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 \x3Ccoin> 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 \x3CSYMBOL> -o json

# If ambiguous or unknown, search first
cmc search \x3Cquery> -o json

Extract: cmc_id, slug, name, symbol, rank

All subsequent commands MUST use --id \x3Ccmc_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 \x3Ccmc_id> -o json

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

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 \x3Ccmc_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 \x3Ccmc_id> --days 7 --ohlc --interval hourly -o json

# 30-day daily candles (medium-term trend)
cmc history --id \x3Ccmc_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 \x3Cslug> --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:

# \x3CName> (\x3CSymbol>) — Research Report

> Generated via cmc-cli | \x3Cdate>

## 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%
- \x3Cinterpretation of what's driving the current move>

## Fundamentals
- **Description**: \x3C1-2 sentences>
- **Sector/Tags**: \x3Cfrom CMC tags>
- **Tokenomics**: \x3Csupply model, value accrual, notable features>
- **Chain Stats**: \x3Cconsensus, hashrate/TPS if available>
- **Key Links**: website | explorer | github | twitter

## Price Action
### Short-term (7d)
- **Trend**: \x3Cdirection + key levels>
- **Volume pattern**: \x3Cconfirming/diverging>

### Medium-term (30d)
- **Trend**: \x3Cdirection + key levels>
- **Volatility**: \x3Chigh/medium/low vs own history>

## Market Structure
- **Top exchanges**: \x3Ctop 3 by volume>
- **Spot/Derivatives split**: \x3Cratio>
- **Liquidity assessment**: \x3Cconcentrated/distributed>

## Market Context
- **BTC Dominance**: X% (\x3Ctrending direction>)
- **Total Market Cap**: $X (\x3Cexpanding/contracting>)
- **Asset vs Market**: \x3Coutperforming/underperforming/in-line>

## News & Sentiment
- **Key headlines**: \x3Ctop 2-3 relevant items>
- **Trending status**: \x3Cin trending list? rank?>
- **Narrative fit**: \x3Caligned with current market theme?>
- **Catalyst watch**: \x3Cupcoming events if any>

## Assessment

### Bull Case
1. \x3Cpoint with evidence>
2. \x3Cpoint with evidence>
3. \x3Cpoint with evidence>

### Bear Case
1. \x3Cpoint with evidence>
2. \x3Cpoint with evidence>
3. \x3Cpoint with evidence>

### Verdict
\x3CBullish / Neutral / Bearish> — \x3C1-2 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