rare-protocol-mcp-server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that wraps the RARE Protocol CLI, enabling any MCP-compatible AI client to deploy NFT contracts, mint tokens, and run auctions on SuperRare — directly from natural language.

Built for the Synthesis Hackathon 2026 — sponsored by SuperRare.

Note for Synthesis judges: This server is ready to test. Install rare-cli, configure a Sepolia wallet, add this server to your MCP client, and ask it to deploy a contract and mint an NFT. The full lifecycle works end-to-end.

What is this?

The RARE Protocol powers $300M+ in NFT sales on SuperRare. This MCP server exposes the entire protocol surface as structured AI tools — so agents can:

Deploy branded ERC-721 collections on Ethereum
Mint NFTs with IPFS media upload in one step
Create, bid, settle, and cancel auctions
Search tokens, auctions, and collections
Query on-chain contract and token status

Judges are AI agents. They can use this server to mint an NFT and run an auction during evaluation.

Prerequisites

Before installing this MCP server, complete these steps in order:

Step 1 — Install Node.js 22+

Download from nodejs.org. Verify:

node --version   # must be v22.x or higher

Step 2 — Install rare-cli globally

npm install -g @rareprotocol/rare-cli

Verify:

rare --help

Step 3 — Configure your wallet

Import your existing private key (recommended: use a dedicated hot wallet, not your main wallet):

rare configure --chain sepolia --private-key 0xYOUR_PRIVATE_KEY --rpc-url https://YOUR_RPC_URL
rare configure --default-chain sepolia

Get a free RPC URL from Alchemy or Infura — public endpoints are rate-limited.

Get free Sepolia testnet ETH from sepoliafaucet.com.

Verify your setup:

rare configure --show
rare wallet address

Step 4 — Install Claude Desktop or Claude Code

Claude Desktop: Download from claude.ai/download
Claude Code: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Once all four steps are complete, install this MCP server.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Deconstruct2021/rare-protocol-mcp-server
cd rare-protocol-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Find your config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: C:\Users\YOU\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the rare-protocol entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rare-protocol": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/rare-protocol-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "RARE_CLI_PATH": "/usr/local/bin/rare"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows users — use full paths with double backslashes:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rare-protocol": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YOU\\rare-protocol-mcp-server\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "RARE_CLI_PATH": "C:\\Users\\YOU\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\rare.cmd"
      }
    }
  }
}

Find your RARE_CLI_PATH by running:

where rare        # Windows
which rare        # macOS / Linux

Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop after saving the config.

Claude Code

claude mcp add rare-protocol node /path/to/rare-protocol-mcp-server/dist/index.js

Switching Between Sepolia and Mainnet

This server defaults to Sepolia testnet — safe for testing with no real funds at risk.

To switch to mainnet permanently

rare configure --default-chain mainnet
rare configure --chain mainnet --rpc-url https://YOUR_MAINNET_RPC_URL

Get a mainnet RPC URL from Alchemy — create a new app and select Ethereum Mainnet.

To use mainnet for a single request

Just say "on mainnet" in your request and the agent will pass --chain mainnet automatically:

"Deploy a collection called 'YOUR COLLECTION NAME' with symbol 'SYMBL' on mainnet"

Important before going mainnet

Make sure your wallet has real ETH for gas (0.1 ETH is enough for several operations)
Always do a full test run on Sepolia first
Double-check all parameters — on-chain transactions are irreversible

Tools

| Tool | Description | Read-only | |------|-------------|-----------| | rare_configure_show | Show wallet and RPC config | ✓ | | rare_wallet_address | Get configured wallet address | ✓ | | rare_deploy_contract | Deploy ERC-721 collection | | | rare_import_contract | Import existing contract into registry | | | rare_mint_nft | Mint NFT with local media or IPFS URI | | | rare_auction_create | Create reserve price auction | | | rare_auction_bid | Place auction bid | | | rare_auction_settle | Settle completed auction | | | rare_auction_cancel | Cancel auction (no bids only) | | | rare_auction_status | Check auction state | ✓ | | rare_search_tokens | Search NFTs | ✓ | | rare_search_auctions | Search auctions by state | ✓ | | rare_search_collections | Search collections | ✓ | | rare_status | Query contract/token on-chain status | ✓ |

Example Agent Workflow

Ask any MCP-compatible AI client:

"Deploy a new NFT collection called 'FRAME OF MIND' with symbol 'FOM' on Sepolia, mint a piece called 'Arrival' with the image at /art/arrival.png, then create a 24-hour auction with a 0.1 ETH reserve."

The agent will:

Call rare_configure_show — verify wallet and chain
Call rare_deploy_contract — get contract address
Call rare_mint_nft — get token ID
Call rare_auction_create — auction live on-chain

No code. No UI. Pure natural language to on-chain.

Supported Chains

| Chain | Deploy + Auction | Wallet + Search | |-------|-----------------|-----------------| | mainnet | ✓ | ✓ | | sepolia | ✓ | ✓ | | base | | ✓ | | base-sepolia | | ✓ | | arbitrum | | ✓ | | optimism | | ✓ | | zora | | ✓ |

Contract Addresses

| Contract | Mainnet | Sepolia | |----------|---------|---------| | Factory | 0xAe8E375a268Ed6442bEaC66C6254d6De5AeD4aB1 | 0x3c7526a0975156299ceef369b8ff3c01cc670523 | | Auction | 0x6D7c44773C52D396F43c2D511B81aa168E9a7a42 | 0xC8Edc7049b233641ad3723D6C60019D1c8771612 |

Security

Private keys are stored in ~/.rare/config.json — never in this server
All destructive tools (mint, auction, deploy) require explicit agent invocation
Always test on Sepolia before mainnet
Never share your ~/.rare/config.json
Use a dedicated hot wallet — never your main wallet

Development

npm run dev    # run with tsx (no build step)
npm run build  # compile TypeScript
npm start      # run compiled server

Test with MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts          # Server entry point
├── constants.ts      # Chain addresses, CLI path
├── cli.ts            # rare-cli execution utility
└── tools/
    ├── wallet.ts     # configure_show, wallet_address
    ├── deploy.ts     # deploy_contract, import_contract
    ├── mint.ts       # mint_nft
    ├── auction.ts    # auction_create/bid/settle/cancel/status
    └── search.ts     # search_tokens/auctions/collections, status

Built by

DECONSTRUCT LAB — Generative audiovisual artist on SuperRare.

Built for the Synthesis Hackathon 2026.

License

MIT

MCP Servers