Quickstart
Three install paths. The hosted gateway path is the one most customers should pick: two clicks of OAuth, the seven guardrail categories active automatically. The local path is for development; the self-host path is for Enterprise customers with sovereign-deployment requirements.
~6 min read
Path 1: Local in Claude Desktop
The open-source path. You run the MCP locally with your own Paystack test or live key. No gateway in the middle: the LLM talks to your local Node process, which talks to Paystack. Useful for development, local agent workflows, and quick prototyping. None of the seven guardrail categories run; you inherit only what the open-source server ships (Zod validation, structured errors, integer money, audit log to stderr).
# Install
npm install -g @tracent/paystack-mcp
# Set your Paystack test secret key
export PAYSTACK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_your_key_here
# Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"paystack": {
"command": "tracent-paystack-mcp"
}
}
}
# Restart Claude Desktop. The ten Paystack tools appear in the tool list.Test the install with What's our NGN balance right now? in Claude Desktop. The agent calls list_balances, which hits Paystack's /balance endpoint with your key, and returns the kobo amounts.
Path 2: Hosted Tracent gateway (recommended)
The path most customers should pick. Sign up at tracenttechnologies.com/signup, go to /console/servers/new, choose Paystack from the integration list, and connect via OAuth. Two clicks.
The gateway holds your Paystack credential encrypted; the LLM never sees it. Every call is authenticated through OAuth 2.1 + PKCE, validated against the Zod schemas, redacted for PII on the response, rate-limited per Tool Group, gated by the HITL flow on write tools, and audit-logged with a hash-chained entry. The seven guardrail categories activate automatically.
# Add the hosted endpoint to Claude Desktop
{
"mcpServers": {
"paystack": {
"url": "https://gateway.tracenttechnologies.com/mcp/paystack",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TRACENT_TOKEN"
}
}
}
}
# The token is issued at /console/settings/account once the
# Paystack server is connected.Pricing from ₦150,000 per month at Starter, scaling to Enterprise on the pricing page.
Path 3: Self-host the gateway (Enterprise)
The sovereign deployment path. Tracent provisions a private instance of tracent-gateway-core in your VPC or on Cassava Cloud; the Paystack MCP runs against it; your customer data never leaves your data residency boundary.
This path is only available to Enterprise customers and requires a signed data-processing addendum (Standard Contractual Clauses or local equivalent, depending on your jurisdiction). The deployment guide is shared during the security architecture review; book one at tracenttechnologies.com/contact.
Next steps
- Tools reference: every tool's inputs, constraints, HITL behaviour, and example invocations.
- Security model: the seven guardrail categories your security team will ask about.
- Configure a Tool Group policy to tune rate limits, role gates, and HITL thresholds for the connected Paystack server.
Tracent Technologies