Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you get started with Hades, whether you’re using Maltego Transforms for visual investigation or the MCP Server for AI-native conversational intelligence.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, you’ll need:

1. Hades API Key - Contact [email protected] for API key provisioning
2. Access Method - Choose between Maltego Transforms or MCP Server (or use both!)

Getting Started with Maltego Transforms

Step 1: Install Maltego

Download and install Maltego from https://www.maltego.com. Hades transforms work with:

• Maltego CE (Community Edition) - Free
• Maltego Classic - Commercial
• Maltego XL - Enterprise

Step 2: Import Hades Transforms

1. Download the Hades transform configuration file from your Hades account portal
2. Open Maltego and navigate to the Transforms menu
3. Select Import Configuration
4. Browse to the downloaded .mtz file and import

Step 3: Configure API Key

After importing, configure your API key:

1. Go to Transforms → Transform Hub
2. Find Hades in the list of installed transforms
3. Click Settings or Configure
4. Enter your API key in the APIKey parameter field
5. Click Save

Step 4: Start Investigating

1. Create a new graph in Maltego
2. Add a hades.v2.onion entity to the graph
3. Set the entity value to an onion address (e.g., darkmarket2023.onion)
4. Right-click the entity and explore available transforms under the Hades menu

Common starting transforms:

• FetchBitcoinAddresses - Extract Bitcoin wallets from a site
• FetchEmailAddresses - Extract email addresses
• FetchTelegramLinks - Find Telegram communication channels
• FetchLabels - Get ML-based risk classification

Explore all 35 Maltego Transforms →

Getting Started with MCP Server

The Hades MCP Server provides AI-native access to dark web intelligence through natural language queries. Once configured, you can investigate using conversational commands through Claude Desktop, Claude CLI, or other AI platforms.

What You Can Do

Ask questions in natural language and Claude will automatically use the appropriate Hades tools:

Example queries:

• “Find all dark web sites using Bitcoin address bc1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh”
• “Show me high-risk drug marketplaces discovered in the last 7 days”
• “Find sites with identical infrastructure to targetmarket.onion”
• “Track this Telegram handle across all servers: @darkvendor”

Claude will automatically use the appropriate Hades MCP tools to answer your questions.

Explore MCP Server Tools →

Optional: Investigation Skills

Enhance your investigations with specialized AI skills that work across Claude, OpenAI, and Ollama:

Available Skills:

• hades-analyst - Comprehensive dark web intelligence analysis
• vendor-tracker - Specialized vendor attribution across marketplaces
• threat-reporter - Creates structured threat intelligence reports

Usage Examples:

Claude Desktop/CLI:

/hades-analyst investigate darkmarket2023.onion
/vendor-tracker find all vendor operations
/threat-reporter create daily brief

OpenAI/Ollama: Load skill as system prompt, then ask your question

Learn About Investigation Skills →

Testing Your Setup

Maltego Transforms

1. Create a new graph in Maltego
2. Add a hades.v2.onion entity with a known onion address
3. Right-click and run FetchBitcoinAddresses
4. If successful, you’ll see cryptocurrency entities appear on the graph

MCP Server

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Type: “Find all cryptocurrency wallets on darkmarket2023.onion”
3. Claude should respond with results from the Hades database

Troubleshooting

Maltego Transforms

“Authentication failed” error:

• Verify your API key is correctly configured in transform settings
• Check that the API key hasn’t been revoked
• Ensure you haven’t exceeded your monthly query limit

“Transform failed” error:

• Check your internet connection
• Verify the onion address exists in the Hades database
• Try a different transform to isolate the issue

MCP Server

Claude doesn’t show Hades tools:

• Verify your MCP Server configuration is correct
• Restart Claude Desktop after configuration changes
• Contact support if tools are not appearing

“Authentication failed” error:

• Verify your API key is configured correctly
• Check API key hasn’t been revoked
• Ensure you haven’t exceeded monthly limit

Next Steps

Now that you’re set up, explore these resources:

• Investigation Workflows - Real-world usage examples
• Maltego Transforms Reference - All 35 transforms documented
• MCP Server Tool Reference - All 21 tools documented
• Usage Examples - Step-by-step investigation examples

Support

Need help? Contact the Hades support team:

• Support - [email protected]
• Pricing & General Inquiries - [email protected]
• Documentation - https://hades.aikostek.com
• GitHub Issues - Report bugs and request features