# AI-Optimized Documentation Directory
This directory contains AI-optimized reference documentation for developing with the Alpaca MCP Gold Standard server.
## 📚 Documentation Index
### Core Implementation Guides
- **[development_guide.md](development_guide.md)** - Comprehensive development patterns and architectural guidance
- **[alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md)** - Complete Alpaca-py SDK reference for trading operations
- **[mcp_server_sdk_reference.md](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md)** - Anthropic MCP Server SDK patterns and best practices
## 🎯 Purpose
These documents are specifically optimized for AI development assistance, providing:
1. **Comprehensive API References** - Complete coverage of Alpaca-py and MCP SDK functionality
2. **Pattern Templates** - Reusable code patterns for tools, resources, and prompts
3. **Best Practices** - Production-ready development guidelines
4. **Error Handling** - Consistent error patterns across all components
5. **Testing Strategies** - Comprehensive testing approaches with examples
## 🚀 Quick Navigation
### For Alpaca Trading Development
- [Account Management Patterns](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md#account-information)
- [Market Data Operations](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md#market-data---real-time-quotes)
- [Order Management](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md#order-management---market-orders)
- [Error Handling](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md#error-handling-patterns)
- [Data Structures](alpaca_py_sdk_reference.md#data-structures)
### For MCP Server Development
- [Tool Implementation](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md#tool-registration)
- [Resource Architecture](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md#resource-registration)
- [Prompt Engineering](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md#prompt-registration)
- [Testing Patterns](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md#testing-patterns)
- [Production Deployment](mcp_server_sdk_reference.md#production-patterns)
### For Architecture Understanding
- [Gold Standard Patterns](development_guide.md#architectural-patterns)
- [Universal Compatibility](development_guide.md#resource-mirror-pattern)
- [Adaptive Intelligence](development_guide.md#adaptive-discovery-pattern)
- [Context-Aware Features](development_guide.md#context-aware-prompts)
## 🔧 Usage Guidelines
### For AI Assistants
These documents provide comprehensive context for:
- Understanding the complete Alpaca-py API surface
- Implementing MCP server components correctly
- Following established architectural patterns
- Maintaining consistency with gold standard practices
### For Developers
Use these references to:
- Understand the complete implementation patterns
- Extend functionality with consistent approaches
- Debug issues with comprehensive API knowledge
- Implement new features following best practices
## 📋 Document Maintenance
These documents are maintained to reflect:
- Latest Alpaca-py SDK capabilities
- Current MCP Server SDK patterns
- Proven architectural approaches
- Production-tested best practices
## 🎯 AI Development Context
When working with this codebase, AI assistants should reference these documents to:
1. **Understand API Capabilities** - Complete knowledge of available Alpaca and MCP functionality
2. **Follow Established Patterns** - Consistent implementation approaches across the codebase
3. **Implement Error Handling** - Standardized error response formats
4. **Maintain Code Quality** - Production-ready development practices
5. **Ensure Compatibility** - Universal MCP client support through resource mirrors
These references enable AI assistants to provide accurate, comprehensive, and pattern-consistent development assistance for the Alpaca MCP Gold Standard server.
