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What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants like Claude to interact with external tools and services. MCP servers expose capabilities that AI models can use to perform actions on your behalf. The Pinata MCP server gives Claude (and other MCP-compatible assistants) the ability to:
  • Upload and manage files on IPFS (public and private)
  • Search, retrieve, and delete files
  • Organize files into groups
  • Create gateway links for sharing content
  • Set up content monetization with x402 payment instructions
  • Vectorize files for semantic search
  • Pin existing CIDs from the IPFS network

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Prerequisites

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Installation

The Pinata MCP server is available on npm and can be run via npx. Installation depends on which Claude client you’re using.

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Claude Code

Run claude mcp add and follow the prompts: 
Server Name: pinata
Server Scope: Project or Global
Server Command: npx
Command Arguments: pinata-mcp /path/to/allowed/directory
Environment Variables: PINATA_JWT=<YOUR_JWT>,GATEWAY_URL=example.mypinata.cloud

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Claude Desktop

Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pinata": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "pinata-mcp",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory",
        "/another/allowed/directory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PINATA_JWT": "<YOUR_JWT>",
        "GATEWAY_URL": "example.mypinata.cloud"
      }
    }
  }
}
The directory arguments are optional and control which local directories the MCP server can access for file uploads. If not provided, the server only allows access to the current working directory. You can specify multiple directories.

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Configuration

Environment VariableRequiredDescription
PINATA_JWTYesYour Pinata API JWT from the API Keys page
GATEWAY_URLYesYour Pinata gateway domain (e.g., example.mypinata.cloud)

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Verifying the Connection

Once installed, ask Claude to test the connection: 
Test my Pinata authentication to make sure everything is working
Claude will use the testAuthentication tool to verify your JWT is valid.

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Next Steps

See the Tools Reference for a complete list of available tools with parameters and example prompts.