# OpenClaw — CryptoDataAPI

> Give your OpenClaw agent live crypto data: add the CryptoDataAPI MCP server to mcp.servers and install the skill. Regime, funding, liquidations. Free tier.

Wire live crypto market data into your **OpenClaw** agent — prices, cross-exchange funding and open interest, liquidations, market regimes, Fear & Greed, dealer gamma and whale activity — so it can answer market questions from Discord, Slack, Telegram or any channel you've connected.

OpenClaw discovers tools through the Model Context Protocol and teaches behavior through **skills** (`SKILL.md` files). So the setup mirrors our two-part model: the **[MCP server](/ai-agents/mcp-server)** provides the live tools, and the **CryptoDataAPI skill** provides the knowledge — added to your agent's skills list.

- **Vendor:** OpenClaw
- **Agent docs:** https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/mcp
- **Config:** `OpenClaw config → mcp.servers`
- **MCP transports:** http (streamable), stdio

## Step 1 — Add the MCP server

OpenClaw manages MCP servers under `mcp.servers` in its config, via the `openclaw mcp` commands. Add the remote server with your key on an `X-API-Key` header. The `add` command accepts HTTP flags such as `--url`, `--transport` and `--header`.

The resulting `mcp.servers` block looks like the JSON below. (Transport naming can vary slightly by OpenClaw version — if `--transport` is rejected, check `openclaw mcp add --help` for the exact value it expects for streamable HTTP.)

**CLI:**
```bash
openclaw mcp add cryptodataapi \
  --transport http \
  --url https://cryptodataapi.com/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: cdk_live_YOUR_KEY"
```

**Resulting mcp.servers config:**
```json
{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "cryptodataapi": {
        "url": "https://cryptodataapi.com/mcp",
        "transport": "streamable-http",
        "headers": { "X-API-Key": "cdk_live_YOUR_KEY" }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Step 2 — Install the CryptoDataAPI skill

OpenClaw skills are `SKILL.md` directories the agent loads on demand. Clone our skills repo and place the `cryptodataapi` skill into your OpenClaw skills directory, then add it to the agent's `skills` list (a per-agent list replaces the defaults, so include every skill you want that agent to have).

Consult [OpenClaw's skills docs](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/skills) for the exact skills path and per-agent allowlist syntax on your version.

**Clone the skill:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Crypto-Data-API/cryptodataapi-skills
```

## Step 3 — Reload and try it

Run `openclaw mcp reload` (or restart the gateway) so the new server and skill are picked up, then message your agent from any connected channel — see the example prompts below.

## Example prompts

- "Post a daily crypto market brief to this channel: regime, health score, Fear & Greed."
- "Alert me when the market regime flips from risk-off to risk-on."
- "What are BTC funding rates across exchanges right now, and is positioning crowded?"
- "Which coins have the highest liquidation risk today?"
- "Summarize open interest trends for the top 5 coins."

## FAQ

### Does it cost anything?

No. OpenClaw is self-hosted and the skill is free. The **Free** API tier (no card) covers market health, regimes, Fear & Greed, macro, flows, coin profiles and full-universe Hyperliquid funding + open interest. Per-coin quant, gamma and whale signals need [Pro](/pricing).

### Where does my API key live?

In your OpenClaw config, on the `cryptodataapi` server's `headers` block (`X-API-Key`). Since OpenClaw is self-hosted, the key stays on your machine and is sent only to our API.

### The agent isn't picking up the tools — what now?

Run `openclaw mcp status` and `openclaw mcp probe cryptodataapi` to check the connection, then `openclaw mcp reload`. Confirm the server appears under `mcp.servers`. If tools return 401, fix the `X-API-Key` value or mint a free key via the server's `create_free_api_key` tool.

## Related

- [MCP Server](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/mcp-server)
- [Agent Skill](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/agent-skill)
- [n8n setup](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/n8n)
- [elizaOS setup](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/elizaos)
- [REST API docs](https://cryptodataapi.com/api/docs)

---

Canonical: https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/openclaw
Machine-readable API map: https://cryptodataapi.com/llms.txt
Agent skill repo: https://github.com/Crypto-Data-API/cryptodataapi-skills (`npx skills add Crypto-Data-API/cryptodataapi-skills -g -y`)
Free API key (no signup): POST https://cryptodataapi.com/api/v1/auth/keys {"email":"you@example.com"}