> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.parlayx.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Configure the ParlayX MCP server in your client and make your first call

You need Node.js 20 or newer and a ParlayX key: its key id, and the private key
seed as 64 lowercase hex characters. See [Authentication](/authentication) if you
do not have one yet.

There is nothing to install: every configuration below runs the server with
`npx`.

## Configure your client

The server runs over stdio and reads `PARLAYX_KEY_ID` and
`PARLAYX_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX` from the client's env block. Nothing is passed as a
tool argument.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Claude Code">
    ```sh theme={null}
    claude mcp add --env PARLAYX_KEY_ID=your-key-id --env PARLAYX_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX=your-seed \
      --transport stdio parlayx -- npx -y @parlayx/mcp
    ```

    The `--` before the command is required, and at least one other option has to
    sit between the last `--env` and the server name, or the CLI reads the name as
    another env pair.

    Add `--scope project` to write it into the project's `.mcp.json` rather than
    your user configuration.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Codex">
    ```sh theme={null}
    codex mcp add parlayx --env PARLAYX_KEY_ID=your-key-id \
      --env PARLAYX_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX=your-seed -- npx -y @parlayx/mcp
    ```

    That writes to `~/.codex/config.toml`, which you can also edit directly:

    ```toml theme={null}
    [mcp_servers.parlayx]
    command = "npx"
    args = ["-y", "@parlayx/mcp"]

    [mcp_servers.parlayx.env]
    PARLAYX_KEY_ID = "your-key-id"
    PARLAYX_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX = "your-seed"
    ```

    `codex mcp list` shows the server with its credentials masked. The same file
    is shared by the Codex CLI, the IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Other clients">
    Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf and Cline share one JSON shape:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "parlayx": {
          "command": "npx",
          "args": ["-y", "@parlayx/mcp"],
          "env": {
            "PARLAYX_KEY_ID": "your-key-id",
            "PARLAYX_PRIVATE_KEY_HEX": "your-seed"
          }
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    | Client         | File                                                                                                 |
    | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Cursor         | `.cursor/mcp.json` in the project, or `~/.cursor/mcp.json`                                           |
    | Claude Desktop | `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`, or `%APPDATA%\Claude\` on Windows |
    | Windsurf       | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`                                                                |
    | Cline          | The MCP Servers panel, or its `cline_mcp_settings.json`                                              |

    Cursor resolves `${env:NAME}`, so on that client the seed can stay in your
    shell environment rather than in the file.

    Servers are read at launch, so restart the client after editing.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Any other MCP client works too, as long as it can launch a stdio server with
environment variables. The command is `npx -y @parlayx/mcp`, and the published
binary is `parlayx-mcp` if you would rather install the package and run it
directly.

## Check that it connected

The server validates your key before it opens the transport, so a bad
credential fails at startup rather than on the first tool call. A healthy start
writes one line to stderr:

```
parlayx-mcp info startup server=... sdk=... keyId=... podId=... actorId=... trading=off
```

In Claude Code, `claude mcp list` reports the server's health directly. In any
client, listing the available tools is the quickest check: you should see
seventeen `parlayx` tools, all of them reads.

If the server is missing, or no tools appear, see
[Troubleshooting](/mcp/troubleshooting).

## Your first call

Ask your agent something that only your key can answer:

> Which ParlayX pod does my key act for, and what can it do?

That runs `whoami`. A reply naming your actor and pod confirms the credentials
are right and the signature was accepted.

From there:

> List the sports on ParlayX, then find today's baseball events and show me the
> markets on the first one.

> What are my Polymarket and Kalshi balances, and do I have any open positions?

<Note>
  Discovery listings report `venue` in upper case (`POLYMARKET`, `KALSHI`), while the tools are
  named `polymarket_*` and `kalshi_*`. Read the venue off the listing and pick the matching tool.
</Note>

## Trading stays off until you ask for it

Everything above is read-only, and that is all the server offers until you
deliberately turn trading on. See [Tools](/mcp/tools) for what that takes and
what it exposes.

<Card title="Tools" icon="wrench" horizontal href="/mcp/tools">
  Every tool, what it returns, and how the trading opt-in works.
</Card>