FREE SETUP GUIDE

Five MCPs for AI Investing Research

Connect CoinStats, CoinGecko, Binance, Alpaca and Alpha Vantage to Claude Desktop on macOS, then test that each connection retrieves the right data.

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Before you connect

Give your AI assistant access to portfolio and market data, then check that it actually retrieves the figures. This guide connects all five providers from the Reel to Claude Desktop on macOS. Work through one provider at a time.

Checked against provider documentation: 19 October 2026. These are documented setup instructions. The account sign-ins and example queries have not been run on your accounts.

An MCP server supplies tools and data. Claude may display that connection as a connector. A plugin can bundle an MCP server; a research skill supplies instructions. Installing a skill or finding a similarly named app does not establish that the provider’s MCP server is connected.

What you need

  1. Claude Desktop on your Mac and an individual Pro or Max account for this guide’s multiple custom remote connections. Claude Free currently permits one custom connector. Work accounts may require administrator approval.

  2. A CoinStats account with the portfolio you want to inspect already imported; a Binance account if its authorization flow requires one; an Alpaca paper account and its API key/secret; and an Alpha Vantage API key. CoinGecko’s public MCP route needs no key.

  3. Python 3.10 or newer and uv/uvx for Alpaca only. The other four connections use hosted servers. Provider quotas, subscriptions and regional availability still apply.

Use this connection sequence for hosted servers

  1. In Claude, open Customize → Connectors (or Settings → Connectors in the desktop app). Choose + Add → Add custom connector.

  2. Enter the provider’s name and the exact server URL shown below. Click Continue and review the detected authentication.

  3. For an OAuth server, choose Sign in now and use the recommended client identity when offered. Finish the provider’s browser authorization. For CoinGecko’s public server, use No sign in.

  4. Finish adding the connector. In a new chat, use + → Connectors to enable it. Run its test below and inspect the tool call.

Claude’s current connector instructions cover plan limits and organization permissions. Keep keys out of chat, screenshots and shared files. Enter credentials only in the provider’s authorization page or the local Alpaca configuration described below.

MCP 1: CoinStats

Official setup: CoinStats MCP documentation. Use case: inspect the holdings and P&L recorded in your CoinStats portfolio.

Connection: hosted MCP with OAuth. You need your CoinStats account; this route does not require a developer API key.

Install and authorize

  1. Follow the hosted-server sequence above. Name it CoinStats and enter this URL:

  2. https://mcp.coinstats.app/mcp

  3. In the browser, check that consent opens at coinstats.app/openapi/consent. Sign in to the account holding your portfolio, review access and approve. CoinStats currently documents one broad coinstats scope; do not assume it is granular or limited to one portfolio.

  4. Enable CoinStats in the chat.

Test the connection

Ask: “Use CoinStats to list the portfolios I can access. For the portfolio I select, show the five largest holdings by USD value, portfolio weights and the data timestamp. Do not change anything.”

Pass: a CoinStats tool call returns the expected portfolio and figures. Compare them with CoinStats. Missing holdings require an import/sync check; missing cost basis is not zero cost. Review your account’s quota or entitlement if access is denied.

MCP 2: CoinGecko

Official setup: CoinGecko MCP server. Use case: retrieve prices, market capitalization, volume, supply and historical crypto data.

Connection: public hosted MCP, currently in beta. No CoinGecko account or API key is required for this public route. Shared rate limits apply; higher-throughput Pro access is a separate setup.

Install and connect

  1. Follow the hosted-server sequence. Name it CoinGecko.

  2. Server URL: https://mcp.api.coingecko.com/mcp

  3. Select No sign in if prompted, save and enable it in your chat.

Test the connection

Ask: “Use CoinGecko to find Bitcoin’s coin ID, then retrieve its USD price, market cap and 24-hour volume. Show the returned update timestamp and the tool used.”

Pass: a CoinGecko tool returns data for Bitcoin’s verified ID. A plausible answer without a tool call does not count. For another token, confirm the chain and contract before using its figures. If rate-limited, wait and retry one small request; do not treat missing history as zero.

MCP 3: Binance

Official setup: Binance MCP guide and permissions FAQ. Use case: inspect exchange market data, including supported funding data.

Connection: hosted MCP. Public market data needs no authentication according to Binance; account features use browser authorization. This route does not require locally stored API keys. Product and regional eligibility still apply.

Install and authorize

  1. Use a desktop browser. Follow the hosted-server sequence in Claude Desktop. Name the connector Binance.

  2. Server URL: https://agent.binance.com/mcp/agentic

  3. Use only public Market data access for this guide. If a sign-in/consent screen appears, use your own Binance account and review its scopes. Do not grant Trade or Transfer. If you cannot obtain suitable research access, stop this connection and check the official guide.

  4. Account onboarding may offer an Agentic sub-account. No funding is needed for the public market-data test.

Test the connection

Ask: “Use the Binance MCP Server to retrieve BTCUSDT’s current price and 24-hour change. Show the tool, market type and retrieval time. Use market data only.”

Pass: the Binance tool returns market data. Do not fund an account or enable trading to fix this test.

Check the Reel’s positioning use case separately

Binance has futures API data for open interest and top-trader long/short ratios, including five-minute periods. That API availability does not prove those endpoints are exposed by this MCP connection. Ask Claude to inspect its available Binance tools first; request positioning data only if supported. Otherwise mark it unavailable. These ratios describe an aggregate cohort, not named traders’ portfolios or a proven prediction.

MCP 4: Alpaca

Official setup: Alpaca Trading API MCP and official server repository. Use case: research US stocks and ETFs, crypto and options data.

