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Alpaca MCP Server

Official Alpaca MCP server for Trading API workflows, including account and portfolio data, orders, positions, watchlists, assets, stocks, crypto, options, news, corporate actions, and market data.

by Alpaca · submitted by oktofeesh1·added 2026-06-06·
Review first review before installing

Open the source and read safety notes before installing.

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Source URLs
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alpacahq/alpaca-mcp-server/main/README.md, https://github.com/alpacahq/alpaca-mcp-server
Brand
Alpaca MCP Server
Brand domain
alpaca.markets
Brand asset source
brandfetch
Safety notes
Alpaca MCP Server can expose account balances, buying power, positions, orders, activities, watchlists, assets, market data, news, corporate actions, stocks, crypto, options data, and trading tools to the MCP client., Trading tools can place stock, ETF, crypto, and option orders, cancel orders, close positions, liquidate portfolios, replace orders, and exercise or mark do-not-exercise option contracts., Paper trading is the default documented mode; setting `ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=false` points trading calls at live Alpaca accounts and can result in real financial losses., Require explicit human approval before any order placement, cancellation, liquidation, option exercise, live-account change, or strategy involving leverage, margin, extended hours, crypto, or options., Use `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` to restrict the server to read-only or data-only toolsets when trading tools are not needed., The upstream order override code warns that read timeouts may happen after an order was sent; users should check open orders before retrying to avoid duplicate trades.
Privacy notes
Alpaca API keys, secret keys, account IDs, balances, buying power, portfolio history, activities, positions, orders, watchlists, option contracts, crypto holdings, and trade history can be exposed to the MCP client., Prompts and responses may include private trading strategy, portfolio allocation, order intent, symbols, quantities, prices, client order IDs, and market data queries., MCP clients, model providers, terminal history, logs, and chat transcripts may retain financial data and trading instructions., Upstream documentation states the server sends an Alpaca MCP user agent string for API calls; review Alpaca privacy and disclosure materials for account data handling.
Author
Alpaca
Submitted by
oktofeesh1
Claim status
unclaimed
Last verified
2026-06-06

Decision playbook

Review trust signals before you adopt

Signals are present but mixed. Use the checklist below to confirm the source and operational safety for your environment.

Compare context
Selected

0

Current score

63

Baseline

Delta

No baseline selected

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Source and provenance checks

Needs review

Confirm ownership and provenance before trusting install instructions.

  • Source link availableRequired

    Open the canonical repository and verify ownership.

    Done
  • Source provenance statusRequired

    Marked as source-backed.

    Done
  • Metadata reviewed

    No reviewed flag detected in metadata.

    Pending

Safety and privacy checks

Complete

Validate risk disclosures before installation or API wiring.

  • Safety notes presentRequired

    Review the listed safety guidance before running commands.

    Done
  • Privacy notes presentRequired

    Review data handling notes before connecting accounts or secrets.

    Done
  • Trust level risk gateRequired

    Trust level does not block evaluation.

    Done

Package and install checks

Needs review

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  • Install payload available

    Install or copy payload is available for review.

    Done
  • Package verification flag

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    Pending

Compare-driven decision checks

Needs review

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Setup at a glance

CLI install

Copy-ready — paste the snippet to get started.

15 minutes

Adoption plan

Balanced adoption plan

Current risk score 24/100. Use staged verification before broader rollout.

Risk 24

Pre-adoption checks

Validate source and review signals before any execution.

  • Confirm source provenanceRequired

    Source URL/provenance metadata is present.

    Done
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    Pending
  • Verify install payload

    Install/config payload exists and can be inspected.

    Done

Security checks

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  • Review safety notesRequired

    Safety notes are present.

    Done
  • Review privacy notesRequired

    Privacy notes are present.

    Done
  • Verify package integrity metadata

    No package verification/checksum metadata.

    Pending

Rollout

Adopt in controlled steps based on the selected plan.

  • Run in isolated sandbox firstRequired

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    Pending
  • Roll out graduallyRequired

    Roll out to a small cohort before wider usage.

    Pending
  • Set monitoring and fallback

    Define rollback path and monitor errors after adoption.

    Pending

Evidence readiness

Evidence readiness matrix · balanced

Missing required evidence: Metadata review. Risk score 31.

Risk 31

Source provenance

Present

Source repository/provenance is listed.

