Connect Modan to Claude, Cursor and any MCP client

Claude Code

One command. Replace the key with yours from Account → API keys.

claude mcp add --transport http modan https://modan.io/api/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: mdn_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project (or the global one), then enable the server under Settings → MCP.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "modan": {
      "url": "https://modan.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "mdn_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json.

{
  "servers": {
    "modan": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://modan.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "mdn_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE" }
    }
  }
}

Any other MCP client

Codex, Windsurf, Claude Desktop connectors and the rest accept a remote streamable-HTTP server: use the URL and the header below in whatever shape the client's configuration takes.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "modan": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://modan.io/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "X-API-Key": "mdn_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE" }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT connectors cannot send custom headers today; use a Custom GPT Action with openapi.json and API-key auth on the X-API-Key header instead.

The tools

Things to ask once it is connected

• “What is the best GBP to NGN rate right now, and how far is it from the mid?”
• “Convert 2,000 USD to KES across every provider and tell me who delivers the most net of fees.”
• “Which providers quote USDT to NGN, and how do their rates compare?”
• “Show me how LemFi's GBP→NGN rate moved over the last 30 days.”

How to read the answers

• spread_bps is basis points below the best rate of the same rate type on the corridor at that moment (0 = best of its kind). It is not a spread against the mid.
• vs_mid_bps is the distance from an independent mid-market reference, refreshed hourly. Stablecoin corridors (USDT, USDC) have no fiat mid, so the field is omitted rather than estimated.
• rate_type says what kind of price it is — official, interbank, retail, p2p or parallel. A central bank's official print is returned and labelled but never chosen as the best rate or the best value on convert, because nobody can transact at it.
• data_freshness and as_of tell the model whether it got hourly or real-time data; every provider entry carries last_updated.

Check the connection without a key

initialize, tools/list and ping are open, so a client can discover the tools before you add a key.

curl -X POST https://modan.io/api/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'

Frequently asked questions

What is the Modan MCP server?

A remote Model Context Protocol server at https://modan.io/api/mcp that gives Claude, Cursor, Codex and any MCP client seven tools over Modan's African FX data: live provider rates for a corridor, conversion net of fees, mid-market rates for one base against many quotes, historical observations, and lists of corridors, providers and currencies. It uses streamable HTTP with plain JSON responses and needs no local install.

Do I need an API key?

Yes for tool calls: pass a Modan API key in the X-API-Key header (or as a Bearer token). Keys are free on signup — 50 requests a day on the free plan, 250 on Individual, 1,000 on Team — and each tool call uses one request of that daily quota, shared with the REST API. The initialize, tools/list and ping methods work without a key, so a client can connect and discover the tools before you add one.

Is the data real-time?

It depends on the plan, and the answer is always stated in the response. Free and Individual keys receive rates as of the top of the current UTC hour (data_freshness: "hourly" with an as_of timestamp); Team keys receive every observation as it lands (data_freshness: "realtime"). Providers are re-checked roughly every 15 minutes and every observation is kept, so history is append-only.

Can ChatGPT use it?

ChatGPT's connectors do not send custom headers, so they cannot authenticate to the MCP server today. A Custom GPT Action can: import https://modan.io/openapi.json and choose API-key authentication with the custom header name X-API-Key, and the GPT can call the same data over REST.