Quickstart: MCP Server

Connect Payaion to your AI coding assistant in under 2 minutes. The MCP server gives AI agents direct access to file uploads, marketplace listings, and paid downloads — no HTTP code required.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard that lets AI assistants call external tools. Payaion's MCP server exposes upload, marketplace, and download tools that your agent can invoke directly.

Prerequisites

None. The server starts without an API key and the transfer tools work immediately — uploads run as a guest: 100 MB per file, 24-hour link, no account.

When you need a key

Bigger files, longer links, stored history
Required to sell on the marketplace and to buy
Mint one by wallet signature — no browser needed

Get an API key

Option A: Node.js (npx)

Add this to your MCP client config (e.g. ~/.cursor/mcp.json for Cursor):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "payaion": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@payaion/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Option B: Python (uvx)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "payaion": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["payaion-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or with pip: pip install payaion-mcp, then use "command": "python", "args": ["-m", "payaion_mcp"].

Option C: Hosted server (HTTP)

For clients that connect to a URL instead of starting a process, use the hosted server at https://mcp.payaion.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, for both 2026-07-28 and older clients). It requires an API key; there is no keyless mode over HTTP and no OAuth yet.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "payaion": {
      "url": "https://mcp.payaion.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <your pya_ API key>" }
    }
  }
}

Supported clients

Any MCP client that supports stdio transport (or, with a key, the hosted server):

Cursor

Config: ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Claude Desktop

Config: claude_desktop_config.json

Cline

Config: VS Code extension settings

Continue

Config: config.json

After saving the config, restart your MCP client. The agent gets 15 tools: transfer (the recommended one-shot), upload, upload from URL, check status, get download URL, list on and delist from the marketplace, browse the marketplace, get payment requirements, purchase an asset, and five for storage folders: list, create, rename or move, delete, and file an upload.

Environment variables

Variable	Required	Description
`PAYAION_API_KEY`	No	Raises the limits and is required to sell on the marketplace or buy. Without it you upload as a guest, and can still sell a priced link by passing `payoutAddress`.
`PAYAION_API_BASE_URL`	No	API base URL (defaults to production)

Test it

After restarting your client, ask your AI agent:

"Upload the file report.pdf and give me a share link"

The agent will use the transfer tool to upload your file and return a download URL.