Alpaca

The Alpaca MCP Server is an MCP server implementation that connects Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VSCode directly to Alpaca’s trading infrastructure.

This server enables traders to interact with financial markets by letting large language models execute trades, analyze portfolios, and manage investments through natural language.

Features

• 📊 Real-time Market Data – Live quotes, trades, price bars, and historical data for stocks and options
• 💰 Account Management – View balances, buying power, positions, and account status
• 📈 Position Tracking – Monitor holdings with detailed position information and liquidation controls
• 🛒 Order Execution – Place market and limit orders for stocks and options with full order management
• 🎯 Options Trading – Multi-leg strategies, Greeks analysis, and contract searching
• 📅 Market Intelligence – Trading calendars, corporate actions, earnings announcements
• 📋 Watchlist Management – Create and manage multiple asset tracking lists
• 🔍 Asset Discovery – Search and filter tradeable instruments across markets

Use Cases

• Portfolio Managers analyzing positions and executing trades through conversational commands instead of clicking through multiple trading interfaces
• Options Traders building complex strategies like spreads and straddles using natural language descriptions rather than manual contract selection
• Algorithmic Developers prototyping trading strategies by describing logic to Claude before implementing automated systems
• Financial Analysts gathering market data and corporate information for research without switching between data terminals

How to Use It

1. You need Python 3.10+, Alpaca API keys (paper or live trading), and Claude Desktop or another MCP-compatible client.

2. Clone and Setup

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/alpaca-mcp-server.git
cd alpaca-mcp-server
pip install mcp alpaca-py python-dotenv

3. Create a .env file in the project directory and insert your Alpaca API key.

ALPACA_API_KEY = "your_alpaca_api_key_for_paper_account"
ALPACA_SECRET_KEY = "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_paper_account"

4. Start the Server

python alpaca_mcp_server.py

4. config your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available API Methods

Account & Position Management

• get_account_info() – Account balance and status
• get_positions() – All current holdings
• get_open_position(symbol) – Specific position details
• close_position(symbol, qty|percentage) – Partial or full liquidation
• close_all_positions(cancel_orders) – Complete portfolio liquidation

Stock Trading

• get_stock_quote(symbol) – Real-time bid/ask
• get_stock_bars(symbol, start_date, end_date) – Historical OHLCV data
• place_stock_order() – Market, limit, stop, and trailing orders
• get_orders(status, limit) – Order history and filtering
• cancel_order_by_id(order_id) – Individual order cancellation

Options Trading

• get_option_contracts(underlying_symbol, expiration_date) – Contract discovery
• get_option_latest_quote(option_symbol) – Live option pricing
• get_option_snapshot(symbol) – Greeks and volatility data
• place_option_market_order(legs, order_class, quantity) – Multi-leg strategies

Market Data & Events

• get_market_clock() – Trading session status
• get_market_calendar(start, end) – Holiday schedules
• get_corporate_announcements() – Earnings, dividends, splits

Live Trading Configuration

For real money trading, update both your .env file and Claude configuration with live account credentials:

ALPACA_API_KEY = "your_alpaca_api_key_for_live_account"
ALPACA_SECRET_KEY = "your_alpaca_secret_key_for_live_account"
PAPER = False

FAQs

Q: Can I use this with a paper trading account first?
A: Yes, the server defaults to paper trading mode for safe testing. You can practice all trading functions without risking real money before switching to live trading.

Q: What types of orders does the server support?
A: The server handles market orders, limit orders, stop orders, stop-limit orders, and trailing stop orders for both stocks and options. It also supports complex multi-leg option strategies.

Q: How do I access real-time market data?
A: Real-time quotes and trades are available through natural language queries like “What’s the current price of AAPL?” The server returns live bid/ask spreads, last trade prices, and volume data.

Q: Can I manage multiple watchlists through Claude?
A: Yes, you can create, update, and view multiple named watchlists. Commands like “Create a tech watchlist with AAPL, MSFT, NVDA” work directly through conversation.

Q: Is options trading fully supported?
A: The server provides complete options functionality including contract searching, Greeks analysis, quote retrieval, and execution of complex strategies like spreads and straddles through natural language descriptions.

Q: How secure is my trading account information?
A: API keys are stored locally in your configuration files and transmitted directly to Alpaca’s servers. The MCP server acts as a secure bridge without storing sensitive data, but you should treat your API credentials as highly sensitive information.