@alpha-arcade/mcp

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Alpha Arcade prediction markets on Algorand.

Lets AI agents (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) browse markets, fetch full API-backed orderbooks, place orders, manage positions, and trade on-chain prediction markets.

SDK vs MCP vs CLI

• SDK (@alpha-arcade/sdk): low-level TypeScript primitives for bots, backends, and apps.
• MCP (@alpha-arcade/mcp): exposes the same capabilities as MCP tools for AI agents.
• CLI (@alpha-arcade/cli): human terminal UX with table/json output, prompts, and --dry-run/--yes safety rails.

The CLI and MCP both use the same runtime/client setup logic so behavior stays aligned.

Alpha CLI (terminal)

The CLI package lives in alpha-cli/ in this repo and can be published independently as @alpha-arcade/cli.

Quickstart

cd alpha-cli
npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js markets list --limit 5

Common commands

# Read-only
node dist/index.js markets list --limit 5
node dist/index.js markets get <marketId>
node dist/index.js orderbook <marketAppId>
node dist/index.js positions --wallet-address <addr>

# Trading (requires ALPHA_MNEMONIC)
node dist/index.js trade limit --market <id> --position yes --side buy --price 0.52 --quantity 10
node dist/index.js trade market --market <id> --position no --side buy --price 0.45 --quantity 20 --slippage 0.05
node dist/index.js orders amend --market <id> --escrow-app-id <escrow> --price 0.60 --quantity 3
node dist/index.js orders cancel --market <id> --escrow-app-id <escrow> --order-owner <addr>

CLI safety model

• Write commands prompt for confirmation by default.
• --dry-run prints payloads (and market-order matching estimate) without submitting.
• --yes bypasses prompts for non-interactive automation.
• Price validation enforces (0,1) dollars and caps unusually high slippage.

Tools

get_full_orderbook

Fetches the full processed orderbook snapshot from the Alpha REST API for a market ID. Requires ALPHA_API_KEY.

• marketId (required): The Alpha market ID (UUID), not marketAppId

Returns the same app-keyed snapshot shape as websocket orderbook_changed.orderbook:

• top-level aggregated bids, asks, and spread
• detailed yes and no bid/ask orders with escrowAppId and owner

Resources

WebSocket Stream Tools

The stream_* tools connect to the Alpha Arcade WebSocket API (wss://platform-wss.alphaarcade.com) for real-time data. No API key required. Each tool opens a connection, collects data, then closes — no persistent subscriptions to manage.

stream_orderbook

Gets a real-time orderbook snapshot for a market. Faster than the on-chain get_orderbook tool (~5s vs ~10s). Returns the same full processed snapshot shape as get_full_orderbook, with bids, asks, spread, and per-side YES/NO detail.

• slug (required): The market's URL-friendly name (e.g. "will-btc-hit-100k")
• timeoutMs (optional): Max wait time in ms (default: 15000)

stream_live_markets

Collects market probability changes over a time window. Returns all accumulated changes with market IDs, probability patches, and spread/midpoint updates. Useful for seeing which markets are currently active.

• durationMs (optional): How long to collect events in ms (default: 5000)

stream_market

Watches a single market by slug and returns the first change event. Times out if nothing changes.

• slug (required): The market's URL-friendly name
• timeoutMs (optional): Max wait time in ms (default: 15000)

stream_wallet_orders

Watches a wallet for order changes (new, updated, or filled orders) and returns the first event. Uses the configured ALPHA_MNEMONIC wallet if no address is provided.

• walletAddress (optional): Algorand wallet address
• timeoutMs (optional): Max wait time in ms (default: 15000)

Setup

Environment Variables

Getting an API key

An API key is optional. Without it, you can still fetch markets on-chain, place orders, and use most SDK features. With an API key, you get richer market data, full API-backed orderbooks, liquidity rewards information, wallet order lookups, and more.

To get an API key:

1. Go to alphaarcade.com and sign up with your email or Google account.
2. Open the Account page
3. Open the Partners tab.
4. Click Create API key and copy the key.
5. Add it to your environment (e.g. a .env file in the project root):

Cursor (read-only, zero config)

Add to your .cursor/mcp.json (project-level) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpha-arcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@alpha-arcade/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

That's it -- no API key needed. Your AI can browse markets, view orderbooks, and check positions.

Cursor (with trading)

To enable trading, add your mnemonic:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpha-arcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@alpha-arcade/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ALPHA_MNEMONIC": "your twenty five word mnemonic here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop / Claude Code

Same config works for both Claude Desktop (GUI app) and Claude Code (terminal CLI).

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS (or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alpha-arcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@alpha-arcade/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ALPHA_MNEMONIC": "your twenty five word mnemonic here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code specifically, you can also add it via the CLI:

claude mcp add alpha-arcade -- npx -y @alpha-arcade/mcp

VS Code / Copilot

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "alpha-arcade": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@alpha-arcade/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ALPHA_MNEMONIC": "your twenty five word mnemonic here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zero Config Mode

With no environment variables at all, the server works in read-only mode. Markets are discovered directly from the Algorand blockchain -- no API key needed. You can browse markets, view orderbooks, and check positions. Trading tools will return an error explaining that a mnemonic is required.

Price and Quantity Units

All prices and quantities use microunits (1,000,000 = $1.00 or 1 share):

• Price 500000 = $0.50
• Quantity 1000000 = 1 share
• Slippage 50000 = $0.05

Links

• SDK: npmjs.com/package/@alpha-arcade/sdk
• GitHub: github.com/phara23/alpha-mcp
• Alpha Arcade: alphaarcade.com
• Alpha Arcade API: platform.alphaarcade.com