Add the Alpaca MCP server to Cursor

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run Alpaca in Cursor — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

  • Cursor installed.
  • ALPACA_API_KEY — Your Alpaca API key.
  • ALPACA_SECRET_KEY — Your Alpaca API secret key.

Setup

1. Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json

~/.cursor/mcp.json
json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "alpaca-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "<ALPACA_API_KEY>",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "<ALPACA_SECRET_KEY>",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE": "<ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE>"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Cursor and confirm the Alpaca tools load.

Gotchas

Cursor keeps MCP servers under an "mcpServers" object in ~/.cursor/mcp.json for global use, and also reads a project-scoped .cursor/mcp.json so a repository can ship its own servers. Remote servers are configured with a bare "url" field and connect natively, with OAuth handled in-app when a server requires it.

← Back to the Alpaca MCP server