Alpaca

What is Alpaca MCP Server?

Alpaca MCP Server is a tool that allows Large Language Models (LLMs) to connect with Alpaca's trading infrastructure. It enables users to perform trading activities, manage their portfolio, and access market data using natural language commands through compatible clients like Claude for Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code.

Key Features

• Market Data: Access real-time and historical data for stocks and options, including quotes, trades, and price bars.
• Account Management: View account balances, buying power, and open/closed positions.
• Order Management: Place, cancel, and retrieve history for both stock and multi-leg option orders.
• Watchlist Management: Create and manage multiple watchlists to track various assets.
• Asset & Market Info: Query details for assets, check market status, and view corporate announcements.

How to use Alpaca MCP Server?

To use the server, you need Python 3.10+, an Alpaca API key (paper or live), and a compatible MCP client. First, clone the repository, install the dependencies, and set your Alpaca API keys as environment variables. Then, run the server and connect to it from your MCP client.

Use Cases

1. Algorithmic Trading: Develop and execute trading strategies using natural language prompts.
2. Portfolio Analysis: Ask the LLM to analyze your current holdings and provide insights.
3. Market Research: Query for real-time market data to inform trading decisions.
4. Automated Trading: Set up automated trading tasks based on market conditions or specific triggers.

FAQ

• **Is this service free? **> The Alpaca MCP Server itself is open-source and free. However, using the Alpaca Trading API may be subject to their pricing and plans.
• **Can I use this with live money? **> Yes, you can use both paper trading and live trading accounts by configuring the appropriate API keys.
• **What programming language is it built in? **> The server is built using Python.

Alpaca MCP Server

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for Alpaca's Trading API. It enables large language models (LLMs) on Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VScode to interact with Alpaca's trading infrastructure using natural language (English). This server supports stock trading, options trading, portfolio management, watchlist handling, and real-time market data access.

Features

• Market Data
  • Real-time quotes, trades, and price bars for stocks
  • Historical price data and trading history
  • Option contract quotes and Greeks (via snapshots)
• Account Management
  • View balances, buying power, and account status
  • Inspect all open and closed positions
• Position Management
  • Get detailed info on individual holdings
  • Liquidate all or partial positions by share count or percentage
• Order Management
  • Place stock and option orders (market or limit)
  • Cancel orders individually or in bulk
  • Retrieve full order history
• Options Trading
  • Search and view option contracts by expiration or strike price
  • Place multi-leg options strategies
  • Get latest quotes and Greeks for contracts
• Market Status & Corporate Actions
  • Check if markets are open
  • Fetch market calendar and trading sessions
  • View upcoming corporate announcements (earnings, splits, dividends)
• Watchlist Management
  • Create, update, and view personal watchlists
  • Manage multiple watchlists for tracking assets
• Asset Search
  • Query details for stocks and other Alpaca-supported assets

0. Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• GitHub account
• Alpaca API keys (with paper or live trading access)
• Claude for Desktop or another compatible MCP client

1. Installation

1. Clone the repository and navigate to the directory:

   git clone https://github.com/alpacahq/alpaca-mcp-server.git
   cd alpaca-mcp-server
   

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   

   Note: The virtual environment will use the Python version that was used to create it. If you run the command with Python 3.10 or newer, your virtual environment will also use Python 3.10+. If you want to confirm the version, you can run python3 --version after activating the virtual environment.

3. Install the required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Project Structure

After cloning and activating the virtual environment, your directory structure should look like this:

alpaca-mcp-server/          ← This is the workspace folder (= project root)
├── alpaca_mcp_server.py    ← Script is directly in workspace root
├── .vscode/                ← VS Code settings (for VS Code users)
│   └── mcp.json
├── venv/                   ← Virtual environment folder
│   └── bin/python
├── .env.example            ← Environment template (use this to create `.env` file)
├── .gitignore              
├── Dockerfile              ← Docker configuration (for Docker use)
├── .dockerignore           ← Docker ignore (for Docker use)
├── requirements.txt           
└── README.md

2. Create and edit a .env file for your credentials in the project directory

1. Copy the example environment file in the project root by running this command:

   cp .env.example .env
   

2. Replace the credentials (e.g. API keys) in the .env file:

   ALPACA_API_KEY = "your_alpaca_api_key_for_paper_account"
   ALPACA_SECRET_KEY = "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_paper_account"
   ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE = True
   TRADE_API_URL = None
   TRDE_API_WSS = None
   DATA_API_URL = None
   STREAM_DATA_WSS = None
   

