nanoparse-mcp
Pay-per-parse web scraping for AI agents — no API key, x402 micropayments, Litmus trust signals
Documentation
NanoParse MCP
The easiest way for AI agents to read the web. NanoParse MCP is a hosted Model Context Protocol server at `https://nanoparse.app/mcp` that turns any URL into clean Markdown your agent can actually use — with machine-readable trust signals attached.
No install. No wallet key. No `.env`. Connect once and your agent can read the web.
Why agents choose NanoParse over Firecrawl or Jina Reader: no account, no subscription, no API key. Pay $0.01 per parse via x402 when the free tier runs out. Full JavaScript/SPA rendering, native GFM tables, and Litmus trust signals — built for agents, not humans.
Quick start
Add this to your MCP client config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nanoparse": {
"url": "https://nanoparse.app/mcp"
}
}
}Restart your client, and your agent auto-discovers two tools:
- `nanoparse_fetch(url)` — fetch any web page and get clean Markdown back
- `nanoparse_status()` — check free quota, wallet and USDC balance before spending
That's it. Your agent can now fetch pages from inside any MCP-compatible client (Claude, Cursor, Hermes, Windsurf, and others).
What you get
`nanoparse_fetch` renders the page in a real headless browser (JavaScript and all), isolates the actual article from nav, ads, and cookie banners, and returns:
- Clean Markdown — GFM tables, callouts, math, and footnotes preserved
- Metadata — title, author, dates, language, word count, OpenGraph, schema.org JSON-LD
- Litmus — machine-readable signals your agent can reason over: source authority, freshness, structural trust, content density, syndication and paywall detection
`nanoparse_status` tells your agent exactly where it stands: free parses remaining, wallet and USDC balance, and whether the next call will succeed without payment. Agents call it before spending.
Real output
Every parse returns `markdown` + `metadata` + `litmus`. Example — parsing an arXiv paper (`examples/example-output.json`, complete and unmodified):
{
"litmus": {
"source": { "type": "academic", "authority": 0.85, "rationale": "academic source" },
"freshness": { "published": null, "stale_warning": "No publish date found — verify independently" },
"tldr": "Abstract page for arXiv paper 2401.14295: Demystifying Chains, Trees, and Graphs of Thoughts",
"key_figures": [ { "value": "2,247", "context": "Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:34:00 UTC (2,247 KB)" } ],
"content_type": "academic_paper",
"reading_time": { "minutes": 4 },
"hedge_language": { "density": "low", "markers_found": 0 },
"syndication": { "detected": false },
"paywall": { "detected": false }
}
}The agent learns *before reading a word*: this is an academic source (0.85 authority), no publish date was found (verify independently), here's the one-sentence summary, the key numbers, and there's no paywall or syndication flag. See `examples/agent-conversation.md` for a full worked round-trip.
Payments
- First 10 parses per device are free. No account, no API key, no human required.
- After that: $0.01 per parse (flat, no subscriptions) via x402 — an open micropayment protocol. Your agent's wallet signs the payment automatically. To give your agent a Coinbase wallet, run `npx @coinbase/payments-mcp` and connect it alongside NanoParse.
How payments work under the hood
When an agent without free quota calls `nanoparse_fetch`, the endpoint responds with an HTTP 402 — Payment Required carrying x402 payment instructions. The agent's wallet signs a $0.01 USDC (Base) transfer, the facilitator settles it, and the parse proceeds. The hosted endpoint handles the entire challenge → settlement flow — the agent never needs a private key on your machine.
Pricing vs Firecrawl
| NanoParse | Firecrawl Hobby | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | $0.01 per parse, flat | $16/mo subscription, credits expire monthly |
| 5,000 parses | $50.00 | $16 base — but ~$145 with JSON/extraction modes (9× credit burn) |
| Account / API key | None | Required |
| Agent can pay directly (x402) | Yes | No |
Full math, including when Firecrawl's base rate wins at scale: `examples/costs.md`.
Example
You: Fetch https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.14295 and summarize the argument.
Agent: [calls nanoparse_fetch(url)]
→ clean Markdown + Litmus (academic, authority 0.85, 4-min read,
no date found — verify, no paywall)
→ summarizes from primary content, cites authority and freshnessRepository note
The `nanoparse-mcp` npm package and the local stdio client in `src/` were the
first-generation integration, which held a wallet private key
(`NANOPARSE_WALLET_KEY`) and signed x402 payments on your machine. Both are
retired: the hosted endpoint above now handles the full payment flow
itself, so no local client or wallet key is needed. The retired client code
is preserved in `archive/v1-local-client/` for
history, and the npm package is deprecated. Use the hosted endpoint — it
is the current, supported integration.
Docs
- Quick start & integration: nanoparse.app/quickstart
- Compare & pricing: nanoparse.app/compare
- API + MCP endpoint: nanoparse.app
MIT licensed.
Frequently asked questions
What is nanoparse-mcp?
nanoparse-mcp is Pay-per-parse web scraping for AI agents — no API key, x402 micropayments, Litmus trust signals
How do I install nanoparse-mcp?
Open the GitHub repository and follow its README. Most MCP servers are added to your client's MCP config, then called by your agent.
Is nanoparse-mcp open source?
Yes — it is hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/nanoparse-dev/nanoparse-mcp.
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