Pretium exposes a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server so AI agents can call payment tools the same way they call any other tool — from Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible client. You do not run a local process. Point the client at the remote URL, authenticate if asked, and the tools appear in the agent session.

1. What MCP is and why it matters

MCP is an open protocol that lets AI assistants discover and call external tools over a standard interface. Pretium's MCP server is the agent-native layer on top of our payment rails: instead of writing REST calls by hand, your assistant can look up rates, validate a phone number or bank account, register an agent, set spend limits, and send fiat or stablecoins.

The server lives at:

https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp

Use that full URL, including /mcp. Transport is Streamable HTTP over HTTPS. Local npx / stdio setups are not required.

2. Cursor

Fastest path: click Add to Cursor (Cursor must be installed so the cursor:// link can open). Cursor will prompt you to confirm the server, then you can authenticate if asked.

Or add it from the UI: Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server.

Or paste this into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json in a repo (that project only):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pretium-mcp": {
      "url": "https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Save the file and reload MCP servers in Cursor Settings. When the server is connected, Pretium tools show up in Agent chat. If the client prompts you to authenticate, complete that step so the tools can run.

3. Claude

Claude connects to Pretium as a custom remote connector (claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Cowork, and Claude mobile). The connection is made from Anthropic's infrastructure, so the URL must be the public HTTPS endpoint above.

Claude.ai / Claude Desktop (Connectors)

Open Settings → Connectors (on Team/Enterprise, organization owners add connectors first).
Choose Add custom connector.
Name it Pretium and paste https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp.
Complete authentication if Claude detects it, then enable the connector in a chat.

Free Claude plans typically allow one custom connector; Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise support more.

Claude Code

From a terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http pretium-mcp https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp

Then start a Claude Code session and ask it to use Pretium tools (for example, fetch KES rates or register an agent).

4. ChatGPT

ChatGPT talks to remote MCP servers only (HTTPS). Pretium already hosts that endpoint, so no local tunnel is needed. Custom connectors require a paid plan (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu) with Developer mode enabled.

In ChatGPT, open Settings and turn on Developer mode (under Apps & Connectors → Advanced, or Security and login — OpenAI moves this toggle occasionally).
Go to Settings → Connectors (or Apps) and create a custom connector.
Name it Pretium, set the connector URL to https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp, and complete auth if prompted.
In a new chat, enable the Pretium connector from the plus / apps menu before asking it to pay or look up rates.

ChatGPT may ask you to confirm write actions (creating orders, sending payouts) each conversation. That is expected.

5. Other MCP clients

Any client that supports remote Streamable HTTP can use the same URL. A few common shapes:

VS Code (Copilot / MCP)

Create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "pretium-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf and similar IDEs

Add a remote MCP server with URL https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp. If the client uses Cursor-style config, the mcpServers JSON in the Cursor section above works as-is.

Generic HTTP client

Point the client at https://mcp.pretium.africa/mcp with Streamable HTTP (not legacy SSE-only, and not stdio). If the client asks for a transport type, choose http. Do not drop the /mcp path.

6. Register an agent and set limits

Connecting the server only exposes tools. To send money, register an agent with a secret key provisioned by Pretium, then attach a spend policy.

Ask Pretium for an agent secret key — hello@pretium.africa or book a demo.
In your AI client, call register_agent with that key and a wallet category: ERC-20 (EVM), SOLANA, or STELLAR. One agent per category.
Call create_agent_spend_policy with max auto-approve amount, and optional daily / monthly caps, for fiat and/or stablecoin.
Check get_agent and get_agent_balance before sending.
Create payouts with agent_create_fiat_order (mobile money, paybill, buy goods, bank) or agent_create_stablecoin_order (USDT/USDC on Celo, Base, BNB, and other supported networks).

Agents auto-approve only inside the policy. Keep limits tight until you trust the workflow.

7. Tools on the server

Once the client is connected, these tools are available:

Market data — get_exchange_rates for KES, UGX, and NGN against USD.
Validation — validate_phone_number, validate_bank_account.
Orders — create_order, confirm_order, get_order_status.
Agents — register_agent, get_agent, get_agent_balance, create_agent_spend_policy.
Agent payouts — agent_create_fiat_order, agent_create_stablecoin_order, get_agent_fiat_order_status.

REST remains available at docs.pretium.africa if you want the same rails without MCP.

AI agents — Pretium MCP