Alpaca MCP Server

Official

Alpaca's official MCP server for trading stocks, ETFs, crypto, and options via natural language.

How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗

Category: Dev Tools #95 of 438
Stars: ★ 1.0k Very popular
Transport: stdio (local process)
Runtime: Python 3.10+ · Docker
Credentials: API key / credential required
License: MIT
Last commit: 17 days ago
Tools: 74

62FMRS · C

The Alpaca MCP server is an official, feature-rich server covering multiple asset classes and trading operations, but requires careful use due to real trading risks.

Strongest · Documentation 16/20 Weakest · Reliability 10/20

Reliability

10/20

Security and permissions

12/20

Maintenance

10/20

Documentation

16/20

Setup experience

14/20

Why each score

Reliability 10/20: The manifest and README describe a versioned v2.2.0 server with a detailed tool inventory, and the README claims integrity, server-construction, paper API, ReadMe tests, and CI. However, the supplied source material contains only the README and manifest, not the actual CI workflow or committed test files, so startup, MCP handshake, and tool behavior cannot be verified statically. Static calibration caps reliability at 12 without executable evidence; a conservative score of 10 is given. Deductions are for unverifiable test evidence and thin diagnosable failure paths.
Security and permissions 12/20: Credentials are supplied via ALPACA_API_KEY and ALPACA_SECRET_KEY and marked secret in the manifest; paper trading is the default, HTTP transport defaults to localhost, data collection is disclosed as user-agent only, install examples use placeholders, and ALPACA_TOOLSETS allows capability scoping. No red-line violations are present. However, the server exposes high-risk tools such as close_all_positions, cancel_all_orders, and exercise_options_position without an explicit in-server confirmation workflow, leaving permission and confirmation incomplete. Score is 12.
Maintenance 10/20: The project has an MIT license, is not archived, and shows a v2 rewrite with version 2.2.0 and a v1-to-v2 upgrade guide, indicating active maintenance and a release path. However, the supplied materials lack commit history, issue-response evidence, dependency-update records, or a security-response channel; 26 open issues cannot be assessed for resolution. A conservative score of 10 is given.
Documentation 16/20: The README provides layered documentation: prerequisites, multi-client installation, authentication, environment variable table, toolset filtering, feature list, extensive example prompts, available tools, testing commands, troubleshooting, disclosures, privacy, and security notes. It also discloses limitations such as the 15-minute data subscription and exclusion of Broker API docs. Deductions are for missing per-tool parameter-level reference, rate-limit details, and cost details. Score is 16.
Setup experience 14/20: Setup is clearly documented with client-specific config examples for Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, PyCharm, Antigravity, and Docker, using the uvx launcher and centralized environment variables. Deductions are for heavy reliance on uv/uvx and the lack of static evidence verifying PyPI package availability and runtime behavior; static calibration caps setup at 15. A conservative score of 14 is given.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessUses the networkChanges third-party account data

Best for

Developers who want to automate trading
Users who want to use AI assistants for investment research and trade execution
Traders familiar with Alpaca brokerage services

Not for

Users who need a hosted remote MCP server (Alpaca does not provide hosted service)
Users who want to trade mutual funds or futures (not supported)
Users who need to view Broker API docs (server excludes Broker API endpoints)

Required permissions

Access Alpaca account information (balances, positions, orders)
Place orders on behalf of the user (buy, sell, cancel)
Read market data and news
Read Alpaca documentation

Risks and side effects

The server can execute real trades, potentially leading to financial loss
API keys are sensitive credentials and should be handled securely
Options and crypto trading carry high risk and are not suitable for all investors
Algorithmic outputs are based on historical data and may not predict future markets

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Python 3.10+ · Docker

ALPACA_API_KEY requiredsecret Required Alpaca Trading API key; generate one in the Alpaca Dashboard after creating a free paper trading account at app.alpaca.markets.

ALPACA_SECRET_KEY requiredsecret Required Alpaca API secret key, generated alongside the API key in the Alpaca Dashboard; treat as a sensitive credential.

Other optional settings (2)

ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE optional Optional, defaults to true (paper trading); set to false to enable live trading.

ALPACA_TOOLSETS optional Optional comma-separated list of toolsets (e.g. stock-data,crypto-data) to restrict which tools are enabled; all are enabled by default.

Ensure Python 3.10+ and uv are installed.
Create a free paper trading account at the Alpaca Dashboard and generate API keys.
Edit your MCP client config (e.g., Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) to add the above mcpServers configuration with your API keys.
Restart the client.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["alpaca-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Shown for Claude Desktop. Other clients may use a different file or key (VS Code uses "servers") — the configurator below converts it.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "alpaca-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "your_alpaca_api_key",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "your_alpaca_secret_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Goes in your project's .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code uses a "servers" key).

Terminal

claude mcp add alpaca -e ALPACA_API_KEY=your_alpaca_api_key -e ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=your_alpaca_secret_key -- uvx alpaca-mcp-server

Run it in a terminal; replace any <…> placeholders with your own values first.

Generate and validate client config

Check that it works

Add the server to your MCP client config (uvx alpaca-mcp-server with your Alpaca keys) and restart the client; confirm get_account_info appears in the tool list, then ask "What's my current account balance on Alpaca?" — a returned balance proves the connection works.

Troubleshooting

If uvx is not found, install uv and restart your terminal
Ensure ALPACA_API_KEY and ALPACA_SECRET_KEY are set in the client's config
Restart the client after config changes
If using HTTP transport, check for port conflicts

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

What's my current buying power in my Alpaca account?
Buy 5 shares of AAPL at market price.
Show me AAPL's daily price history for the last 5 trading days.
Cancel all my open stock orders.

