coin-crypto-research-using-cmc-cli

Coin research and crypto token analysis with CoinMarketCap (CMC) CLI. Deep-dive any coin or crypto — price, market cap, volume, on-chain stats, historical OH...

Security Scan

The skill's requirements and runtime instructions align with its stated purpose (using the cmc CLI and a CMC_API_KEY) and nothing in the SKILL.md asks for unrelated secrets, files, or installs.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description claim coin research via the CoinMarketCap CLI; the skill only requires the `cmc` binary and a CMC_API_KEY which are exactly what a CMC CLI-based research tool would need.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains step-by-step cmc CLI commands and analysis logic. It does not instruct the agent to read arbitrary files, access unrelated environment variables, or transmit data to unexpected endpoints — all runtime actions are limited to the cmc CLI and local parsing of its JSON output.

Install Mechanism

This is an instruction-only skill with no install spec; nothing will be written to disk by the skill itself. The SKILL.md points users to the cmc CLI repo for installation, which is appropriate for an external binary dependency.

Credentials

Only a single credential (CMC_API_KEY) is required and declared as the primaryEnv. That is proportional to the skill's purpose. There are no other secret-like env vars or config paths requested.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not marked always:true and does not request elevated persistence or modification of other skills' configs. Agent-autonomous invocation is enabled by default but is not combined with other concerning privileges here.

Assessment

This skill is coherent with its purpose, but before installing: (1) ensure the cmc CLI you install is the official/trusted implementation (review the GitHub repo and release artifacts); (2) provide the CMC_API_KEY only if you trust the agent and limit the key's scope/quotas where possible; (3) review the cmc CLI's network behavior (it will call CoinMarketCap APIs) if you're concerned about data leakage; and (4) if you want stronger safety, run the CLI locally yourself and paste its outputs rather than granting the agent direct API access. If you need higher assurance, request the actual cmc binary install instructions or inspect the cmc CLI source before use.

Coin Research (cmc-cli)

Structured single-coin research using the cmc CLI. Derives its analytical framework from a multi-model institutional analysis pipeline, compressed into a single-pass workflow that any Claude Code user can run.

Prerequisites

This skill requires:

• cmc CLI installed and available on PATH — see CoinMarketCap CLI for installation options
• CMC_API_KEY available to Claude via the session environment

If either dependency is missing, stop and report the missing requirement.

When to Use

• User says "research BTC", "look into SOL", "tell me about ETH", "coin overview"
• User wants a structured asset profile for a specific crypto
• User asks "what's happening with X" for a specific coin

When NOT to Use

• Market-wide scan (no specific coin) → use cmc markets / cmc trending directly
• Stock analysis → not supported by cmc-cli
• User wants a quick price check only → use cmc price <coin> directly

Research Pipeline

Step 1: Identity Resolution
    ↓
Step 2: Move Profile Analysis          ← compares coin vs BTC/ETH
    ↓
Step 3: Price + Fundamentals + Chain    ← single enriched call
    ↓
Step 4: Historical Price Action         ← 7d hourly + 30d daily OHLCV
    ↓
Step 5: Market Structure                ← trading pairs & liquidity
    ↓
Step 6: Market Context                  ← global metrics + top movers
    ↓
Step 7: News & Sentiment                ← news + trending
    ↓
Synthesis: Structured Research Report

Execution

Step 1: Identity Resolution

# Resolve symbol to CMC ID for deterministic subsequent calls
cmc resolve --symbol <SYMBOL> -o json

# If ambiguous or unknown, search first
cmc search <query> -o json

Extract: cmc_id, slug, name, symbol, rank

All subsequent commands MUST use --id <cmc_id> (not --symbol) for determinism.

If identity resolution fails or remains ambiguous, stop and report that the target asset could not be resolved cleanly.

Step 2: Move Profile Analysis

This step determines whether the coin's recent movement is driven by the broader market or by coin-specific factors.

