perp-cli vs Alpaca MCP Server

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

	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	Alpaca MCP Server Alpaca's official trading server for stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto in plain English. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Finance & Payments	Finance & Payments
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	31	820
Last commit	25 days ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npm install -g perp-cli`	`uvx alpaca-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

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

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

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

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.

FAQ

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

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

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

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

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

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