Caroline Bishop
Mar 13, 2026 16:40
Dune ships CLI and Expertise framework giving AI brokers direct terminal entry to blockchain knowledge throughout 130+ chains with out human intervention.
Dune Analytics has launched a command-line interface and Expertise framework that enables AI brokers to autonomously question onchain knowledge throughout greater than 130 blockchains. The March 13 launch follows final week’s Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP) launch, finishing what the $1 billion-valued analytics platform calls its “agent-native” infrastructure.
The transfer positions Dune for a shift in how blockchain knowledge will get consumed. Overlook dashboards—autonomous brokers working in terminals now want direct programmatic entry to decoded sensible contract knowledge, DEX trades, and protocol metrics.
What Truly Shipped
The CLI, constructed on a Go SDK, handles the complete analyst workflow: dataset discovery, DuneSQL execution, question administration, and utilization monitoring. Each output comes as JSON, designed for machine parsing reasonably than human studying.
Extra attention-grabbing is the Expertise.md file bundled with the CLI. This follows an rising normal adopted by Anthropic, Microsoft, and others—basically a functionality manifest that tells AI brokers what Dune can do, which instructions to run, and learn how to deal with errors. An agent reads the file and instantly understands the toolset with out customized integration work.
Two new API endpoints energy each the CLI and MCP below the hood. The /v1/datasets/search endpoint lets brokers search Dune’s whole catalog utilizing pure language with filters for chain, class, and schema. The /v1/datasets/search-by-contract endpoint takes any contract deal with and returns each decoded occasion and performance desk related to it.
Why Terminal Entry Issues
Terminal-based AI instruments like Claude Code, Cursor, and numerous autonomous agent frameworks function in environments the place each token counts. CLI plus Expertise gives decrease overhead than persistent MCP connections for these workflows.
The sensible implication: an AI agent can uncover related tables, write a question, execute it, and return outcomes with out human involvement. For buying and selling bots, analysis automation, and monitoring programs, that is a significant functionality improve.
Context and Competitors
Dune has expanded aggressively since hitting unicorn standing in February 2022 after a $69.42 million Collection B led by Coatue. The platform now helps knowledge from over 130 chains, up from its Ethereum-only origins. In February 2025, the corporate introduced reaching 100 supported blockchains as multichain utilization accelerated.
The agent-native push addresses an actual infrastructure hole. As AI brokers proliferate in crypto—dealing with the whole lot from portfolio rebalancing to governance participation—they want dependable knowledge pipelines that do not require human intermediaries clicking by means of internet interfaces.
Getting Began
Builders can set up the CLI and authenticate with an API key to start out querying instantly. The selection between MCP and CLI will depend on the use case: MCP fits GUI-based AI purposes like Claude.ai or ChatGPT with persistent connections, whereas CLI plus Expertise suits terminal brokers and autonomous workflows higher on account of stateless operation and decrease token overhead.
Whether or not this turns into normal infrastructure for crypto AI brokers relies upon largely on adoption by the autonomous agent frameworks now proliferating throughout the ecosystem. The tooling exists—now it wants builders to truly use it.
Picture supply: Shutterstock
