aelf-skills MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: aelf-skills MCP Server
Author: AElfProject

Why use it

Key features

Unified hub: routes to the right aelf sub-skill
Bootstrap: sets up aelf CLI and local dev chain
Health checks for node connectivity, wallet state
Contract scaffolding (C# aelf SDK)
Cross-agent: OpenClaw, Codex, Cursor, Claude Code

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

aelf-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aelf-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aelf-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aelf-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aelf-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "aelf-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "aelf-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills",
          "~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add aelf-skill -- git clone https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills ~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use aelf-skills

How to bootstrap a local aelf dev environment

👤 Developers new to aelf wanting a working local chain ⏱ ~30 min intermediate

When to use: You just decided to build on aelf and have nothing set up.

Prerequisites

Skill installed — git clone https://github.com/AElfProject/aelf-skills ~/.claude/skills/aelf-skills
.NET 6+ — Required for aelf SDK

Flow

Bootstrap

Use aelf-skills bootstrap. Set up aelf CLI, local node, and a test wallet.✓ Copied

→ Chain running, wallet created, addresses echoed
Health check

Run aelf-skills health. Confirm node, wallet balance, and RPC.✓ Copied

→ Green checks on each component

Outcome: A local aelf dev environment ready for contract work.

Pitfalls

Port collisions if you've run other chains — Skill surfaces the port map and proposes free ports

Scaffold a C# aelf smart contract

👤 Developers writing their first aelf contract ⏱ ~90 min advanced

When to use: You've done Ethereum/Solidity and want the aelf equivalent.

Flow

Scaffold

Scaffold a token contract in C# for aelf: transfer, balanceOf, approve, transferFrom.✓ Copied

→ Project with proto + contract class
Deploy to local

Deploy to local dev chain, return the contract address.✓ Copied

→ Address + first transaction hash
Test

Write and run a minimal test that calls transfer and asserts balances.✓ Copied

→ Test passes

Outcome: A deployed and tested contract on your local aelf chain.

Discover which aelf sub-skill handles your task

👤 Anyone unsure which aelf skill to invoke ⏱ ~5 min beginner

When to use: You know what you want to do; you don't know which skill does it.

Flow

Ask the hub

I want to send an aelf transaction from a dApp frontend. Which aelf sub-skill?✓ Copied

→ Sub-skill name + why

Outcome: Right skill loaded for the task.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

aelf-skill + github

Search aelf SDK examples on GitHub then use aelf-skills to scaffold a contract based on found patterns

Search AElfProject org on GitHub for token contract examples, then use aelf-skills to scaffold a similar contract locally.✓ Copied

aelf-skill + filesystem

Read existing C# contract code locally and use aelf-skills to add tests and deploy

Read my contract in ~/projects/aelf-token/src/, then use aelf-skills to write tests and deploy to local dev chain.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
bootstrap	-	First-time setup	0
health	-	Troubleshooting	0
route	task description	Task discovery	Claude tokens
Contract scaffolding	-	New contract dev	Claude tokens

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None at skill level
Tokens per call: 5-20k per task
Monetary: Free skill; testnet interactions are free
Tip: Run health checks before any real operation to avoid debugging token-wasted sessions.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: aelf wallet private key in local config. Never paste into prompts.

Data egress: RPC calls to local node or configured aelf endpoint

Keep mainnet keys separate from dev. Skill should never need mainnet private keys loaded in env during development.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

aelf CLI install fails

Check .NET version; aelf SDK targets specific .NET releases

Verify: dotnet --version

Local node not responding

Run health check; common causes: port conflict or not enough disk for chaindata

Contract deployment fails with protobuf error

Ensure your .proto files match the aelf SDK version; regenerate stubs with the correct protoc plugin

Verify: dotnet build — check for protobuf warnings

Alternatives

aelf-skills vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
aelf docs + CLI directly	You prefer reading docs and scripting yourself	Slower ramp-up

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills