@otskit/mcp

OpenTimestamps MCP server - stamp, upgrade, and verify Bitcoin timestamps via AI agents.

Exposes a set of tools to any MCP-compatible agent so it can timestamp documents, monitor confirmation status, and verify proofs against the Bitcoin blockchain - all from a conversation.

Note on confirmation times: After stamping, a proof is pending until Bitcoin confirms it. Confirmations typically arrive within 10–60 minutes, but can take several hours during network congestion. Use ots-mcp watch or upgrade_timestamp to monitor. A pending proof is not a failed proof.

Install

npm install -g @otskit/mcp

Agent setup

ots-mcp setup claude        # Claude Desktop
ots-mcp setup claude-code   # Claude Code CLI
ots-mcp setup codex         # Codex CLI

Each command writes the MCP entry into the agent's config file, makes a .bak backup if the file already exists, and skips if ots-mcp is already configured. Restart the agent afterwards to apply the changes.

CLI commands

Command	Description
`ots-mcp serve`	Start the MCP server (stdio transport)
`ots-mcp stamp <sha256>`	Stamp a SHA-256 hash against Bitcoin calendars
`ots-mcp upgrade <id>`	Check if a pending stamp has been confirmed
`ots-mcp verify <id>`	Verify a stamp against Bitcoin
`ots-mcp list [status]`	List stamps (`pending` / `confirmed` / `failed`)
`ots-mcp watch [minutes]`	Monitor pending stamps and attempt due upgrades (default: 30 min, minimum: 15 min)
`ots-mcp check-pending`	Run one upgrade pass over all pending stamps
`ots-mcp scheduler install\|remove\|status`	Manage OS-level scheduler for auto-upgrades
`ots-mcp backup [dest]`	Backup the SQLite database
`ots-mcp setup <claude\|claude-code\|codex>`	Configure MCP for an agent

MCP tools exposed to agents

Tool	Description
`create_timestamp`	Stamp a SHA-256 hash against 4 public OTS calendars
`upgrade_timestamp`	Check if a pending stamp has been confirmed in Bitcoin
`verify_timestamp`	Verify a stamp - proves hash existed before a given Bitcoin block
`inspect_timestamp`	Inspect a stored proof file without network calls
`list_pending`	List stamps with status, retry count, and filters
`watch`	Open a terminal window monitoring pending stamps and attempting due upgrades
`hash_file`	Compute the SHA-256 of a local file and return it as a 64-char hex string (no network calls)
`stamp_file`	Compute SHA-256 of a local file and stamp it on Bitcoin in one step

Data directory

All data is stored in ~/.ots-mcp/:

~/.ots-mcp/
  ots-mcp.db       # SQLite database (stamps, proof files)
  config.json      # Optional config overrides
  ots-mcp.log      # Log file

Configuration

Create ~/.ots-mcp/config.json to override defaults:

{
  "stamp_enabled": true,
  "scheduler_interval_minutes": 30,
  "retry_max_attempts": 20,
  "calendar_timeout_ms": 10000,
  "calendars": [
    "https://alice.btc.calendar.opentimestamps.org",
    "https://bob.btc.calendar.opentimestamps.org",
    "https://finney.calendar.eternitywall.com",
    "https://btc.calendar.catallaxy.com"
  ]
}

Development

npm run build    # production build
npm run dev      # watch mode
npm test         # run tests

Dependencies

@otskit/client - OTS calendar client (brings in @otskit/core, the protocol engine)
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP SDK
node-sqlite3-wasm - local database (pure WASM, no native compilation)

Requires Node.js >= 20.