Required in this preset

Metadata review

Missing

Review metadata is missing.

Required in this preset

Safety notes

Present

Safety notes are present.

Required in this preset

Privacy notes

Present

Privacy notes are present.

Optional in this preset

Package integrity

Missing

Package integrity metadata is missing.

Optional in this preset

Install payload

Present

Install payload is available.

Required in this preset

Required gaps: Metadata review

Decision timeline

Decision timeline · balanced

Blocking gaps: Check metadata review status. Risk 28.

Risk 28

triage

Confirm source provenanceRequired

Source/provenance metadata is available.

Done

triage

Check metadata review statusRequired

Review metadata is missing.

Pending

verify

Review safety notesRequired

Safety notes are available.

Done

verify

Review privacy notes

Privacy notes are available.

Done

verify

Validate package integrity metadata

Package integrity metadata is missing.

Pending

rollout

Verify install payload and commandsRequired

Install payload is available.

Done

Blockers: Check metadata review status

Prerequisite readiness

Prerequisite readiness

5 prerequisites to line up before setup. Have accounts and credentials ready first.

0/5 ready
Account & credentials3Install & runtime1Permissions & scopes115 minutes

Safety & privacy surface

Safety & privacy surface

6 safety and 4 privacy notes across 4 risk areas. Review closely: credentials & tokens, network access, third-party handling.

4 areas
  • SafetyGeneralAlpaca MCP Server can expose account balances, buying power, positions, orders, activities, watchlists, assets, market data, news, corporate actions, stocks, crypto, options data, and trading tools to the MCP client.
  • SafetyGeneralTrading tools can place stock, ETF, crypto, and option orders, cancel orders, close positions, liquidate portfolios, replace orders, and exercise or mark do-not-exercise option contracts.
  • SafetyGeneralPaper trading is the default documented mode; setting `ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=false` points trading calls at live Alpaca accounts and can result in real financial losses.
  • SafetyGeneralRequire explicit human approval before any order placement, cancellation, liquidation, option exercise, live-account change, or strategy involving leverage, margin, extended hours, crypto, or options.
  • SafetyGeneralUse `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` to restrict the server to read-only or data-only toolsets when trading tools are not needed.
  • SafetyGeneralThe upstream order override code warns that read timeouts may happen after an order was sent; users should check open orders before retrying to avoid duplicate trades.
  • PrivacyCredentials & tokensAlpaca API keys, secret keys, account IDs, balances, buying power, portfolio history, activities, positions, orders, watchlists, option contracts, crypto holdings, and trade history can be exposed to the MCP client.
  • PrivacyGeneralPrompts and responses may include private trading strategy, portfolio allocation, order intent, symbols, quantities, prices, client order IDs, and market data queries.
  • PrivacyThird-party handlingMCP clients, model providers, terminal history, logs, and chat transcripts may retain financial data and trading instructions.
  • PrivacyNetwork accessUpstream documentation states the server sends an Alpaca MCP user agent string for API calls; review Alpaca privacy and disclosure materials for account data handling.

Disclosure: Official Alpaca MCP server published as the `alpaca-mcp-server` PyPI package under an MIT license. Trading and market-data use is subject to Alpaca account, brokerage, crypto, options, and data-plan terms.

Safety notes

  • Alpaca MCP Server can expose account balances, buying power, positions, orders, activities, watchlists, assets, market data, news, corporate actions, stocks, crypto, options data, and trading tools to the MCP client.
  • Trading tools can place stock, ETF, crypto, and option orders, cancel orders, close positions, liquidate portfolios, replace orders, and exercise or mark do-not-exercise option contracts.
  • Paper trading is the default documented mode; setting `ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=false` points trading calls at live Alpaca accounts and can result in real financial losses.
  • Require explicit human approval before any order placement, cancellation, liquidation, option exercise, live-account change, or strategy involving leverage, margin, extended hours, crypto, or options.
  • Use `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` to restrict the server to read-only or data-only toolsets when trading tools are not needed.
  • The upstream order override code warns that read timeouts may happen after an order was sent; users should check open orders before retrying to avoid duplicate trades.

