Alpaca MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Alpaca Trading API that provides seamless integration with AI assistants and development tools.

✅ Compatibility

Tested and verified to work on Apple Silicon M1 Pro laptops running macOS.

Features

Account Information: Get real-time account details, buying power, equity, and status
Portfolio Management: View current positions with P&L tracking
Market Data: Retrieve real-time stock quotes with bid/ask spreads
Order Management: List and monitor recent orders
Paper Trading Support: Safe testing environment with paper trading API
Live Trading Ready: Compatible with live trading (use with caution)

Installation

Prerequisites

pip install alpaca-trade-api

Quick Start

Clone the repository:

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

Set up your Alpaca API credentials:

Create environment variables or add to your shell profile:

export APCA_API_KEY_ID="your_api_key_here"
export APCA_API_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key_here"
export APCA_API_BASE_URL="https://paper-api.alpaca.markets"  # Paper trading
# export APCA_API_BASE_URL="https://api.alpaca.markets"      # Live trading

Test the server:

python alpaca_mcp_server.py

MCP Integration

For Cline/Claude Dev Tools

Add to your MCP settings JSON:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/alpaca-mcp-server/alpaca_mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "APCA_API_KEY_ID": "your_api_key_here",
        "APCA_API_SECRET_KEY": "your_secret_key_here",
        "APCA_API_BASE_URL": "https://paper-api.alpaca.markets"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/alpaca-mcp-server/alpaca_mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "APCA_API_KEY_ID": "your_api_key_here",
        "APCA_API_SECRET_KEY": "your_secret_key_here",
        "APCA_API_BASE_URL": "https://paper-api.alpaca.markets"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

1. `get_account`

Get comprehensive account information including:

Account status and number
Buying power and cash available
Portfolio equity and value
Pattern day trader status
Day trade count
SMA (Special Memorandum Account)

2. `get_positions`

View current stock positions with:

Symbol and quantity
Current market value
Cost basis and P&L
Unrealized gains/losses
Current stock price
Position side (long/short)

3. `get_quote`

Get real-time market quotes for any symbol:

Bid and ask prices
Bid and ask sizes
Price spread calculation
Timestamp of quote

Parameters:

symbol (required): Stock symbol (e.g., "AAPL", "TSLA", "NVDA")

4. `get_orders`

List recent orders with filtering:

Order ID and status
Symbol and quantity
Order type and side
Fill information
Submission timestamps

Parameters:

status (optional): "open", "closed", or "all" (default: "all")
limit (optional): Maximum number of orders (default: 10)

API Credentials

Getting Alpaca API Keys

Sign up at Alpaca Markets
Go to the dashboard and navigate to "API Keys"
Generate new API keys for paper trading or live trading
Copy your API Key ID and Secret Key

Environment Setup

Option 1: Environment Variables

export APCA_API_KEY_ID="PK..."
export APCA_API_SECRET_KEY="..."
export APCA_API_BASE_URL="https://paper-api.alpaca.markets"

Option 2: .env file

APCA_API_KEY_ID=PK...
APCA_API_SECRET_KEY=...
APCA_API_BASE_URL=https://paper-api.alpaca.markets

Safety and Paper Trading

⚠️ Important: This server defaults to paper trading mode for safety. Paper trading uses virtual money and is perfect for testing and development.

To switch to live trading, change the base URL to:

APCA_API_BASE_URL=https://api.alpaca.markets

Use live trading only when you're confident in your setup and ready to trade with real money.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Missing API credentials" error:
- Ensure environment variables are set correctly
- Check that variable names match exactly: APCA_API_KEY_ID, APCA_API_SECRET_KEY
"Connection failed" error:
- Verify your API keys are valid
- Check your internet connection
- Ensure you're using the correct base URL for paper/live trading
"Module not found" error:
- Install required dependencies: pip install alpaca-trade-api

Testing the Server

You can test the server manually using JSON-RPC:

echo '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/list"}' | python alpaca_mcp_server.py

Expected response should include available tools.

Development

Project Structure

alpaca-mcp-server/
├── alpaca_mcp_server.py    # Main MCP server
├── README.md               # This documentation
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
└── examples/              # Usage examples

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Test thoroughly with paper trading
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Alpaca API Docs: Alpaca Markets API
MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol

Disclaimer

This software is for educational and development purposes. When using live trading features, you are trading with real money. Always test thoroughly with paper trading first. The authors are not responsible for any financial losses.

This server cannot be installed

security - not tested

license - permissive license

quality - not tested

How are these scores calculated?

remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

Provides tools for interacting with the Alpaca Trading API, enabling trading operations like getting account information, placing/canceling orders, listing positions, and accessing market data.

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