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nansen-agent-guide

Research
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Routing guide -- when to use `nansen agent` (AI research) vs direct CLI data commands. Use when deciding how to answer a user's research question with Nansen tools.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/nansen-ai/nansen-cli/blob/HEAD/skills/nansen-agent-guide/SKILL.md

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Agent vs CLI Routing

Need a...Use
take (analysis, interpretation)nansen agent
table (raw data, specific metrics)Direct CLI commands
report (both)Agent for narrative + CLI for data

Use nansen agent when

  • Question requires interpretation or synthesis across multiple data sources
  • Open-ended research: "analyse this wallet", "what's happening with ETH smart money?"
nansen agent "What are top smart money tokens on Solana today and why?"
nansen agent "Analyse wallet 0x123... -- is this a smart trader?"
nansen agent "..." --expert   # deeper analysis, 750 credits

Cost: 200 credits (fast) / 750 credits (expert)

Use direct CLI commands when

  • You need specific structured data -- prices, volumes, holders, flows
  • Deterministic question: "top 10 tokens by netflow on ethereum"
  • Piping output or building a data table
nansen research token screener --chain ethereum --smart-money --limit 10
nansen research smart-money netflow --chain solana
nansen research profiler balance --address 0x123... --chain ethereum

Cost: 5-50 credits per call

Anti-patterns

  • Don't use nansen agent for simple data fetches -- 40x more expensive
  • Don't use raw CLI for open-ended analysis -- returns data, not interpretation
  • Don't chain 3+ agent calls -- get raw data via CLI, call agent once for synthesis