Connection: a local stdio MCP server. This setup uses paper API keys and exposes only three market-data toolsets. It is separate from Alpaca’s Broker API MCP for broker partners.

Prepare the local server

  1. Install Python 3.10+ and uv using its official installer. Open Terminal and run uvx --version. If uvx is not found, finish the installer’s PATH instructions and reopen Terminal.

  2. Run command -v uvx. Save the returned absolute path for the configuration below.

  3. Create/sign in to an Alpaca paper account at app.alpaca.markets. In the paper dashboard, generate or view the API key ID and secret. Keep the pair private.

Connect Claude Desktop

  1. In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Developer → Edit Config. The macOS file is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Make a backup before editing.

  2. If the file is empty, use the JSON below. If it already has mcpServers, add only the alpaca entry inside that object, preserving existing servers. Replace all three square-bracket placeholders. Use a plain-text editor; keep straight quotation marks and valid JSON.

{"mcpServers":{"alpaca":{"command":"[ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_UVX]","args":["alpaca-mcp-server"],"env":{"ALPACA_API_KEY":"[PAPER_API_KEY_ID]","ALPACA_SECRET_KEY":"[PAPER_SECRET_KEY]","ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE":"true","ALPACA_TOOLSETS":"stock-data,crypto-data,options-data"}}}}

Save, quit Claude Desktop completely, then reopen it. Check Developer settings for the Alpaca connection and enable its tools in the chat. uvx downloads/runs the official package on first launch; that step needs internet access.

Test the connection

Ask: “Use Alpaca to retrieve AAPL’s latest quote using the IEX feed. Show bid, ask, timestamps and feed. Do not place or modify orders.”

Pass: an Alpaca tool returns a quote, or a specific entitlement error identifies the remaining account issue. An error is not a successful data test. Basic data coverage uses IEX for real-time equities and an indicative options feed; full-market feeds require appropriate subscriptions.

Keep ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=true and the displayed data-only toolsets. Do not substitute live keys or expose this local server to the internet. If startup fails, check the absolute uvx path, JSON syntax and Developer logs.

MCP 5: Alpha Vantage

Official setup: Alpha Vantage MCP documentation. Use case: retrieve company statements and macroeconomic series such as US interest rates.

Connection: hosted MCP with OAuth authorization of your Alpha Vantage API key. A free key is available; endpoint entitlements and request limits depend on your plan.

Install and authorize

  1. Get your own key from Alpha Vantage’s API-key page.

  2. In Claude’s Connectors page, choose Add → Browse connectors. Search for Alpha Vantage, open Alpha Vantage MCP Server and click Connect.

  3. In the provider’s authentication page, enter your key and choose Authorize Access. The documented OAuth endpoint is https://mcp.alphavantage.co/mcp. Use the directory route here; do not paste your key into a chat or a URL.

  4. Enable Alpha Vantage in your chat.

Test the connection

Ask: “Use Alpha Vantage INCOME_STATEMENT for IBM. Show the latest annual fiscalDateEnding, reportedCurrency and totalRevenue from the returned data. Do not estimate missing values.”

Pass: a tool returns the statement and dated fields. Next, try FEDERAL_FUNDS_RATE with monthly observations. API definitions explain the series and parameters. A quota or premium-access message is a limit to resolve, not permission to invent data. Rotate a key by disconnecting and reconnecting through authorization.

Confirm all five connections

Check each provider separately before combining them into a report. A saved connector is only the first step; the tool must also be enabled and return the intended data.

  • CoinStats: your selected portfolio, holdings and values match the account you intended.

  • CoinGecko: a verified asset ID returns dated price and market data.

  • Binance: a public market-data tool returns BTCUSDT data; additional positioning coverage is recorded as available or unavailable.

  • Alpaca: the local server starts and a data tool returns an entitled quote with its feed.

  • Alpha Vantage: the statement test returns fiscal-period fields, followed by a macro-series test within your quota.

A first research request

After the individual tests pass, enable only the providers needed and copy this request:

“Prepare a research brief using my connected tools. For each number, name the provider, tool, asset or series, observation period, units and retrieval time. Keep market observations separate from your interpretation. Identify delayed feeds, missing cost basis, unavailable tools and failed calls. Do not infer a zero from missing data. Do not place orders, change accounts or transfer funds.”

Use one question per pass: portfolio concentration through CoinStats; a coin comparison through CoinGecko; supported Binance market context; an equity quote through Alpaca; or a company statement through Alpha Vantage. Add complexity only after you can inspect the underlying responses.

If a connection fails

  • Saved, but no tools: enable the provider through + → Connectors in the chat. Restart Claude Desktop after local configuration changes.

  • Authorization expired: reconnect through the provider’s sign-in flow. Confirm the account and permissions before approving.

  • Alpaca will not start: check Python/uvx installation, the absolute executable path, JSON syntax, paper credentials and Developer logs. Remove keys from any diagnostic text you share.

  • Quota or subscription error: reduce the request and inspect your provider account. A paid AI plan does not purchase every provider’s data plan.

  • Wrong or incomplete data: verify asset identity, account, currency, market, feed, observation date and requested period. Reconcile portfolio imports before trusting P&L.

  • Region or organization restriction: check the provider’s eligibility rules or ask your administrator. Use supported access; do not route around restrictions.

Stop when you cannot confirm the source or permissions. These connections assist research; they do not validate an investment thesis, select an allocation or establish that an asset is suitable for you. Keep final decisions in your own investing process.

Setup references: Claude remote connectors; local MCP configuration; and the first-party provider documentation linked in each section. Instructions can change after the checked date. Educational use only; not investment advice.

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