Alpaca MCP Server

Name: Alpaca MCP Server
Author: berlinbra

@berlinbra

Repository

About Alpaca MCP Server

MCP Server for Alpaca Crypto API

#alpaca #crypto #api

Basic information

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca-mcp-berlinbra": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "build",
        "-t",
        "mcp/alpaca",
        "."
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Get historical bar/candle data for cryptocurrencies

Overview

What is Alpaca MCP Server?

Alpaca MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that provides real-time access to cryptocurrency market data through the Alpaca API. It implements a standardized interface for retrieving cryptocurrency data, suitable for use with LLM clients such as Claude Desktop.

How to use Alpaca MCP Server?

Install via Docker (build image, set environment variables) or UV (clone repository, install dependencies). Configure your Claude Desktop client by adding the server to claude_desktop_config.json with your Alpaca API key and secret. Use the provided get-crypto-bars tool to fetch historical bar/candle data for cryptocurrencies.

Key features of Alpaca MCP Server

Real-time cryptocurrency market data via Alpaca API
Daily, weekly, and monthly time series data
Latest crypto exchange rates
Historical bar/candle data retrieval
Built-in error handling and rate limit management
Single tool get-crypto-bars currently available

Use cases of Alpaca MCP Server

Fetching historical crypto prices for analysis and modeling
Integrating live crypto market data into LLM‑based applications
Building financial dashboards with cryptocurrency data
Automating crypto trading strategy backtesting with historical bars

FAQ from Alpaca MCP Server

What is the Alpaca MCP Server?

It is an MCP server that provides real‑time cryptocurrency market data through the Alpaca API, designed for use with LLM clients.

What tools are available?

Currently, the server implements the tool get-crypto-bars to retrieve historical bar/candle data for cryptocurrencies.

How do I install and configure the server?

You can install via Docker (build image and set environment variables) or UV (clone repo, install dependencies). Then add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration file with your Alpaca API key and secret.

What are the prerequisites?

Python 3.12 or higher, plus the packages httpx, mcp, alpaca-py, and python-dotenv for loading environment variables.

What error handling is included?

The server handles rate limit exceeded, invalid API key, network connectivity issues, timeouts, and malformed responses, returning clear, human‑readable error messages.