Tools 74

get_account_info read-only

Get account balance, margin, and status

get_account_config read-only

View trading restrictions, margin settings, PDT checks

update_account_config writes

Update account configuration settings

get_portfolio_history read-only

Get equity and P/L over time

get_account_activities read-only

Get fills, dividends, transfers

get_account_activities_by_type read-only

Get activities filtered by type

get_orders read-only

Retrieve orders with filters

get_order_by_id read-only

Get a single order by ID

Show 66 more tools

get_order_by_client_id read-only

Get a single order by client order ID

replace_order_by_id writes

Replace an existing open order

cancel_order_by_id writes

Cancel a specific order

cancel_all_orders writes

Cancel all open orders

place_stock_order writes

Place stock/ETF orders (market, limit, stop, etc.)

place_crypto_order writes

Place crypto orders (market, limit, stop-limit)

place_option_order writes

Place option orders (single-leg or multi-leg)

get_all_positions read-only

Get all current positions

get_open_position read-only

Get details for a specific position

close_position writes

Close a specific position

close_all_positions destructive

Liquidate entire portfolio

exercise_options_position writes

Exercise a held option contract

do_not_exercise_options_position writes

Send do-not-exercise instruction

create_watchlist writes

Create a new watchlist

get_watchlists read-only

List all watchlists

get_watchlist_by_id read-only

Get a specific watchlist

update_watchlist_by_id writes

Update a watchlist

delete_watchlist_by_id destructive

Delete a watchlist

add_asset_to_watchlist_by_id writes

Add an asset to a watchlist

remove_asset_from_watchlist_by_id writes

Remove an asset from a watchlist

get_all_assets read-only

List assets with optional filtering

get_asset read-only

Get detailed info for a specific asset

get_option_contracts read-only

Get option contracts for underlying symbol(s)

get_option_contract read-only

Get a single option contract by symbol or ID

get_calendar read-only

Get market calendar for a date range

get_clock read-only

Get current market status and next open/close

get_corporate_action_announcements read-only

Get corporate action announcements

get_corporate_action_announcement read-only

Get a single announcement by ID

get_stock_bars read-only

Get historical OHLCV bars

get_stock_quotes read-only

Get historical bid/ask quotes

get_stock_trades read-only

Get historical trades

get_stock_latest_bar read-only

Get latest minute bar

get_stock_latest_quote read-only

Get latest quote

get_stock_latest_trade read-only

Get latest trade

get_stock_snapshot read-only

Get comprehensive snapshot (quote, trade, minute bar, etc.)

get_most_active_stocks read-only

Get most active stocks by volume or trade count

get_market_movers read-only

Get top gainers and losers

get_crypto_bars read-only

Get historical OHLCV bars for crypto

get_crypto_quotes read-only

Get historical quotes for crypto

get_crypto_trades read-only

Get historical trades for crypto

get_crypto_latest_bar read-only

Get latest minute bar for crypto

get_crypto_latest_quote read-only

Get latest quote for crypto

get_crypto_latest_trade read-only

Get latest trade for crypto

get_crypto_snapshot read-only

Get comprehensive snapshot for crypto

get_crypto_latest_orderbook read-only

Get latest orderbook for crypto

get_option_bars read-only

Get historical OHLCV bars for options

get_option_trades read-only

Get historical trades for options

get_option_latest_trade read-only

Get latest trade for options

get_option_latest_quote read-only

Get latest quote with bid/ask and exchange info

get_option_snapshot read-only

Get snapshot with Greeks and IV

get_option_chain read-only

Get full option chain for an underlying

get_option_exchange_codes read-only

Get exchange code to name mapping

get_corporate_actions read-only

Get corporate action announcements from market data

get_news read-only

Get news articles for stocks and crypto

get_fixed_income_latest_quotes read-only

Get latest quotes for fixed income securities by ISIN

get_index_latest_values read-only

Get latest values for market indices

get_index_values read-only

Get historical values for market indices

get_locates read-only

List locate requests filtered by status, symbol, or date range

create_locate writes

Create a locate request for a short sale

get_locate read-only

Get a single locate request by ID

get_locate_quotes read-only

Get locate availability and pricing for symbols

search_alpaca_docs read-only

Search Alpaca documentation pages and guides

fetch_alpaca_doc read-only

Fetch one Alpaca ReadMe documentation page by page ID

search_alpaca_api_specs read-only

Search Alpaca API reference endpoints by topic, path, parameter, or schema term

list_alpaca_api_endpoints read-only

List endpoints for one allowed Alpaca OpenAPI spec

get_alpaca_endpoint_docs read-only

Fetch reference docs for one exact Alpaca API endpoint by method and path

Use cases

Check account balance and buying power

View current positions and order status

Place stock, crypto, and option orders via natural language

Fetch real-time and historical market data (bars, quotes, trades)

Manage watchlists and corporate action announcements

Supported clients

Claude Desktop

Cursor

VS Code

Claude Code

PyCharm

Antigravity CLI

ChatGPTPartial support

Claude MobilePartial support

Listed from the project's documentation, not tested by this site.

Overview

Alpaca's official MCP server, built with FastMCP and OpenAPI specs, provides 60+ tools covering account management, trading, positions, market data, news, and more. Supports stocks, options, crypto, fixed income, indices, and other asset classes. Users can execute trades, fetch real-time and historical market data, and manage portfolios through natural language instructions in AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.

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Source revision a82ad1ccb740 Data synced 2026-10-12 Read the FMRS scoring method