# Fetch BTC, ETH, and target coin prices in one call
cmc price btc eth --id <cmc_id> -o json

Analysis logic — compare percent_change_24h across BTC, ETH, and the target:

Condition	Classification	Implication
Target moves in same direction as BTC/ETH, within ±2× magnitude	Market Beta	Price driven by macro/market forces. Focus synthesis on market context.
Target diverges from BTC/ETH direction OR magnitude differs >2×	Idiosyncratic	Coin-specific catalyst likely. Focus synthesis on news, fundamentals, project events.

Record the classification — it guides the emphasis of the final synthesis.

Step 3: Price + Fundamentals + Chain Stats

# Single enriched call — quotes + project info + blockchain stats
cmc price --id <cmc_id> --with-info --with-chain-stats -o json

Extract from quotes: price, market_cap, volume_24h, percent_change_1h/24h/7d/30d/90d, circulating_supply, total_supply, max_supply

Extract from info: description, tags (→ sector/category), date_added, urls (website, explorer, github, twitter, reddit)

Extract from chain_stats: consensus_mechanism, hashrate_24h, tps_24h, total_transactions, total_blocks, block_reward

Note: --with-chain-stats may return empty for some tokens (especially ERC-20s). Fall back gracefully.

Step 4: Historical Price Action

# 7-day hourly candles (short-term structure)
cmc history --id <cmc_id> --days 7 --ohlc --interval hourly -o json

# 30-day daily candles (medium-term trend)
cmc history --id <cmc_id> --days 30 --ohlc -o json

Analysis framework (derived from technical analysis methodology):

1. Trend Structure: Identify higher highs / higher lows (uptrend) or lower highs / lower lows (downtrend). Note trend reversals.
2. Key Levels: Identify support (recent lows, consolidation floors) and resistance (recent highs, rejection points) from OHLCV data.
3. Volume-Price Relationship: Volume increasing with price movement = confirmation. Volume diverging from price = potential reversal signal.
4. Volatility Assessment: Compare recent daily range (high-low) to 30-day average. Rate as high / medium / low relative to the asset's own history.

Step 5: Market Structure

# Top trading pairs across spot + derivatives
cmc pairs <slug> --category all --limit 20 -o json

Analyze:

• Liquidity distribution: Which exchanges hold most volume?
• Spot vs derivatives ratio: High derivatives ratio = speculative interest dominant
• Pair concentration: Volume concentrated on 1-2 exchanges = liquidity risk

Step 6: Market Context

# Global metrics (BTC dominance, total market cap, volume)
cmc metrics -o json

# Top movers — is our asset among them?
cmc top-gainers-losers --time-period 24h --limit 20 -o json

Analyze:

• Asset vs market: Is the coin outperforming, underperforming, or tracking the market?
• BTC dominance trend: Rising dominance = risk-off (capital flowing to BTC). Falling = risk-on (alt season signal).
• Total market cap trajectory: Expanding or contracting liquidity environment?
• Sector momentum: Cross-reference the coin's tags with top movers to assess sector rotation.

Step 7: News & Sentiment

# Latest crypto news
cmc news --limit 10 -o json

# Community trending assets
cmc trending --limit 20 -o json

Analyze:

• Catalyst identification: Any news directly mentioning the target asset? Upcoming events (upgrades, listings, partnerships)?
• Narrative alignment: Does the coin fit the current market narrative (e.g., AI, RWA, L2, meme)?
• Social momentum: Is the asset in the trending list? Rising or falling rank?

Synthesis Framework

After collecting all data, synthesize using these analytical lenses (each derived from institutional analysis methodology):

Lens 1: Fundamentals Snapshot

Evaluate the project's intrinsic value drivers:

• What problem does it solve? Is the solution differentiated?
• Tokenomics health: Supply dynamics (inflationary/deflationary), value accrual mechanism (burn, staking, fee sharing)
• Ecosystem vitality: Developer activity signals (GitHub links), DApp count, community size
• Competitive position: Where does it rank within its sector/category? Who are the main competitors?

