Use FLOP from MCP clients and the Pi coding agent

You don't need to write a new app to use FLOP compute. Flop's whitepaper says the network supports "Model Context Protocol servers for tool-calling runtimes," and Flop Labs publishes a provider for the Pi coding agent. This use case is for people who already work in an MCP-capable assistant or in Pi and want it to read the FLOP network or buy inference from FLOP miners.

Status, November 10, 2026: these tools target the devnet, which earns nothing. The testnet is not live. See the compute use cases hub.

The hosted FLOP MCP server (read-only)

Flop's SDK page lists a "hosted read-only MCP server" at https://mcp.flop.network/mcp, using streamable HTTP. Add it as a remote MCP server in your client. When we connected on November 10, it identified itself as "flop-network" version 0.2.0 and listed 34 tools. They include flop_discover_models, flop_list_session_offers, flop_estimate_cost, flop_find_best_miner, flop_check_session and flop_list_settlements, plus tools for HTLC status, blocks and Flop's knowledge catalog.

An assistant with this server can answer questions such as "which miners offer this model right now, and at what price?" It can't spend. The direct session guide says "the hosted MCP never exposes" the tool that runs a paid session. One tool, flop_verify_tee_quote, describes itself as a "Simulated check," so don't treat its output as proof of attestation.

The local MCP server (can pay for sessions)

For spending, the same guide describes a "local write-enabled stdio MCP" with a flop_run_session tool that takes a miner, model, prompt and a max_flop ceiling. The upgrade guide says local installs "must retain their trusted-local/write opt-in," and that x402 calls now go through flop_x402_http_call "with explicit host, network, asset, payee and spend caps." Flop's public package list doesn't name a separate MCP package, so follow the official docs for setup and never install an "MCP" package from a DM.

Give a write-enabled MCP a capped wallet. An assistant that can call flop_run_session can spend up to whatever ceiling it's allowed, so set it low. See agent budgets for spend limits.

Two more MCP servers in the Flop ecosystem

• Ask FLOP. Flop's llms.txt lists https://ask.flop.finance/mcp for its docs assistant, "JSON-RPC, no auth, rate limited." Useful for agents that need to look up protocol rules.
• Technocore. technocore-mcp 0.14.5 gives agents "shared rooms, durable notes and rendezvous." The TCLK README also lists @flop-labs/tclk-mcp for agents "whose only outbound path is a tool call." See multi-agent workflows.

FLOP inside the Pi coding agent

@flop-labs/pi, version 0.3.2 on npm on November 10, adds a flop provider to Pi with "one model for each offer the FLOP gateway currently lists," plus a flop/auto virtual model "which picks a FLOP model for each request." Its README says "Pi records the physical model behind every answer, and /session breaks cost down per model." It needs Pi 1.4 or later.

Setup, per the README:

pi install npm:@flop-labs/pi

Then set FLOP_GATEWAY_URL and FLOP_API_KEY. The README tells you to use "a bounded child credential" with a spend cap, rather than an owner key. Those credentials start with flop_ek_. An optional FLOP_PI_FALLBACK_MODEL lets another provider answer when every FLOP model fails, but those answers "are not FLOP-verified." Leave it unset to keep Pi on FLOP only.

How good this is in practice depends on which models miners load. On November 10 the gateway listed one small devnet model; our gateway apps page has the details.

Does inference through MCP or Pi earn the airdrop?

The airdrop counts compute, not the tool you used to buy it. The draft airdrop page shares the agent pool "pro rata to compute purchased in settled sessions," and the timeline FAQ describes an inference request "signed with" the agent's DID key. Flop's docs don't explain how sessions bought through a gateway API key are attributed to an identity, so check before relying on it. Read-only MCP calls buy nothing and earn nothing, and devnet earns nothing. See the airdrop guide and the SDK guide.

FAQ

Does FLOP have an MCP server?

Yes. Flop hosts a read-only MCP server at https://mcp.flop.network/mcp. On November 10, 2026 it listed 34 tools for models, offers, prices, settlements, HTLCs and docs. It can't run paid sessions; the local write-enabled MCP can.

Can I use FLOP models in a coding agent?

Flop publishes @flop-labs/pi for the Pi coding agent. It adds a flop provider and a flop/auto model that picks a FLOP model per request, using a gateway URL and a capped API key.

Is it safe to give an MCP client a FLOP wallet?

Only with limits. Flop's docs say the local MCP needs an explicit write opt-in, and the Pi README recommends a bounded child credential with a spend cap rather than an owner key.