Claude Desktop Usage

To use Alpaca MCP Server with Claude Desktop, please follow the steps below. The official Claude Desktop setup document is available here: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user

Start the MCP Server

Open a terminal in the project root directory and run the following command (or use python -m alpaca_mcp_server):

python alpaca_mcp_server.py 

Claude for Desktop Configuration

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Navigate to: Settings → Developer → Edit Config
3. Update your claude_desktop_config.json:

Note:
Replace <project_root> with the path to your cloned alpaca-mcp-server directory. This should point to the Python executable inside the virtual environment you created with python3 -m venv venv in the terminal.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "<project_root>/venv/bin/python",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/alpaca-mcp-server/alpaca_mcp_server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key_for_paper_account",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_paper_account"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code Usage

To use Alpaca MCP Server with Claude Code, please follow the steps below.

The claude mcp add command is part of Claude Code. If you have the Claude MCP CLI tool installed (e.g. by npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code), you can use this command to add the server to Claude Code:

claude mcp add alpaca \
  /path/to/your/alpaca-mcp-server/venv/bin/python \
  /path/to/your/alpaca-mcp-server/alpaca_mcp_server.py \
  -e ALPACA_API_KEY=your_api_key \
  -e ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

Note: Replace the paths with your actual project directory paths. This command automatically adds the MCP server configuration to Claude Code without manual JSON editing.

The Claude MCP CLI tool needs to be installed separately. Check following the official pages for availability and installation instructions

• Learn how to set up MCP with Claude Code
• Install, authenticate, and start using Claude Code on your development machine

VS Code Usage

To use Alpaca MCP Server with VS Code, please follow the steps below.

VS Code supports MCP servers through GitHub Copilot's agent mode. The official VS Code setup document is available here: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Prerequisites

• VS Code with GitHub Copilot extension installed and active subscription
• Python 3.10+ and virtual environment set up (follow Installation steps above)
• MCP support enabled in VS Code (see below)

1. Enable MCP Support in VS Code

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl/Cmd + ,)
2. Search for "chat.mcp.enabled" to check the box to enable MCP support
3. Search for "github.copilot.chat.experimental.mcp" to check the box to use instruction files

2. Configure the MCP Server

Recommendation: Use workspace-specific configuration (.vscode/mcp.json) instead of user-wide configuration. This allows different projects to use different API keys (multiple paper accounts or live trading) and keeps trading tools isolated from other development work.

For workspace-specific settings:

1. Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root.

2. Add the Alpaca MCP server configuration manually to the mcp.json file:

   For Linux/macOS:

   {
     "mcp": {
       "servers": {
         "alpaca": {
           "type": "stdio",
           "command": "bash",
           "args": ["-c", "cd ${workspaceFolder} && source ./venv/bin/activate && python alpaca_mcp_server.py"],
           "env": {
             "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
             "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
           }
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

   For Windows:

   {
     "mcp": {
       "servers": {
         "alpaca": {
           "type": "stdio", 
           "command": "cmd",
           "args": ["/c", "cd /d ${workspaceFolder} && .\\venv\\Scripts\\activate && python alpaca_mcp_server.py"],
           "env": {
             "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
             "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
           }
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

   Note: Replace ${workspaceFolder} with your actual project path. For example:

   • Linux/macOS: /Users/username/Documents/alpaca-mcp-server
   • Windows: C:\\Users\\username\\Documents\\alpaca-mcp-server

For user-wide settings:

To configure an MCP server for all your workspaces, you can add the server configuration to your user settings.json file. This allows you to reuse the same server configuration across multiple projects. Specify the server in the mcp VS Code user settings (settings.json) to enable the MCP server across all workspaces.

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "alpaca": {
        "type": "stdio",
        "command": "bash",
        "args": ["-c", "cd ${workspaceFolder} && source ./venv/bin/activate && python alpaca_mcp_server.py"],
        "env": {
          "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
          "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker Usage

To use Alpaca MCP Server with Docker, please follow the steps below.

Prerequisite:
You must have Docker installed on your system.

Run the latest published image (recommended for most users)

docker run -it --rm \
  -e ALPACA_API_KEY=your_alpaca_api_key \
  -e ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=your_alpaca_secret_key \
  ghcr.io/chand1012/alpaca-mcp-server:latest

This pulls and runs the latest published version of the server. Replace your_alpaca_api_key and your_alpaca_secret_key with your actual keys. If the server exposes a port (e.g., 8080), add -p 8080:8080 to the command.

