MCP ServerBeta

Introduction

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI assistants to connect to external tools and data sources. The Paystack MCP Server uses this standard to expose the entire Paystack API to AI agents using the Paystack OpenAPI Spec.

The server dynamically discovers all available API endpoints through the OpenAPI Parser and makes them accessible via a set of tools. This means that the MCP has all documented APIs ready, and you can use natural language to interact with your Paystack integration without needing to write code or refer to documentation.

Requirements

Before setting up the MCP Server, ensure you have the following:

• Node.js v18 or later
• npm or yarn
• Paystack test secret key

Getting started

Install and run the server with npx:

1npx @paystack/mcp-server --api-key sk_test_your_key_here
2

Configuration options

You can provide your API key in two ways:

How it works

The server exposes the Paystack API through the following tools and resources:

Tools

Resources

Example

Here's what happens behind the scenes when you ask your assistant a question like "Get me the last 5 transactions on my Paystack business".

1. The assistant browses the operations It reads the paystack_operation_list to find the operation that matches your request. The response lists every operation; the relevant resource will look like this:

1{
2  "transaction_list": {
3    "name": "List Transactions",
4    "path": "/transaction",
5    "method": "get",
6    "queryParameter": [
7      { "name": "perPage", "description": "Records per page" },
8      { "name": "page", "description": "Page number" },
9      { "name": "status", "description": "Filter by status" }
10    ]
11  }
12  // …other operations omitted
13}

2. The assistant fetches the full operation details. Once it picks transaction_list, it calls the get_paystack_operation tool to confirm the exact method, path, and parameters before making a request.

1// Tool input
2{ "operation_id": "transaction_list" }
3
4{
5  "name": "List Transactions",
6  "method": "get",
7  "path": "/transaction",
8  "queryParameter": [
9    { "name": "perPage", "required": false },
10    { "name": "page", "required": false },
11    { "name": "status", "required": false }
12  ]
13}

3. The assistant executes the request. It calls the make_paystack_request tool with the operation details, appending your parameter (perPage=5) to the path as a query string. The server makes the API call to Paystack and returns the response.

1// Tool input
2{
3  "request": {
4    "method": "GET",
5    "path": "/transaction?perPage=5"
6  }
7}
8
9// Actual output is truncated	for brevity
10{
11  "status": true,
12  "message": "Transactions retrieved",
13  "data": [
14    { "id": 4099260516, "reference": "re4lyvq3s3", "amount": 50000, "currency": "NGN", "status": "success" },
15    { "id": 4099260517, "reference": "qa1b2c3d4e", "amount": 120000, "currency": "NGN", "status": "success" }
16    // …3 more transactions
17  ],
18  "meta": { "total": 1284, "perPage": 5, "page": 1 }
19}

4. The assistant replies. It uses the response from the API to generate a user friendly summary:

1Here are your last 5 transactions:
21. NGN 500.00 — customer@example.com (success)
32. NGN 1,200.00 — another@example.com (success)
4…

Client integration

The Paystack MCP Server works with any MCP-compatible client. Add the configuration below to your client's MCP config file. Use the Local build settings if you've cloned and built the server locally.

1{
2  "mcpServers": {
3    "paystack": {
4      "command": "npx",
5      "args": [
6        "@paystack/mcp-server",
7        "--api-key",
8        "sk_test_..."
9      ]
10    }
11  }
12}

Prompt recommendations

For the best results when using the MCP Server, be specific in your prompts and always include "Paystack" in your requests. The server provides built-in instructions that help the AI assistant find the right API details.

Good prompts:

• "Initialize a Paystack transaction for 50000 NGN"
• "Create a customer with email user@example.com on my Paystack account"
• "How can I send money with the Paystack API?"
• "Show me a cURL example for verifying a Paystack transaction"

Less effective prompts:

• "List my transactions" (unclear which service to use)
• "Charge a customer" (missing context about Paystack)

Troubleshooting

For more information, checkout the Paystack MCP Server repository on GitHub.