Alpaca MCP Server

Alpaca MCP Server – Bringing Natural‑Language Trading to AI Assistants

The Alpaca MCP server bridges the gap between conversational AI and algorithmic trading by exposing the full range of Alpaca’s REST API through the Model Context Protocol. It allows assistants such as Claude to query market data, inspect account health, and execute trades—all via simple natural‑language prompts. This removes the need for developers to write boilerplate code or manage authentication flows, enabling rapid prototyping and safer experimentation in paper‑trading environments.

At its core the server offers a curated set of tools that mirror the most common tasks in a trading workflow. Developers can ask for real‑time quotes, pull historical price bars, and review current positions or orders with a single sentence. When a user wants to take action, the server can place market or limit orders and even cancel all open positions. Each tool is wrapped in an MCP‑compatible interface, so the AI client can invoke it with a single function call and receive structured JSON back. The server’s integration with the Alpaca SDK means it handles rate limits, authentication, and error handling automatically, giving the assistant a reliable foundation for decision‑making.

Key capabilities include:

• Market data access – fetch live tickers and multi‑day historical bars.
• Account insight – balances, buying power, status flags, and open orders.
• Position management – view holdings and performance metrics.
• Order execution – market or limit orders with side, quantity, and price parameters.
• Batch actions – cancel all open orders or close every position with a single call.

These features enable several real‑world use cases. A trader can let an AI assistant review overnight price movements and automatically place a market order at the start of trading hours. A portfolio manager can ask for the latest performance report, and the assistant will pull positions and account data in a single response. In educational settings, students can experiment with paper trading while learning to interpret market data through conversational queries.

Integration into existing AI workflows is straightforward. Once the MCP server is running, any client that supports MCP—such as Claude for Desktop or custom-built agents—can register the server in its configuration. The assistant then gains a new “tool” namespace, and developers can compose complex trading scripts by chaining natural‑language prompts with tool calls. Because the server runs locally, latency is minimal and data privacy is maintained; no sensitive credentials leave the user’s machine.

What sets this server apart is its focus on safety and convenience. By default it operates in Alpaca’s paper‑trading mode, mitigating the risk of accidental real‑money trades. The tool list is intentionally limited to essential operations, reducing surface area for misuse while still covering the full trading lifecycle. For developers who want to prototype or automate market interactions without writing repetitive API code, the Alpaca MCP server offers a clean, AI‑friendly interface that turns every trading question into an actionable command.