Alpaca MCP Gold Standard

# Quick Start - Fix MCP Connection The server failed because it needs valid Alpaca API credentials. Here's how to fix it: ## 🔧 Fix the Connection Issue ### 1. Get Alpaca API Credentials 1. **Sign up for Alpaca** (if you don't have an account): - Go to https://alpaca.markets/ - Create a free paper trading account 2. **Get your API credentials**: - Login to your Alpaca dashboard - Go to "Settings" → "API Keys" - Generate new keys for paper trading - Copy your API Key and Secret Key ### 2. Update the .env File Edit the `.env` file in this directory: ```bash nano .env ``` Replace the demo credentials with your actual ones: ```env # Replace these with your actual Alpaca credentials ALPACA_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here ALPACA_SECRET_KEY=your_actual_secret_key_here ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=True # Keep these MCP settings as-is MCP_SERVER_NAME=alpaca-trading-gold LOG_LEVEL=INFO ``` ### 3. Test the Server ```bash # Test that the server starts uv run --no-project python main.py # You should see: # INFO - Starting alpaca-trading-gold MCP server... # INFO - Paper trading mode: True ``` Press Ctrl+C to stop the test. ### 4. Connect with Claude Code Now Claude Code should connect successfully: ```bash claude-code /home/jjoravet/mcp_server_best_practices/alpaca-mcp-gold-standard ``` ## 🎯 First Commands to Try Once connected, test these commands: ``` Get my account information ``` ``` Show me a portfolio first look session ``` ``` Get a stock quote for AAPL ``` ## 🛡️ Safety Notes - **Paper Trading**: The default configuration uses paper trading (safe mode) - **No Real Money**: All trades are simulated in paper trading mode - **Demo Data**: You'll see simulated portfolio data initially ## 💡 Alternative: Demo Mode (Limited) If you want to test the MCP server architecture without Alpaca credentials, you can temporarily modify the validation: 1. Edit `src/mcp_server/config/simple_settings.py` 2. Comment out the validation lines: ```python # For development/testing, allow demo credentials # try: # settings.validate() # except ValueError as e: # if any(key in str(e) for key in ["demo_key_please_replace", "demo_secret_please_replace"]): # print(f"Warning: {e}") # print("The server will start but Alpaca API calls will fail.") # print("Please update your .env file with valid credentials for actual trading.") # else: # raise ``` ⚠️ **Note**: In demo mode, all API calls will fail but you can test the MCP architecture. ## 🔍 Troubleshooting **Server still won't start?** ```bash # Check your credentials format cat .env | grep ALPACA # Verify dependencies uv run --no-project python -c "import alpaca; print('✓ Alpaca installed')" # Test basic import uv run --no-project python -c "from src.mcp_server.config.simple_settings import settings; print('✓ Settings loaded')" ``` **API connection issues?** - Verify your API keys are correct - Ensure you're using paper trading keys - Check that your Alpaca account is active The gold standard Alpaca MCP server will be ready to use once you complete these steps!