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alpaca-mcp-server

alpaca-mcp-server

MCP.Pizza Chef: alpacahq

With this connected, your assistant can check live stock and crypto prices, look at your Alpaca account balance and open positions, and place buy or sell orders for stocks, ETFs, crypto, and options — all by describing what you want in plain English instead of clicking through a trading app. It works inside Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and similar AI tools. You'll need a free Alpaca paper-trading account and the API keys it gives you before you can connect; setup means installing a small program and pasting those keys into your AI app's settings.

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Use This MCP server To

Check my account balance and open positions Get a live price quote for a stock or crypto Buy or sell stocks, ETFs, or crypto for me Place an options trade in plain English Review my recent trades and portfolio performance Practice trading strategies risk-free with a paper account Set a stop-loss or limit order automatically

README

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A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Alpaca's Trading API. Enable natural language trading operations through AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code. Supports stocks, options, crypto, portfolio management, and real-time market data.

Alpaca MCP Server v2 is here. This version is a complete rewrite built with FastMCP and OpenAPI. If you're upgrading from v1, please read the Upgrade Guide — tool names, parameters, and configuration have changed.

Table of Contents

Upgrading from V1

V2 is a complete rewrite built with FastMCP and OpenAPI. None of the V1 tools exist in V2 — tool names, parameters, and schemas have changed. You cannot use V2 as a drop-in replacement if your setup depends on specific V1 tool names or parameters.

What changes

alpaca-mcp-server FAQ

Can I use this to buy and sell stocks through my AI assistant?
Yes — once connected, you can tell your assistant to check a price and place a buy or sell order for stocks, ETFs, crypto, or options, and it carries out the trade through your Alpaca account.
Can I use this to practice trading without risking real money?
Yes — Alpaca gives you a free paper-trading account that uses fake money, so you can test strategies and get comfortable with the assistant before ever connecting a funded account.
Which AI apps does this work with?
It's built to work with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code, and it can also connect to other AI assistants such as ChatGPT or Gemini-based tools that support the same kind of connection.
Do I need an account or a special key to use it?
Yes — you need a free Alpaca account and a pair of keys from your Alpaca dashboard, which you paste into your AI app's settings.
How hard is this to set up?
It takes some technical comfort — you'll install a small helper program on your computer and edit a settings file for your AI app — so it's more involved than a one-click install, though the instructions are short.
Will it place real trades with real money?
Only if you connect it to a live Alpaca trading account; if you use the free paper-trading account instead, all buying and selling happens with fake money.
Can I limit which trading actions my assistant is allowed to take?
Yes — you can restrict it to certain groups of actions, such as only checking prices and account details, without giving it permission to place trades.