Privacy notes

  • Alpaca API keys, secret keys, account IDs, balances, buying power, portfolio history, activities, positions, orders, watchlists, option contracts, crypto holdings, and trade history can be exposed to the MCP client.
  • Prompts and responses may include private trading strategy, portfolio allocation, order intent, symbols, quantities, prices, client order IDs, and market data queries.
  • MCP clients, model providers, terminal history, logs, and chat transcripts may retain financial data and trading instructions.
  • Upstream documentation states the server sends an Alpaca MCP user agent string for API calls; review Alpaca privacy and disclosure materials for account data handling.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.10 or newer and uv or uvx available.
  • Alpaca API key and secret key for a paper trading account or an explicitly approved live account.
  • Review of Alpaca account permissions, paper versus live mode, options approval, crypto availability, and market data subscription limits.
  • A narrow `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` allowlist for the workflow whenever full trading access is not required.
  • Human review procedures for any order placement, cancellation, position closing, option exercise, or live account action.

Schema details

Install type
cli
Troubleshooting
No
Source repository stats
Scope
Source repo
Collection metadata
Estimated setup
15 minutes
Difficulty
advanced
Tool listing metadata
Disclosure
Official Alpaca MCP server published as the `alpaca-mcp-server` PyPI package under an MIT license. Trading and market-data use is subject to Alpaca account, brokerage, crypto, options, and data-plan terms.
Full copyable content
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["alpaca-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "YOUR_ALPACA_API_KEY",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "YOUR_ALPACA_SECRET_KEY",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE": "true",
        "ALPACA_TOOLSETS": "account,stock-data,crypto-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

About this resource

Content

Alpaca MCP Server is Alpaca's official MCP server for the Alpaca Trading API. It uses FastMCP and Alpaca OpenAPI specs to expose account, trading, portfolio, asset, market data, watchlist, news, corporate action, stock, crypto, and options workflows to MCP clients.

Use it for supervised paper-trading, account analysis, portfolio review, market data retrieval, and carefully gated trading workflows. Treat live-trading mode as a financial operations capability that requires human approval and explicit risk controls.

Source Review

These sources were reviewed on 2026-06-06. Prefer the live repository, README, PyPI metadata, license, package manifest, MCP registry metadata, CLI entrypoint, FastMCP server builder, toolset definitions, and order override implementation for current setup and behavior details.

Features

  • Run as a stdio MCP server with uvx alpaca-mcp-server.
  • Configure paper or live trading with ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE.
  • Restrict exposed capabilities with ALPACA_TOOLSETS.
  • Read account information, account configuration, portfolio history, and account activities.
  • Retrieve and manage orders, positions, watchlists, assets, market calendar, market clock, corporate actions, and news.
  • Place stock, ETF, crypto, and options orders through curated order tools.
  • Retrieve stock, crypto, options, fixed income, and index market data depending on enabled toolsets and account/data access.
  • Use OpenAPI-derived tools plus hand-crafted overrides for complex order and market-data endpoints.

Installation

Configure the MCP client with Alpaca credentials. Keep paper trading enabled unless a live-trading workflow is explicitly approved:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["alpaca-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "YOUR_ALPACA_API_KEY",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "YOUR_ALPACA_SECRET_KEY",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE": "true",
        "ALPACA_TOOLSETS": "account,stock-data,crypto-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code users can add it with:

claude mcp add alpaca --scope user --transport stdio uvx alpaca-mcp-server --env ALPACA_API_KEY=YOUR_ALPACA_API_KEY --env ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=YOUR_ALPACA_SECRET_KEY

Set ALPACA_TOOLSETS to the smallest set needed. For data-only use, omit the trading toolset.

Use Cases

  • Ask Claude to summarize paper account balances and buying power.
  • Retrieve current positions and open orders for review.
  • Pull recent stock, crypto, or options market data.
  • Check market calendar, market clock, news, and corporate actions.
  • Manage watchlists for research workflows.
  • Test paper-trading order flows under human supervision.
  • Restrict Claude to market-data toolsets for analysis-only sessions.

Safety and Privacy

Alpaca MCP Server can place real trades when configured for live trading. Keep paper mode enabled for experiments, use data-only toolsets whenever possible, and require human confirmation for every trading, cancellation, liquidation, or option-exercise action.

Options, crypto, margin, extended-hours, bracket, stop, trailing-stop, and multi-leg strategies carry significant financial risk. Claude-generated orders are not investment advice and can be wrong, stale, incomplete, or unsuitable for the account.

