Lightning MCP Server
by @roasbeef
Build and configure the MCP server for Lightning Node Connect (LNC). Connects AI assistants to lnd nodes via encrypted WebSocket tunnels using pairing phrases β no direct network access or TLS certs needed. Read-only by default (18 tools for querying node state, channels, payments, invoices, peers, on-chain data).
# 1. Build the MCP server binary
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/install.sh2. Configure environment (mailbox server, dev mode, etc.)
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/configure.sh3. Add to Claude Code as an MCP server
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/setup-claude-config.sh
Then restart Claude Code. The lnc_connect tool will be available to connect
to any lnd node using a pairing phrase.
# Generate .env with defaults
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/configure.shProduction (mainnet via Lightning Terminal)
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/configure.sh --productionDevelopment (local regtest)
skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/configure.sh --dev --mailbox aperture:11110
Configuration is stored in lightning-mcp-server/.env. Key settings:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| LNC_MAILBOX_SERVER | mailbox.terminal.lightning.today:443 | Mailbox relay server |
| LNC_DEV_MODE | false | Enable development mode |
| LNC_INSECURE | false | Skip TLS verification (dev only) |
| LNC_CONNECT_TIMEOUT | 30 | Connection timeout in seconds |
"pairing phrase must be exactly 10 words"
The pairing phrase is generated by Lightning Terminal. It must be exactly 10 space-separated words."connection timeout"
Check that the mailbox server is reachable. For production, ensuremailbox.terminal.lightning.today:443 is not blocked by a firewall."TLS handshake failure"
If using a local regtest setup, enable dev mode and insecure mode:skills/lightning-mcp-server/scripts/configure.sh --dev --insecure
Tools not appearing in Claude Code
Restart Claude Code after runningsetup-claude-config.sh. Check that
lightning-mcp-server is on your $PATH:
which lightning-mcp-server
clawhub install lightning-mcp-server