# Alpaca [Health: Active]

**Category:** 💰 Finance & Fintech  
**Repository:** https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-alpaca  
**GitHub Stars:** 0  
**npm Downloads (last month):** 257  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/alpaca

## Description
Alpaca MCP — real-time US stock market data via the Alpaca Market Data API

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **alpaca_snapshot** — Real-time US stock snapshot with extended-hours coverage: latest trade price, bid/ask quote, today's OHLCV, previous close, change and change % vs previous close, plus the latest minute bar with its VWAP — during pre-market and after-hours the minute bar IS the live extended-hours price. Answers "p…
- **alpaca_bars** — Historical US stock OHLCV bars with per-bar VWAP and trade count. Timeframes 1Min/5Min/15Min/1Hour/1Day; intraday bars include pre-market and after-hours sessions on the IEX feed. Each bar: {t, o, h, l, c, v, vwap, trades}. Use start/end ISO timestamps or a lookback shorthand like "2h", "5d". Multi…
- **alpaca_intraday_vwap** — Current session VWAP for US stocks — is the price above or below VWAP right now? Fetches today's 1-minute bars from 04:00 ET (pre-market included), computes the cumulative volume-weighted average price, and compares it to the latest trade. Returns current_price, session_vwap, above_vwap, and sessio…

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "alpaca": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@pipeworx/mcp-alpaca"]
  }
}
```

## Documentation

## What Alpaca MCP server does

The Alpaca MCP server exposes three market-data operations for US equities through MCP. It is intended for agents that need current prices, historical bars, or a session VWAP calculation rather than order execution or portfolio management.

`alpaca_snapshot` returns the latest trade, bid and ask, current-day OHLCV, previous close, absolute and percentage change, and the most recent minute bar with VWAP. Pre-market and after-hours coverage is included. During those sessions, the returned minute bar represents the live extended-hours price. One request can contain up to 20 comma-separated symbols.

`alpaca_bars` retrieves historical OHLCV data with VWAP and trade count for every bar. Supported intervals are 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, and 1 day. Intraday results include pre-market and after-hours sessions through the IEX feed.

`alpaca_intraday_vwap` loads one-minute bars from 04:00 Eastern Time, calculates the cumulative VWAP for the current session, and compares it with the latest trade. Its result includes the current price, session VWAP, above-or-below status, and session volume for each requested symbol.

## How it works

The Alpaca MCP server accepts MCP tool calls and forwards market-data requests to Alpaca. Each tool requires the caller to provide an Alpaca credential in the `_apiKey` argument, using the `key_id:secret_key` format shown in the project examples.

For bar queries, callers can provide ISO start and end timestamps or a relative lookback such as `2h` or `5d`. Symbols are passed as a comma-separated string, with a maximum of 20 symbols per request.

The gateway endpoint also exposes shared Pipeworx meta-tools, including routing and discovery tools. A local stdio connection exposes only the three Alpaca tools. The gateway and local modes use the same source and market-data tool set, but they differ in whether shared gateway tools are listed.

## Setup and configuration

For a gateway connection, add the following MCP endpoint to a compatible client:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/alpaca/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The package can also run without a gateway account using stdio:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-alpaca"]
    }
  }
}
```

Run `npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-alpaca` directly to verify that the local process starts. In either mode, supply `_apiKey` when calling a market-data tool.

## Tools and capabilities

- Retrieve real-time snapshots for up to 20 US stock symbols.
- Include pre-market and after-hours prices and volume in snapshot and intraday-bar results.
- Request historical bars at five supported timeframes.
- Use ISO time ranges or shorthand lookbacks for historical queries.
- Compare current trade prices with session VWAP across multiple symbols.
- Receive per-bar VWAP and trade counts from historical queries.

## Limitations and notes

The Alpaca MCP server covers US stock market data described by the three listed tools.

Data uses Alpaca's real-time IEX feed, and intraday VWAP begins at 04:00 Eastern Time. Requests are limited to 20 comma-separated symbols. Gateway connections list additional Pipeworx meta-tools, while local stdio mode does not provide those routing and discovery tools.

The server does not provide an Alpaca key for the caller. An Alpaca credential must be supplied with each relevant tool request through `_apiKey`.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/alpaca/readme_