Kobaru
  1. Effortless MCP
Kobaru
  • Kobaru.io Gateway API
    • Introduction
      • What is Kobaru?
      • Quick start
      • How x402 works
    • Integration
      • Standard x402 SDK
      • Advanced SDK
      • Transparent proxy integration
      • Direct API integration
    • Core Concepts
      • Available Chains and Assets
      • Payment schemes
      • Security
      • Usage models
    • Guides
      • Pricing your API
      • Going to Production
      • Testing with devnet
      • Bazaar discovery
      • BITE encryption for SKALE
    • API Reference
      • Error Handling
      • Get Supported Payment Kinds
      • Verify Payment Authorization
      • Settle Payment
    • Discovery
      • List Discovery Resources
    • Transparent Proxy
      • Overview - Transparent Proxy
      • Upstream authentication
      • Troubleshooting
      • Constraints and security
      • Capabilities and routes
      • Domain verification
      • Service setup
    • Effortless MCP
      • Kobaru MCP Overview
      • Wallets
      • CLI reference
      • Setup Template
    • Schemas
      • SupportedResponse
      • ErrorResponse
      • UnauthorizedResponse
      • RateLimitResponse
      • VerifySuccessResponse
      • VerifyErrorResponse
      • SettleSuccessResponse
      • SettleErrorResponse
      • DiscoveryResourceItem
      • ListDiscoveryResourcesResponse
  1. Effortless MCP

Kobaru MCP Overview

Effortless MCP: Turn your API into an AI-ready tool#

Kobaru's Effortless MCP gives your API a production-ready Model Context Protocol server — no code, no infrastructure, no maintenance. AI agents discover and pay for your API automatically.

Why Effortless MCP?#

Traditional MCP setup means writing 300+ lines of code per tool, wrestling with OAuth and RFC 8707, and accepting that 43% of MCP servers ship with security vulnerabilities. It takes 2–4 weeks of engineering time and leaves you responsible for ongoing maintenance and security patching.
Effortless MCP eliminates all of that. You enable MCP in the Kobaru Console, and your API is live — zero code, fully managed, secured at the edge.
Traditional MCPEffortless MCP
Code required300+ LOC per toolZero
AuthenticationOAuth 2.0 + RFC 8707Payment = authentication
Time to launch2–4 weeks5 minutes
SecurityYou build, you patchFully managed
Micropayments$0.30 + 2.9% minimumSub-cent transactions
For the full pitch with pain points and positioning, see Effortless MCP.

What your users get#

When you enable MCP, your users run one command and they're connected:
No API keys. No OAuth tokens. No subscriptions. A single crypto wallet gives agents access to every Kobaru-powered API, with built-in budget controls and self-custody.

What you get#

When you enable MCP for your service in the Kobaru Console, your API becomes instantly available to AI agents. Users install the Kobaru MCP Client and run setup:
The Kobaru MCP Client works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Users just need Node.js installed.
The CLI automatically configures the MCP server in the user's AI client. It supports 8 AI clients out of the box:
Antigravity
Claude Code
Claude Desktop
Codex
Cursor
Gemini CLI
OpenCode
Windsurf
The CLI detects the installed client and writes the config automatically. For other MCP-compatible tools, it provides manual setup instructions.

How it works#

You enable the MCP service at Kobaru Console. The MCP client handles tool discovery and payments transparently. Your users ask their AI agent to use your tools — everything else happens behind the scenes.

Getting started#

1. Set up your service on Kobaru#

If you already have a service on Kobaru, skip to step 2.
1.
Sign up at console.kobaru.io
2.
Add a service — provide your API's base URL
3.
Configure routes — define the endpoints you want to expose

2. Enable MCP#

In the Kobaru Console, enable MCP for your service. This publishes your configured routes as MCP tools that AI agents can discover and call.

3. Share with your users#

Give your users the setup instructions:
After running setup, your API tools appear in their AI client automatically.
Users can later add more of your services with:

Managing your MCP catalog#

Console#

In the Kobaru Console, you can:
Enable or disable MCP per service
Manage your tool catalog — control which endpoints are exposed as MCP tools
Toggle marketplace visibility — control whether your MCP appears in public listings
Monitor usage — see which tools agents use most

What gets published as tools#

Each endpoint you enable in the Kobaru Console becomes an MCP tool. The tool definition includes:
Name: Derived from your route title, or auto-generated from the HTTP method and path if no title is set
Description: Your route description, shown to AI agents when selecting tools
Input schema: JSON Schema for request parameters, so agents send correctly structured requests
Payment info: Network and amount, so the MCP client can handle payments automatically

Two ways to set up#

Option A: Transparent proxy (zero code)#

Your API stays as-is — Kobaru handles payments in front of it. Configure your routes in the Console and enable MCP. This is the recommended approach for most merchants. See the Transparent proxy documentation for details.

Option B: Bazaar extension#

If you implement the x402 protocol on your service, add the bazaar extension to your 402 responses. Kobaru auto-discovers and catalogs your endpoints when the first payment flows through.
See the Bazaar discovery documentation for the full protocol reference and field descriptions.

Sharing with your users#

Once your MCP is live, share the setup instructions with your users. Kobaru provides a template you can customize:
Effortless MCP — Landing page with the full pitch: pain points, comparison, and positioning. Share with stakeholders evaluating Kobaru.
End-user setup template — The Kobaru Console auto-generates this page for your service. You can also copy it manually and replace the placeholders yourself.
CLI reference — Full command reference for the Kobaru MCP CLI. Share with technical users who want to see every option.
Wallet providers — Comparison of Kobaru Wallet vs Coinbase AWAL, with setup steps for each.

FAQ#

Do I need to run any servers for MCP?
No. Kobaru hosts and operates the MCP server for you.
Can agents call my API without paying?
No. Agents must submit a valid x402 payment to get a response.
What if I update my routes?
Changes propagate to the MCP server within 5 minutes (cache TTL). No agent-side changes needed.
Can I have multiple services under one account?
Yes. Each service gets its own MCP endpoint. You can also expose all services under a single merchant-level endpoint:
Do agents need an API key for my service?
No. Payment replaces API keys. One crypto wallet gives agents access to every Kobaru-powered API.
What MCP protocol version does Kobaru use?
Kobaru implements MCP protocol version 2025-03-26.
Modified at 2026-02-25 15:18:19
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