- Helius CLI — Programmatically create accounts and get API keys
- Helius MCP — Connect AI tools directly to Helius documentation and APIs
- MCP Skills — Specialized MCP skills for Helius products (Orb, Sender, CLI)
- TypeScript SDK — Type-safe methods for all Helius APIs
- Rust SDK — High-performance Rust SDK for Helius APIs
A machine-readable version of this section is available at agents/llms.txt for AI agent consumption.
Quick Start: Agent Signup
Agents can create a Helius account and get an API key in four steps using the Helius CLI:Authentication
All Helius API requests require an API key passed as a query parameter:https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
Get an API key from the Helius Dashboard or programmatically via the Helius CLI.
Helius-Specific API Guidance
Use these Helius-optimized APIs instead of chaining standard Solana RPC methods:| Instead of… | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
getSignaturesForAddress + getTransaction | getTransactionsForAddress | Single call returns full transaction history with token account data |
getTokenAccountsByOwner | getAssetsByOwner (DAS API) | Returns rich metadata, not just raw accounts |
getRecentPrioritizationFees | getPriorityFeeEstimate | Pre-calculated optimal fees, no manual computation |
getSignaturesForAddress (for cNFTs) | getSignaturesForAsset (DAS API) | Standard RPC doesn’t work for compressed NFTs |
getProgramAccounts (for NFT search) | searchAssets or getAssetsByGroup | Faster, cheaper, indexed data |
| Polling for real-time data | Enhanced WebSockets or LaserStream gRPC | Lower latency, more efficient |
Standard sendTransaction | Helius Sender | Dual routing (validators + Jito), higher landing rates |
Recommended Workflows
| Building… | Helius Products to Use |
|---|---|
| Trading bot | Gatekeeper (lowest latency RPC) + Sender (fast tx submission) + Priority Fee API + LaserStream (real-time prices) |
| Wallet app | DAS API (getAssetsByOwner) + getTransactionsForAddress (complete history) |
| NFT marketplace | DAS API (searchAssets, getAssetsByGroup) + Webhooks (track sales/listings) |
| Token sniper | Gatekeeper (edge-routed RPC) + LaserStream gRPC (lowest latency) + Sender (staked connections) |
| Portfolio tracker | DAS API (getAssetsByOwner with showFungible) + Enhanced Transactions |
| Wallet monitor | Enhanced WebSockets or Webhooks for real-time notifications |
| Analytics dashboard | Enhanced Transactions API + getTransactionsForAddress |
| Airdrop tool | AirShip (95% cheaper with ZK compression) |
Rate Limits Quick Reference
Rate limits depend on your plan. Agents start on the Free tier with 1,000,000 credits.| Plan | Price | Monthly Credits | RPC Rate Limit | DAS & Enhanced APIs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 1M | 10 req/s | 2 req/s |
| Developer | $49/mo | 10M | 50 req/s | 10 req/s |
| Business | $499/mo | 100M | 200 req/s | 50 req/s |
| Professional | $999/mo | 200M | 500 req/s | 100 req/s |
Credits Per API Call
| API | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard RPC calls | 1 | Most Solana RPC methods |
getProgramAccounts | 10 | Use DAS API instead when possible |
| DAS API | 10 | All DAS endpoints |
| Enhanced Transactions | 100 | Parsed transaction data |
getTransactionsForAddress | 100 | Developer+ plans only |
| Wallet API | 100 | All Wallet API endpoints |
| Priority Fee API | 1 | Fee estimation |
| Sender | 0 | Free on all plans |
| Webhook events | 1 | Per event delivered |
| Webhook management | 100 | Create, edit, delete |
Retries and Error Handling
HTTP Status Codes
| Code | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | Success | Process response |
| 400 | Bad request | Fix request parameters |
| 401 | Unauthorized | Check API key |
| 429 | Rate limited | Back off and retry |
| 5xx | Server error | Retry with exponential backoff |
Retry Pattern
Monitor Credit Usage
Quick Reference
- Mainnet RPC:
https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Mainnet RPC (Gatekeeper Beta):
https://beta.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Devnet RPC:
https://devnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Mainnet WSS:
wss://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Mainnet WSS (Gatekeeper Beta):
wss://beta.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Devnet WSS:
wss://devnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY - Sender endpoint:
https://sender.helius-rpc.com/fast - MCP server:
https://www.helius.dev/docs/mcp - Dashboard: dashboard.helius.dev
- Status: helius.statuspage.io