Alpaca credentials and account data are highly sensitive. Do not paste real API keys into prompts or shared logs. Treat MCP transcripts as financial records when they contain balances, positions, orders, symbols, quantities, prices, portfolio history, activities, or strategy details.

Duplicate Check

Existing entries cover financial research and market data tools such as Drillr and TradingView, but no Alpaca MCP Server, alpacahq/alpaca-mcp-server, alpaca-mcp-server PyPI package, or Alpaca Trading API MCP entry was found in content/mcp.

Source citations

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How it compares

Alpaca MCP Server side by side with 3 alternatives on trust, install, platform support, and disclosed safety notes — all from reviewed registry metadata.

Field

Official Alpaca MCP server for Trading API workflows, including account and portfolio data, orders, positions, watchlists, assets, stocks, crypto, options, news, corporate actions, and market data.

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Apache-licensed TypeScript MCP server for Obsidian vaults with stdio and Streamable HTTP transports, Local REST API access, note search, section-aware edits, tag/frontmatter management, path policies, and read-only controls.

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MCP support in Azure Data API Builder for exposing configured database entities as MCP tools, including entity discovery and DML operations over Azure databases and supported on-premises data stores.

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Python MCP server that lets Claude query Financial Datasets for stock statements, prices, company news, crypto prices, and SEC filings.