Lens 2: Technical State

From OHLCV data, provide a concise market structure read:

• Current trend direction and strength
• Nearest support and resistance levels with price values
• Volume trend (confirming or diverging from price?)
• Short-term vs medium-term trend alignment or conflict

Lens 3: Money Flow & Sentiment

Based on Move Profile result + market context:

• If Market Beta: Emphasize macro environment, BTC dominance trend, total market health
• If Idiosyncratic: Emphasize project-specific catalysts, news events, social signals
• Volume/market-cap ratio as activity indicator
• Position among top gainers/losers

Lens 4: Catalyst Scan

Identify actionable information signals:

• Specific news events or announcements
• Upcoming protocol upgrades or token unlocks (if mentioned in info/news)
• Trending narrative fit or misalignment
• Social momentum direction

Lens 5: Bull Case / Bear Case

Structured assessment with specific evidence from data:

• Bull Case (3 points): strongest arguments for upside, each citing data
• Bear Case (3 points): strongest arguments for downside, each citing data
• Verdict: Based on evidence weight, where does the balance tilt? (Bullish / Neutral / Bearish)

Output Format

Present findings as a structured report:

# <Name> (<Symbol>) — Research Report

> Generated via cmc-cli | <date>

## Overview
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| **Rank** | #X |
| **Price** | $X |
| **Market Cap** | $X |
| **24h Volume** | $X (Vol/MCap: X%) |
| **24h / 7d / 30d Change** | X% / X% / X% |
| **Circulating / Max Supply** | X / X |

## Move Profile
**Classification**: Market Beta / Idiosyncratic
- Target 24h: X% | BTC 24h: X% | ETH 24h: X%
- <interpretation of what's driving the current move>

## Fundamentals
- **Description**: <1-2 sentences>
- **Sector/Tags**: <from CMC tags>
- **Tokenomics**: <supply model, value accrual, notable features>
- **Chain Stats**: <consensus, hashrate/TPS if available>
- **Key Links**: website | explorer | github | twitter

## Price Action
### Short-term (7d)
- **Trend**: <direction + key levels>
- **Volume pattern**: <confirming/diverging>

### Medium-term (30d)
- **Trend**: <direction + key levels>
- **Volatility**: <high/medium/low vs own history>

## Market Structure
- **Top exchanges**: <top 3 by volume>
- **Spot/Derivatives split**: <ratio>
- **Liquidity assessment**: <concentrated/distributed>

## Market Context
- **BTC Dominance**: X% (<trending direction>)
- **Total Market Cap**: $X (<expanding/contracting>)
- **Asset vs Market**: <outperforming/underperforming/in-line>

## News & Sentiment
- **Key headlines**: <top 2-3 relevant items>
- **Trending status**: <in trending list? rank?>
- **Narrative fit**: <aligned with current market theme?>
- **Catalyst watch**: <upcoming events if any>

## Assessment

### Bull Case
1. <point with evidence>
2. <point with evidence>
3. <point with evidence>

### Bear Case
1. <point with evidence>
2. <point with evidence>
3. <point with evidence>

### Verdict
<Bullish / Neutral / Bearish> — <1-2 sentence summary of evidence balance>

---
> ⚠️ This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile — always conduct your own due diligence.

Parallel Execution Guide

After Step 1 (identity resolution), Steps 2-7 have no dependencies between them. Run all CLI commands in parallel for faster execution:

Step 1 (sequential — needed for cmc_id)
    ↓
Steps 2-7 (all in parallel)
    ↓
Synthesis (sequential — needs all data)

Tips

• Always use --id over --symbol after resolution — avoids symbol ambiguity
• Use -o json for all data fetching — structured data for better analysis
• If --with-chain-stats returns empty, skip Chain Stats section gracefully
• Keep the synthesis concise and evidence-based — cite specific data points, don't make unsupported claims
• Move Profile is the most important analytical step — it determines the lens through which everything else is interpreted
• For coins not in the pre-mapped list (BTC, ETH, SOL, etc.), cmc search + cmc resolve will find them