.png and describe the trends shown.
Check my current remaining balance on my spend token.
Use claude-sonnet-4-6 to explain the benefits of the Lightning Network.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of LightningProx?

Pay-per-request AI access using Bitcoin Lightning. Supports 19 models across Anthropic, OpenAI, Together.ai, Mistral, and Google. No account registration or API key management required. Native support for image URL-based multimodal analysis. Real-time balance checking and invoice generation.

What can I use LightningProx for?

Users who want to avoid monthly AI subscription fees. Developers testing multiple LLM providers without managing individual API keys. Privacy-focused users who prefer anonymous, prepaid AI access. Applications requiring intermittent AI usage without long-term commitments.

How do I install LightningProx?

Install LightningProx by running: npx lightningprox-mcp

What MCP clients work with LightningProx?

LightningProx works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep LightningProx docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare