Alpaca MCP Server vs perp-cli

A side-by-side comparison of two Finance & Payments servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Alpaca MCP Server Alpaca's official trading server for stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto in plain English. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	perp-cli Multi-DEX perpetual futures MCP server for Pacifica, Hyperliquid, Lighter & Aster — market data, trading, and funding-rate arbitrage. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Finance & Payments	Finance & Payments
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	820	31
Last commit	2 months ago	2 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx alpaca-mcp-server`	`npm install -g perp-cli`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Alpaca MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick perp-cli if you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Alpaca MCP Server

Install / run

uvx alpaca-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpaca-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "alpaca-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALPACA_API_KEY": "<your-alpaca-api-key>",
        "ALPACA_SECRET_KEY": "<your-alpaca-secret-key>",
        "ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add perp-cli

Install / run

npm install -g perp-cli

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perp-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "-p",
        "perp-cli",
        "perp-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PACIFICA_PRIVATE_KEY": "your-solana-key",
        "HYPERLIQUID_PRIVATE_KEY": "your-evm-key",
        "LIGHTER_PRIVATE_KEY": "your-evm-key",
        "ASTER_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Alpaca MCP Server or perp-cli — which is better?

Pick Alpaca MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick perp-cli if you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Alpaca MCP Server and perp-cli?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Alpaca MCP Server and perp-cli work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Alpaca MCP Server →View perp-cli →More comparisons →