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Helius provides first-class support for AI agents building on Solana. From programmatic account creation to real-time data streaming, agents can access the full power of Helius without any manual intervention.
  • 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:
npm install -g helius-cli    # Install CLI
helius keygen                 # Generate keypair
# Fund wallet with 1 USDC + ~0.001 SOL
helius signup --json          # Get API key (JSON output)
On success, your agent receives an API key, RPC endpoints, and 1,000,000 credits. See the full CLI guide for details.

Authentication

All Helius API requests require an API key passed as a query parameter:
?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
Append this to any RPC or API endpoint. For example: https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY Get an API key from the Helius Dashboard or programmatically via the Helius CLI.
Use Gatekeeper for lower latencyGatekeeper (Beta) removes Cloudflare from the critical path, reducing response times by tens to hundreds of milliseconds. Same API key, same methods — just swap the endpoint:
https://beta.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
wss://beta.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
Supports all RPC, DAS, WebSocket, ZK Compression, Priority Fee, and Enhanced Transaction methods. See the migration guide for details.

Helius-Specific API Guidance

Use these Helius-optimized APIs instead of chaining standard Solana RPC methods:
Instead of…Use thisWhy
getSignaturesForAddress + getTransactiongetTransactionsForAddressSingle call returns full transaction history with token account data
getTokenAccountsByOwnergetAssetsByOwner (DAS API)Returns rich metadata, not just raw accounts
getRecentPrioritizationFeesgetPriorityFeeEstimatePre-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 getAssetsByGroupFaster, cheaper, indexed data
Polling for real-time dataEnhanced WebSockets or LaserStream gRPCLower latency, more efficient
Standard sendTransactionHelius SenderDual routing (validators + Jito), higher landing rates
Building…Helius Products to Use
Trading botGatekeeper (lowest latency RPC) + Sender (fast tx submission) + Priority Fee API + LaserStream (real-time prices)
Wallet appDAS API (getAssetsByOwner) + getTransactionsForAddress (complete history)
NFT marketplaceDAS API (searchAssets, getAssetsByGroup) + Webhooks (track sales/listings)
Token sniperGatekeeper (edge-routed RPC) + LaserStream gRPC (lowest latency) + Sender (staked connections)
Portfolio trackerDAS API (getAssetsByOwner with showFungible) + Enhanced Transactions
Wallet monitorEnhanced WebSockets or Webhooks for real-time notifications
Analytics dashboardEnhanced Transactions API + getTransactionsForAddress
Airdrop toolAirShip (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.
PlanPriceMonthly CreditsRPC Rate LimitDAS & Enhanced APIs
Free$0/mo1M10 req/s2 req/s
Developer$49/mo10M50 req/s10 req/s
Business$499/mo100M200 req/s50 req/s
Professional$999/mo200M500 req/s100 req/s
For detailed rate limits per API, see Rate Limits.

Credits Per API Call

APICreditsNotes
Standard RPC calls1Most Solana RPC methods
getProgramAccounts10Use DAS API instead when possible
DAS API10All DAS endpoints
Enhanced Transactions100Parsed transaction data
getTransactionsForAddress100Developer+ plans only
Wallet API100All Wallet API endpoints
Priority Fee API1Fee estimation
Sender0Free on all plans
Webhook events1Per event delivered
Webhook management100Create, edit, delete
For the full breakdown, see Credits.

Retries and Error Handling

HTTP Status Codes

CodeMeaningAction
200SuccessProcess response
400Bad requestFix request parameters
401UnauthorizedCheck API key
429Rate limitedBack off and retry
5xxServer errorRetry with exponential backoff

Retry Pattern

async function heliusRequest(url: string, data: object, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < maxRetries; attempt++) {
    const response = await fetch(url, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify(data),
    });

    if (response.ok) return response.json();

    if (response.status === 429) {
      const retryAfter = response.headers.get('Retry-After');
      const delay = retryAfter ? parseInt(retryAfter) * 1000 : Math.pow(2, attempt) * 1000;
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, delay));
      continue;
    }

    if (response.status >= 500) {
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, Math.pow(2, attempt) * 1000));
      continue;
    }

    throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status} ${await response.text()}`);
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries exceeded');
}

Monitor Credit Usage

helius usage --json

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