# BackPoW MCP & ChatGPT Oracle

Connect an AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code) to live Proof of Work mining data: network difficulty and hashrate, Poisson solo-mining probabilities, Cost of Production (CoP), and hardware economics across 220+ networks and 856+ mining devices. Free, public, no API key, no account, no rate limits.

## Fast Endpoints

- Streamable HTTP MCP Endpoint: `https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp`
- OpenAPI REST Schema: `https://mcp.backpow.com/openapi.json`
- Local stdio package: `@backpow/mcp-server` on npm
- Official repository: https://github.com/BackpowCom/backpow-mcp-server
- MCP Registry ID: `com.backpow/pow-mining-oracle`

## Client Configuration

### Claude Code (CLI)

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http backpow https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp
```

### Claude Desktop & claude.ai

1. Navigate to Settings → Connectors.
2. Select **Add custom connector**.
3. Paste the MCP endpoint URL: `https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp`

### Cursor

Add in Settings → MCP, or directly in `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backpow": {
      "url": "https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Add in `.vscode/settings.json` or user settings:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "backpow": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT (Custom GPTs & Actions)

1. In ChatGPT, open **Explore GPTs** → **+ Create** (or edit an existing Custom GPT).
2. In the **Configure** tab, scroll down to **Actions** → **Create new action**.
3. Choose **Import from URL** and enter:
   `https://mcp.backpow.com/openapi.json`
4. Click **Import**. All 6 tools will register automatically with zero authentication required.

### Local Process via stdio (npx)

For clients running local subprocesses rather than remote HTTP:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backpow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@backpow/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}
```

## Available Tools

All six tools are read-only (`readOnlyHint: true`) and execute no side effects or financial transactions.

| Tool | Parameters | Primary Capabilities | Example Use Case |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `calculate_solo_mining_odds` | `coin_id` (string, required)<br>`hashrate` (number or string, required)<br>`power_watts` (number, optional)<br>`electricity_cost_kwh` (number, optional, default 0.069 USD/kWh) | Calculates mean expected time to find a block using a memoryless Poisson process `P(X >= 1) = 1 - exp(-t / T)`. Computes 1d, 7d, 30d, 90d, 365d discovery probabilities, the 10th-90th luck percentile spread, and estimated electricity cost. | "How long to solo mine Bitcoin at 100 TH/s?" |
| `get_cost_of_production` | `coin_id` (string, required)<br>`electricity_cost_kwh` (number, optional) | Computes the implied Cost of Production (CoP) to mint one coin based on network difficulty and flagship rig efficiency. Compares CoP against spot price to determine gross margin %, reference hardware, and 30-day historical trend. | "Is mining Monero profitable right now?" |
| `get_coin_oracle` | `coin_id` (string, required) | Returns live PoW network state: network hashrate (H/s), difficulty, 24h/7d difficulty averages, observed block time, block reward, spot price in USD, and confidence block metadata. | "What is Kaspa's current network difficulty?" |
| `list_pow_coins` | `algorithm` (string, optional)<br>`profitable_only` (boolean, optional) | Returns the index of all tracked Proof of Work blockchains, filterable by cryptographic algorithm (SHA-256, RandomX, KawPow, etc.) and mining profitability. | "Which PoW coins use the Scrypt algorithm?" |
| `get_hardware_benchmarks` | `query` (string, required)<br>`electricity_cost_kwh` (number, optional) | Queries ASIC, GPU, and CPU hardware specifications (hashrate, power consumption, efficiency) and ranks mineable coins by net earnings in USD per day after electricity. | "What should I mine with an RTX 4090 at 0.10 USD/kWh?" |
| `get_pow_news` | `coin_id` (string, optional) | Returns curated, recent protocol events, network milestones, halving schedules, and mining news for tracked networks. | "Recent updates or halving news for Zcash." |

## Response Architecture & Design Guarantees

Every successful MCP query returns a structured envelope containing data alongside complete audit provenance:

```json
{
  "warnings": [],
  "source": {
    "as_of_utc": "2026-10-21T18:57:14Z",
    "data_age_seconds": 30,
    "served_from": "live",
    "url": "https://backpow.com/Bitcoin",
    "cite_as": "BackPow — The Proof of Work Oracle, \"BTC solo mining odds\", retrieved ... — https://backpow.com/Bitcoin"
  },
  "data": {}
}
```

- **Explicit Disambiguation**: Multi-chain tickers (e.g. `DGB` shared across 5 distinct algorithm variants, `XVG` across 5 chains) are not resolved arbitrarily. The tool rejects ambiguous inputs with the list of candidate IDs to prevent queries targeting the wrong network.
- **Zero-Fill Refusal**: Incomplete or unmeasurable network telemetry returns a structured error rather than synthetic zero-placeholders (such as `0 H/s`), preventing AI models from misinterpreting missing metrics as inactive networks.
- **Immutable Raw Precision**: Metrics are exported in raw computational units (H/s, seconds, USD) without rounding losses, suitable for automated agent reasoning.

## Related Machine-Readable Resources

- Complete AI Index: `https://backpow.com/llms.txt`
- Per-Coin Markdown Datasheets: `https://backpow.com/{CoinId}.md` (e.g. `https://backpow.com/Bitcoin.md`)
- Hardware Specs & Profitability Datasheets: `https://backpow.com/hardware/{slug}.md`
- Solo Mining Pools Directory: `https://backpow.com/solo-pools.md`
- Public JSON REST API: `https://backpow.com/coins-data/{CoinId}.json`

## Provenance & Terms

- Canonical Documentation: `https://backpow.com/mcp`
- Source Code: https://github.com/BackpowCom/backpow-mcp-server
- Server License: MIT License
- Data License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) — `https://backpow.com/llms.txt`
- Terms of Service: `https://backpow.com/terms`
- Privacy Policy: `https://backpow.com/privacy`
- Disclaimer: BackPow is an independent data oracle and mining calculator. Figures derive from live stratum telemetry and public market feeds; this documentation does not constitute financial advice.