Build and run locally (for development or custom changes)

docker build -t alpaca-mcp-server .
docker run -it --rm \
  -e ALPACA_API_KEY=your_alpaca_api_key \
  -e ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=your_alpaca_secret_key \
  alpaca-mcp-server

Use this if you want to run a modified or development version of the server.

Using with Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e", "ALPACA_API_KEY",
        "-e", "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY",
        "ghcr.io/chand1012/alpaca-mcp-server:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment variables can be set either with -e flags or in the "env" object, but not both. For Claude Desktop, use the "env" object.

Security Note:
Never share your API keys or commit them to public repositories. Be cautious when passing secrets as environment variables, especially in shared or production environments.

For more advanced Docker usage:
See the official Docker documentation.

🔐 API Key Configuration for Live Trading

This MCP server connects to Alpaca's paper trading API by default for safe testing. To enable live trading with real funds, update the following configuration files:

Set Your API Credentials in Two Places:

1. Update environment file in the project directory

Provide your live account keys as environment variables in the .env file:

ALPACA_API_KEY = "your_alpaca_api_key_for_live_account"
ALPACA_SECRET_KEY = "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_live_account"
ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE = False
TRADE_API_URL = None
TRADE_API_WSS = None
DATA_API_URL = None
STREAM_DATA_WSS = None

2. Update Configuration file

   For example, when using Claude Desktop, provide your live account keys as environment variables in claude_desktop_config.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "alpaca": {
         "command": "<project_root>/venv/bin/python",
         "args": [
           "/path/to/alpaca_mcp_server.py"
         ],
         "env": {
           "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key_for_live_account",
           "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_live_account"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

Available Tools

Account & Positions

• get_account_info() – View balance, margin, and account status
• get_positions() – List all held assets
• get_open_position(symbol) – Detailed info on a specific position
• close_position(symbol, qty|percentage) – Close part or all of a position
• close_all_positions(cancel_orders) – Liquidate entire portfolio

Stock Market Data

• get_stock_quote(symbol) – Real-time bid/ask quote
• get_stock_bars(symbol, days=5, timeframe="1Day", limit=None, start=None, end=None) – OHLCV historical bars with flexible timeframes (1Min, 5Min, 1Hour, 1Day, etc.)
• get_stock_latest_trade(symbol) – Latest market trade price
• get_stock_latest_bar(symbol) – Most recent OHLC bar
• get_stock_snapshot(symbol_or_symbols, feed=None, currency=None) – Comprehensive snapshot with latest quote, trade, minute bar, daily bar, and previous daily bar
• get_stock_trades(symbol, start_time, end_time) – Trade-level history

Orders

• get_orders(status, limit) – Retrieve all or filtered orders
• place_stock_order(symbol, side, quantity, order_type="market", limit_price=None, stop_price=None, trail_price=None, trail_percent=None, time_in_force="day", extended_hours=False, client_order_id=None) – Place a stock order of any type (market, limit, stop, stop_limit, trailing_stop)
• cancel_order_by_id(order_id) – Cancel a specific order
• cancel_all_orders() – Cancel all open orders

Options

• get_option_contracts(underlying_symbol, expiration_date) – Fetch contracts
• get_option_latest_quote(option_symbol) – Latest bid/ask on contract
• get_option_snapshot(symbol_or_symbols) – Get Greeks and underlying
• place_option_market_order(legs, order_class, quantity) – Execute option strategy

Market Info & Corporate Actions

• get_market_clock() – Market open/close schedule
• get_market_calendar(start, end) – Holidays and trading days
• get_corporate_announcements(...) – Earnings, dividends, splits

Watchlists

• create_watchlist(name, symbols) – Create a new list
• update_watchlist(id, name, symbols) – Modify an existing list
• get_watchlists() – Retrieve all saved watchlists

Assets

• get_asset_info(symbol) – Search asset metadata
• get_all_assets(status) – List all tradable instruments

Example Natural Language Queries

See the "Example Queries" section below for 50 real examples covering everything from trading to corporate data to option strategies.

Basic Trading

1. What's my current account balance and buying power?
2. Show me my current positions.
3. Buy 10 shares of AAPL at market price.
4. Sell 5 shares of TSLA with a limit price of $300.
5. Cancel all open stock orders.
6. Cancel the order with ID abc123.
7. Liquidate my entire position in GOOGL.
8. Close 10% of my position in NVDA.
9. How many shares of AMZN do I currently hold?
10. Place a limit order to buy 100 shares of MSFT at $450.
11. Place a market order to sell 25 shares of META.

