TradeStation MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes the full TradeStation API as tools for LLM-powered applications like Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot, and other MCP clients.

Features

• 36 MCP Tools covering all three TradeStation API categories:
  • Market Data (17 tools): Quotes, historical bars, option chains, market depth, symbol search, streaming
  • Brokerage (11 tools): Accounts, balances, positions, orders, order history, streaming
  • Order Execution (8 tools): Place/confirm/replace/cancel orders, group orders (OCO/Bracket), routes
• 5 MCP Prompts for common workflows: portfolio review, stock lookup, trade placement, options analysis, daily summary
• Built-in OAuth2 Authentication: Opens your browser for secure TradeStation login — no manual token management
• Automatic Token Refresh: Access tokens refresh automatically (they expire every 20 minutes)
• Streaming Support: Real-time market data and order updates via time-bounded collection windows
• Smart Account Resolution: Brokerage tools auto-detect your accounts when IDs aren't specified
• Rich Tool Descriptions: Domain-tagged descriptions ensure the LLM correctly routes "What's my balance?" to brokerage tools and "What's the stock price?" to market data tools

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• TradeStation Account with API access
• TradeStation API Key — Get one here

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

pip install tradestation-mcp

From source (development)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/theelderwand/tradestation-mcp.git
cd tradestation-mcp

# Create and activate a virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate

# macOS/Linux
# source .venv/bin/activate

# Install in development mode with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Quick run with uvx (no install needed)

uvx tradestation-mcp

Configuration

1. Copy the example environment file:

   copy .env.example .env
   

2. Edit .env with your TradeStation API credentials:

   TS_CLIENT_ID=your_api_key_here
   TS_CLIENT_SECRET=your_api_secret_here
   TS_REDIRECT_PORT=3000
   

3. Make sure your API key has http://localhost:3000 in its Allowed Callback URLs (this is a default for new keys).

First Run — Authentication

On first launch, the server will:

1. Open your default browser to the TradeStation login page
2. You log in with your TradeStation credentials and authorize the application
3. The browser redirects back to localhost:3000 where the server captures the auth code
4. Tokens are exchanged and saved to ~/.tradestation_mcp_tokens.json

Subsequent launches will use the saved refresh token — no browser needed unless the refresh token is revoked.

Usage with GitHub Copilot CLI

GitHub Copilot CLI stores MCP server configs in ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json. You can set it up in two ways:

Option A: Interactive (inside Copilot CLI)

1. Launch copilot (or gh copilot) in your terminal
2. Type /mcp add
3. Fill in the fields:
   • Name: tradestation
   • Type: stdio
   • Command: tradestation-mcp (if installed via pip)
4. Press Ctrl+S to save

Option B: Edit the config file directly

Create or edit ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tradestation": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "tradestation-mcp",
      "env": {
        "TS_CLIENT_ID": "your_api_key",
        "TS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_api_secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: If you installed from source instead of pip, replace "command": "tradestation-mcp" with the full path to your Python executable and use "args": ["-m", "tradestation_mcp.server"].

Verify it works

Inside Copilot CLI, type /mcp to see your configured servers and confirm tradestation is listed. Then try:

Use the tradestation MCP server to get a quote for MSFT

Allow tools without manual approval (optional)

copilot --allow-tool 'tradestation'

Or deny specific dangerous tools while allowing the rest:

copilot --allow-tool 'tradestation' --deny-tool 'tradestation(place_order)' --deny-tool 'tradestation(place_group_order)'

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tradestation": {
      "command": "tradestation-mcp",
      "env": {
        "TS_CLIENT_ID": "your_api_key",
        "TS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_api_secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage with VS Code (Copilot / MCP)

Add to your VS Code .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "tradestation": {
      "command": "tradestation-mcp",
      "env": {
        "TS_CLIENT_ID": "your_api_key",
        "TS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_api_secret"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tool Reference

Market Data Tools

Brokerage Tools

Order Execution Tools

Security Notes

• Token Storage: Tokens are saved in plaintext at ~/.tradestation_mcp_tokens.json. This file contains your refresh token which can be used to obtain new access tokens. Ensure your home directory has appropriate permissions.
• Refresh Tokens: By default, TradeStation refresh tokens do not expire. You can contact TradeStation Client Experience to enable rotation (30-minute expiry).
• Order Safety: The place_order tool description instructs the LLM to always call confirm_order first, but this is guidance — the tool itself does not enforce it.
• Production API: This server connects to TradeStation's production API. All orders are REAL.

Troubleshooting

"TS_CLIENT_ID environment variable is required"

• Ensure your .env file exists or set the environment variables directly.

Browser doesn't open for authentication

• Manually visit the URL printed in stderr logs.
• Ensure port 3000 (or your configured port) is not in use.

"Token refresh failed"

• Delete ~/.tradestation_mcp_tokens.json and restart to re-authenticate.

"No brokerage accounts found"

• Ensure your API key has the correct logins configured. Contact TradeStation Client Experience.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and guidelines.

License

MIT

Links

• Changelog
• Security Policy
• TradeStation API Docs
• Model Context Protocol