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Next steps
Trust
Review statusNot reviewedNot reviewedNot reviewedNot reviewed
Package trustPackage not verifiedPackage not verifiedPackage not verifiedPackage not verified
Source provenanceSource-backedSource-backedSource-backedSource-backed
Submitteroktofeesh1oktofeesh1oktofeesh1oktofeesh1
Install riskReview firstReview firstReview firstReview first
Notes Safety ✓ Privacy ✓ Safety ✓ Privacy ✓ Safety ✓ Privacy ✓ Safety ✓ Privacy ✓
BrandAlpaca MCP Server logoAlpaca MCP ServerData API Builder logoData API BuilderFinancial Datasets logoFinancial Datasets
Categorymcpmcpmcpmcp
SourceSource-backedSource-backedSource-backedSource-backed
AuthorAlpacacyanheadsAzureFinancial Datasets
Added2026-06-062026-06-062026-06-062026-06-05
Platforms
Harness
Source repo
Safety notesAlpaca MCP Server can expose account balances, buying power, positions, orders, activities, watchlists, assets, market data, news, corporate actions, stocks, crypto, options data, and trading tools to the MCP client. Trading tools can place stock, ETF, crypto, and option orders, cancel orders, close positions, liquidate portfolios, replace orders, and exercise or mark do-not-exercise option contracts. Paper trading is the default documented mode; setting `ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=false` points trading calls at live Alpaca accounts and can result in real financial losses. Require explicit human approval before any order placement, cancellation, liquidation, option exercise, live-account change, or strategy involving leverage, margin, extended hours, crypto, or options. Use `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` to restrict the server to read-only or data-only toolsets when trading tools are not needed. The upstream order override code warns that read timeouts may happen after an order was sent; users should check open orders before retrying to avoid duplicate trades.Cyanheads Obsidian MCP can read, list, search, create, append, patch, replace, delete, tag, and edit frontmatter in the configured vault through the Local REST API plugin. The server defaults to full-vault access unless read paths, write paths, or read-only mode are configured. Set `OBSIDIAN_READ_ONLY=true` for research-only workflows, then narrow writes with `OBSIDIAN_WRITE_PATHS` before allowing note edits. Delete operations are permanent in the vault and should require human review even when the MCP host supports destructive-tool prompts. Command-palette tools are disabled unless `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_COMMANDS=true`; command execution can trigger opaque or destructive Obsidian plugin behavior. Streamable HTTP deployments should use JWT or OAuth auth before being exposed beyond a trusted local machine.Data API Builder MCP tools can expose database entity metadata and perform DML operations depending on DAB configuration and permissions. Built-in tools include entity discovery and record read, create, update, delete, aggregate, and execute-style workflows in the MCP source tree. The upstream README still labels endpoint support as coming soon while source, samples, and testing docs expose MCP behavior; verify the exact release before production use. Use least-privilege roles, disable DML tools where not required, and require approval before write, delete, execute, or stored-procedure operations. Do not connect MCP clients to production databases without backups, audit logging, query limits, and rollback procedures.This server retrieves financial market data; do not treat tool output or model summaries as investment, trading, tax, or legal advice. Current prices, crypto prices, filings, and news can be delayed, incomplete, rate limited, or unavailable depending on API plan and market conditions. Review generated analysis before using it in portfolio decisions, trading workflows, client reports, or compliance-sensitive research. The server sends ticker symbols, date ranges, filing filters, and research queries to the Financial Datasets API.
Privacy notesAlpaca API keys, secret keys, account IDs, balances, buying power, portfolio history, activities, positions, orders, watchlists, option contracts, crypto holdings, and trade history can be exposed to the MCP client. Prompts and responses may include private trading strategy, portfolio allocation, order intent, symbols, quantities, prices, client order IDs, and market data queries. MCP clients, model providers, terminal history, logs, and chat transcripts may retain financial data and trading instructions. Upstream documentation states the server sends an Alpaca MCP user agent string for API calls; review Alpaca privacy and disclosure materials for account data handling.Vault notes, headings, block references, frontmatter, tags, file metadata, outgoing links, search queries, command names, plugin status, and edit history may be exposed to the MCP client and model provider. API keys, local plugin endpoints, HTTP auth settings, path allowlists, logs, OpenTelemetry traces, and Docker environment variables can reveal private vault structure or credentials. Tag listing is vault-wide in upstream behavior and can reveal tag names outside narrowed read paths. Notes may contain personal journals, client work, credentials, meeting notes, research plans, health data, or other sensitive knowledge-base content.Entity metadata can expose database names, table names, view names, stored procedure names, field names, key fields, relationships, permissions, and role design. Read and DML tool calls can expose or change customer records, internal data, regulated fields, identifiers, audit fields, and business workflow state. Connection strings, role headers, MCP URLs, logs, request bodies, result payloads, and MCP transcripts can contain sensitive operational or personal data. Redact database values, connection details, entity names, role names, and query results before sharing prompts, screenshots, logs, or generated notes.API keys must be stored in environment variables or local secret managers and never committed to configuration files. Queried tickers, crypto symbols, time ranges, filings, and news requests can reveal research interests, watchlists, client assignments, or trading hypotheses. Tool outputs may include financial statements, prices, filings, and news that become part of the model context and logs. Avoid sending private portfolio holdings, customer identifiers, or material non-public information through prompts or tool arguments.
Prerequisites
  • Python 3.10 or newer and uv or uvx available.
  • Alpaca API key and secret key for a paper trading account or an explicitly approved live account.
  • Review of Alpaca account permissions, paper versus live mode, options approval, crypto availability, and market data subscription limits.
  • A narrow `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` allowlist for the workflow whenever full trading access is not required.
  • Node.js 24 or newer, or Bun 1.3.11 or newer.
  • Obsidian vault with the Obsidian Local REST API community plugin enabled.
  • Local REST API key stored in the MCP client environment.
  • Stdio MCP client, or reviewed Streamable HTTP deployment with authentication.
  • Reviewed Azure Data API Builder configuration with the MCP runtime section enabled.
  • Supported Azure or on-premises database connection configured through DAB.
  • DAB entity permissions, role headers, DML tool flags, and per-entity MCP settings reviewed before exposing tools.
  • MCP client support for the transport used by the deployed DAB server.
  • Python 3.11 or newer, matching the upstream project metadata.
  • uv installed on the machine running the MCP server.
  • A cloned checkout of `financial-datasets/mcp-server`.
  • Financial Datasets API key stored as `FINANCIAL_DATASETS_API_KEY`.
Install
uvx alpaca-mcp-server
npx -y obsidian-mcp-server@latest
Enable the DAB runtime MCP section, start Data API Builder with the reviewed configuration, and connect an MCP client to the configured MCP path.
uv run server.py
Config
Manual-only setup:
claude mcp add alpaca --scope user --transport stdio uvx alpaca-mcp-server --env ALPACA_API_KEY=YOUR_ALPACA_API_KEY --env ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=YOUR_ALPACA_SECRET_KEY
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "obsidian-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "stdio",
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "{obsidian-local-rest-api-key}",
        "OBSIDIAN_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}
Manual-only setup:
"mcp": {
  "enabled": true,
  "path": "/mcp"
}
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "financial-datasets": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "PATH_TO_FINANCIAL_DATASETS_MCP", "run", "server.py"],
      "env": {
        "FINANCIAL_DATASETS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}
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