Alpaca MCP Server

Alpaca is a commission-free trading API and brokerage platform that enables programmatic trading of stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies. The official MCP server integrates Alpaca's trading capabilities directly into AI coding assistants and IDEs. Key features include: - Execute trades for stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies using natural language commands - Access real-time and historical market data for data analysis - Manage portfolio positions, account balances, and order history - Build and test trading strategies through conversational AI interfaces - Seamless integration with Claude, Cursor, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible tools

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

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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

| Aspect | V1 | V2 | | ------------------ | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Tool names | Hand-crafted (e.g. get_account_info) | Spec-derived with overrides (e.g. get_account_info — names may overlap but schemas differ) | | Parameters | Custom schemas | Aligned with Alpaca API specs | | Configuration | .env + init command | Env vars in MCP client config only | | Tool filtering | Not supported | ALPACA_TOOLSETS env var | | Whitelisting | Not supported | Use ALPACA_TOOLSETS to restrict tools |

How to avoid V1-style usage in V2

MCP clients discover tools dynamically from the server. There is no config file where you "whitelist" tool names — the client gets whatever tools the server exposes. To avoid your client or AI assistant using V2 incorrectly:

1. Do not reuse V1 config — Treat V2 as a new server. Update your MCP client config with the new command/args; remove any .env or init-based setup. 2. Clear tool caches — Restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, etc.) after switching so it fetches the new tool list instead of using a stale one. 3. Start a fresh chat/session — Existing conversations may have cached references to old tool names. Start a new chat so the LLM sees the current V2 tools and their schemas. 4. Update custom instructions and rules — If you have Cursor rules, Claude instructions, or other prompts that mention specific V1 tool names (e.g. "use get_account_info"), update them to match V2 tool names or remove those references and let the LLM discover tools from context. 5. Restrict tools with ALPACA_TOOLSETS — If you previously limited which capabilities your assistant could use, V2 supports server-side filtering via the ALPACA_TOOLSETS env var. See Configuration > Toolset Filtering for the list of toolsets.

Summary

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