alpaca-mcp-server
This is the MCP server for Alpaca's Trading API, published by AlpacaHQ. It lets assistants such as Claude, Cursor and VS Code run natural-language trading operations across stocks, options and crypto. The README lists market data (quotes, trades, bars, option Greeks and implied volatility), account and portfolio views, orders (market, limit, stop, stop-limit and trailing-stop), options including multi-leg strategies, crypto orders, position management, news, market status and watchlists.
Version 2 is a complete rewrite built with FastMCP and OpenAPI, and the README says none of the V1 tools exist in V2, so you should treat it as a new server and reconfigure your client. Configuration is now only environment variables in the MCP client config, such as `ALPACA_API_KEY` and `ALPACA_SECRET_KEY`. An `ALPACA_TOOLSETS` variable filters which tool groups the server exposes. `ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE` defaults to `true`, and the README tells you to set it to `false` for live trading, so a new setup starts on the paper account.
Setup needs Python 3.10+, `uv`, Alpaca API keys from a free paper-trading account, and an MCP client; the server runs with `uvx alpaca-mcp-server`. It is MIT licensed and the last push was 2026-10-12. The README ends with long regulatory disclosures: the content is not investment advice, past performance does not guarantee future results, and securities and crypto services are provided by separate Alpaca entities. This review is based on the README and repository data; we have not run it ourselves.
Features
Why choose it
Trade-offs
Maintenance check
- Last commit
- 2026-10-23
- Commits, last 90 days
- 13
- Releases, last 90 days
- 2
- Latest release
- v2.4.0 (2026-10-12)
- Open issues
- 27
- Recent issues with at least one comment
- 4/12
Oldest week on the left; the latest four weeks are orange. Source: GitHub commit activity.
Status rule: archived on GitHub = Archived; last commit within 90 days = Active; 91 to 365 days = Slowing; older = Stale. All figures come from the GitHub API on the date shown.
Most discussed open issues
- #14 mcp error on Claude desktop & error on MCP Client19 comments · 2025-07-08
- #12 mcp error with gemini cli8 comments · 2025-06-26
- #32 Installation error: No module named 'alpaca_mcp_server'5 comments · 2025-11-20
- #16 MCP Server Auth with live trading5 comments · 2025-07-30
- #75 Claude4 comments · 2026-04-30
Issue titles are quoted from GitHub. Open the link to check whether a problem still applies to the version you use.
Who it fits
- You already have an Alpaca account and want an assistant to read quotes, positions and news and place orders on stocks, options and crypto.
- You want to start safely: paper trading is the default.
- You want to limit what the assistant sees with `ALPACA_TOOLSETS`.
- You trade through a different broker: this server is for Alpaca's API only.
- You have prompts or configs built on V1: V2 is a rewrite and none of the V1 tools exist.
- You would switch on live trading without limits and confirmations: a model can misread a prompt and orders can be hard to undo.
How it differs
vs QuantDinger★ 13.2kQuantDinger is a self-hosted platform from research to backtest to execution across several brokers. Alpaca's server is a thin tool layer over one broker's API.
Compatibility
Quick start
Use cases
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