We’re excited to share that you can now use your Alpaca account for paper trading and live portfolio monitoring in Claude. This builds on Alpaca’s agentic tooling initiatives, including Alpaca’s MCP Server, CLI, and other AI connectors.
The Alpaca Paper Trading connector provides access to paper trading through Alpaca's Trading API and Market Data, enabling you to analyze market trends, monitor your account, and place simulated trades across stocks, ETFs, and options using natural language. The Alpaca Live connector provides access to your live account through Alpaca's Trading API and Market Data API for portfolio monitoring and market research.
AI-generated responses may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies and should be independently verified before being relied upon for investment decisions or trading activity.
Choosing Your Alpaca Connector
Paper trading uses simulated funds with no real capital. The walkthrough below helps you practice the account-and-order workflow; it does not establish how a strategy would perform with real money.
Using the Alpaca Paper Trading Connector
Start with an account check
Connect to the Alpaca Paper Trading connector in Claude and complete the Alpaca sign-in and authorization flow. To follow along with the prompts below, you need an Alpaca paper account. Create an account if you don't already have one.
Before authorizing the connection, review the requested account permissions and ensure that you are connecting the intended paper trading account.
Your first prompt can be:
Show my Alpaca paper account balance, buying power, and account status.
Compare the response with the paper account in your Alpaca dashboard. Buying power tells you what the account can use for orders under its current limits.
If the account or balances do not match, resolve the connection before proceeding. If you have multiple paper accounts, confirm which account you have connected. Do not use an order to test an unresolved account mismatch.
Submit a paper order, then check its status
Once you have verified the account, try submitting a simulated order. Replace the “AAPL” placeholder with the symbol of a stock or ETF supported by your paper account.
The following example demonstrates simulated order submission only and does not involve purchasing securities in the actual market. Review all AI-generated order details before submission.
In my Alpaca paper account, submit a day market order to buy 1 share
of AAPL. Show the order ID and current status returned by Alpaca.Read the response before taking another action. An order acknowledgment does not establish that the order has been filled.
Then ask:
Retrieve the current status of that paper order.
Show the filled quantity and average fill price if available,
then refresh my paper positions and buying power.
The distinction matters when an order remains open, fills partially, or is rejected. Inspect the returned status and any rejection message instead of assuming that a conversational confirmation means the position changed.
Users should independently verify order statuses, account balances, and positions through their Alpaca account rather than relying solely on AI-generated confirmations.
Using the Alpaca Live Connector
Connect the Alpaca Live connector in Claude and complete the Alpaca sign-in and authorization flow for your live account. Learn more about how to open a live account as a non-US resident or as a US resident.
Start by checking your balances and positions:
Summarize my live Alpaca account balances, buying power, and open positions.
Include the retrieval time and identify any information you could not retrieve.
A follow-up can narrow the view:
Show my open orders and recent fills. 
Note: The Alpaca Live connector does not place orders. You must use Alpaca's Trading API or Dashboard for live execution. Live trading involves financial risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Know what the connection can return
Account access, market data access, and order execution are separate checks. A successful balance request does not establish that every symbol, data feed, or asset class is available.
The market data Claude can retrieve depends on the subscription associated with your authenticated Alpaca account. Free and paid plans differ in feed coverage, data recency, and request limits. Check your Alpaca account's subscription and the Market Data API documentation to confirm what is included.
If a market-data request fails, inspect the returned message and your Alpaca account's data access before changing the prompt. Options data will only appear for accounts with those asset classes enabled. Check eligibility and enablement in your Alpaca account, and confirm that the requested action is supported by the connector. Reconnecting alone may not resolve a missing permission or unsupported tool.
Simulation has its own limits. Alpaca's paper trading documentation lists factors the simulation does not model, including market impact, price slippage due to latency, order queue position, and regulatory fees. A completed paper order demonstrates the simulated workflow. It does not predict a live fill.
Where to go next
To try paper trading in Claude, connect the Alpaca Paper Trading Connector. Check your account, place a simulated test order, and check its status until it's complete. You can then review the order details in your Alpaca account alongside the conversation.
To monitor your live portfolio, connect the Alpaca Live Connector.
For more on paper trading, live accounts, and building with Alpaca's Trading API, see the related resources below.
Related resources
- How to Start Paper Trading Alpaca’s Trading API
- Open a Live Account as a US or Non-US Resident
- Paper Trading vs Live Trading
- API Key Security Best Practices for Alpaca Builders
- Alpaca’s MCP Server
- Alpaca’s CLI
Information and outputs generated through Alpaca’s MCP Server, or connected AI agents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. AI-generated outputs may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies and should be independently reviewed and verified before use or reliance. Alpaca does not recommend any specific security, or investment strategy. Users should conduct their own due diligence before making investment decisions. All firms mentioned operate independently and are not responsible for one another's products or services.
Claude is provided by Anthropic, an independent third-party provider that is not affiliated with Alpaca. References to third-party products, platforms, or services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Alpaca. Neither party is responsible for the other’s products, services, and liabilities.
AI-assisted and automated trading workflows involve risks, including incorrect or unintended instructions, programming errors, API connectivity issues, system failures, and unintended order execution. These risks may result in financial losses. Automated checks, testing, and other safeguards cannot guarantee the prevention of errors or losses.
The Alpaca Live connector is for portfolio monitoring, market research, can create or change watchlists and does not support live order placement. Account and market data availability is subject to applicable account permissions, subscriptions, and supported connector functionality.
The Paper Trading API is offered by AlpacaDB, Inc. and does not require real money or permit a user to transact in real securities in the market. Providing use of the Paper Trading API is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities, securities derivative or futures products of any kind, or any type of trading or investment advice, recommendation or strategy, given or in any manner endorsed by AlpacaDB, Inc. or any AlpacaDB, Inc. affiliate. Information made available through the Paper Trading API is not an offer or solicitation of any kind in any jurisdiction where AlpacaDB, Inc. or any AlpacaDB, Inc. affiliate is not authorized to do business.
All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and there is no guarantee that any investment strategy will achieve its objectives. Any symbols or examples shown are for demonstration purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Options trading is not suitable for all investors due to its inherent high risk, which can potentially result in significant losses. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options.
Securities brokerage services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC (dba "Alpaca Clearing"), member FINRA/SIPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Technology and services are offered by AlpacaDB, Inc.
Cryptocurrency services are made available by Alpaca Crypto LLC ("Alpaca Crypto"), a FinCEN registered money services business (NMLS # 2160858), Alpaca Crypto is not a member of SIPC or FINRA. Cryptocurrencies are not stocks and your cryptocurrency investments are not protected by either FDIC or SIPC.
This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities or cryptocurrencies or open a brokerage account or cryptocurrency account in any jurisdiction where Alpaca Securities or Alpaca Crypto, respectively, are not registered or licensed, as applicable.
For additional information and disclosures, see Alpaca's Disclosure Library.