Option Trading

12. Show me available option contracts for AAPL expiring next month.
13. Get the latest quote for AAPL250613C00200000.
14. Retrieve the option snapshot for SPY250627P00400000.
15. Liquidate my position in 2 contracts of QQQ calls expiring next week.
16. Place a market order to buy 1 call option on AAPL expiring next Friday.
17. What are the option Greeks for TSLA250620P00500000?
18. Find all TSLA option contracts with strike prices within 5% of the current market price.
19. Get all contracts for SPY expiring in June that are call options.
20. Place a bull call spread using AAPL June 6th options: one with a 190.00 strike and the other with a 200.00 strike.

Market Information

21. Is the US stock market currently open?
22. What are the market open and close times today?
23. Show me the market calendar for next week.
24. Are there any corporate announcements for major tech stocks this month?
25. What are the next dividend announcements for SPY?

Historical & Real-time Data

26. Show me AAPL's daily price history for the last 5 trading days.
27. What was the closing price of TSLA yesterday?
28. Get the latest bar for GOOG.
29. What was the latest trade price for NVDA?
30. Show me the most recent quote for MSFT.
31. Retrieve the last 100 trades for AMD.
32. Show me 1-minute bars for AMZN for the last 2 hours.
33. Get 5-minute intraday bars for TSLA from last Tuesday through last Friday.
34. Get a comprehensive stock snapshot for AAPL showing latest quote, trade, minute bar, daily bar, and previous daily bar all in one view.
35. Compare market snapshots for TSLA, NVDA, and MSFT to analyze their current bid/ask spreads, latest trade prices, and daily performance.

Orders

36. Show me all my open and filled orders from this week.
37. What orders do I have for AAPL?
38. List all limit orders I placed in the past 3 days.
39. Filter all orders by status: filled.
40. Get me the order history for yesterday.

Watchlists

41. Create a new watchlist called "Tech Stocks" with AAPL, MSFT, and NVDA.
42. Update my "Tech Stocks" watchlist to include TSLA and AMZN.
43. What stocks are in my "Dividend Picks" watchlist?
44. Remove META from my "Growth Portfolio" watchlist.
45. List all my existing watchlists.

Asset Information

46. Search for details about the asset 'AAPL'.
47. Show me the top 5 tradable crypto assets by trading volume.
48. Filter all assets with status 'active'.

Combined Scenarios

49. Get today's market clock and show me my buying power before placing a limit buy order for TSLA at $340.
50. Place a bull call spread with SPY July 3rd options: buy one 5% above and sell one 3% below the current SPY price.

Example Outputs

The MCP server provides detailed, well-formatted responses for various trading queries. Here are some examples:

Option Greeks Analysis

Query: "What are the option Greeks for TSLA250620P00500000?"

Response: Option Details:

• Current Bid/Ask: $142.62 /$143.89
• Last Trade: $138.85
• Implied Volatility: 92.54%

Greeks:

• Delta: -0.8968 (Very Bearish)
• Gamma: 0.0021 (Low Rate of Change)
• Theta: -0.2658 (Time Decay: $26.58/day)
• Vega: 0.1654 (Volatility Sensitivity)
• Rho: -0.3060 (Interest Rate Sensitivity)

Key Insights:

• High Implied Volatility (92.54%)
• Deep In-the-Money (Delta: -0.90)
• Significant Time Decay ($27/day)

Multi-Leg Option Order

Query: "Place a bull call spread using AAPL June 6th options: one with a 190.00 strike and the other with a 200.00 strike."

Response: Order Details:

• Order ID: fc1c04b1-8afa-4b2d-aab1-49613bbed7cb
• Order Class: Multi-Leg (MLEG)
• Status: Pending New
• Quantity: 1 spread

Spread Legs:

1. Long Leg (BUY):

   • AAPL250606C00190000 ($190.00 strike)
   • Status: Pending New

2. Short Leg (SELL):

   • AAPL250606C00200000 ($200.00 strike)
   • Status: Pending New

Strategy Summary:

• Max Profit: $10.00 per spread
• Max Loss: Net debit paid
• Breakeven: $190 + net debit paid

These examples demonstrate the server's ability to provide:

• Detailed market data analysis
• Comprehensive order execution details
• Clear strategy explanations
• Well-formatted, easy-to-read responses

The server maintains this level of detail and formatting across all supported queries, making it easy to understand and act on the information provided.

⚠️ Security Notice

This server can place real trades and access your portfolio. Treat your API keys as sensitive credentials. Review all actions proposed by the LLM carefully, especially for complex options strategies or multi-leg trades.

License

MIT