FlashAlpha MCP Server

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants call external tools in a structured, type-safe way. Instead of pasting API docs into your prompt, MCP lets your AI discover available tools, understand their parameters, and call them directly.

The FlashAlpha MCP server exposes 40 tools: 23 live tools covering every endpoint in the Lab API plus 17 historical-replay tools (Alpha tier) that mirror the live ones with an at timestamp parameter. Your AI assistant can pull live stock quotes, gamma exposure profiles, volatility surfaces, greeks, dealer positioning narratives, run the real-time options screener, AND replay any of those analytics at any minute since 2018-04-16 - all within the conversation.

Setup Instructions

Add the FlashAlpha MCP server to your AI client. Choose your client below and follow the steps.

Claude Desktop

Open your claude_desktop_config.json file and add the FlashAlpha server:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flashalpha": {
      "url": "https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp",
      "transport": "streamableHttp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You will see the MCP tools icon (hammer) appear in the chat input area.

Claude Code CLI

Run a single command to register the server:

claude mcp add flashalpha --transport http https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp

The server is now available in all Claude Code sessions. Use claude mcp list to verify.

Cursor

1. Open Settings (gear icon) and navigate to MCP Servers.
2. Click Add new MCP server.
3. Set the name to flashalpha and the URL to https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp.
4. Select Streamable HTTP as the transport type.
5. Click Save. The tools will appear in the Composer tool list.

Alternatively, add a .cursor/mcp.json file to your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flashalpha": {
      "url": "https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp",
      "transport": "streamableHttp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot / Continue)

Add the server to your VS Code settings.json or workspace .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "flashalpha": {
        "url": "https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp",
        "transport": "streamableHttp"
      }
    }
  }
}

For the Continue extension, add the server in your ~/.continue/config.yaml:

mcpServers:
  - name: flashalpha
    url: https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp
    transport: streamableHttp

Windsurf

1. Open Cascade (the AI panel).
2. Click the MCP icon in the toolbar.
3. Select Add Server and enter the URL: https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp.
4. Set the transport to Streamable HTTP.
5. Save. FlashAlpha tools will be listed under the MCP section.

Or add to your ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flashalpha": {
      "url": "https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp",
      "transport": "streamableHttp"
    }
  }
}

Authentication

FlashAlpha exposes two MCP endpoints; the auth model depends on which one your client connects to.

/mcp — apiKey parameter (self-hosted clients)

For Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot and similar self-hosted MCP clients, connect to https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp and pass your FlashAlpha API key as the apiKey tool parameter on each call. Most clients prompt for the key on first use and remember it for the session.

/mcp-oauth — OAuth 2.1 (Claude Connector Directory)

For the public Claude Connector Directory and other hosts that require OAuth-authenticated remote MCP servers, connect to https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp-oauth. The client performs Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591), an authorization-code + PKCE flow against https://flashalpha.com/oauth, and presents the access token as a Bearer header on every MCP request. No apiKey tool parameter is needed — the server resolves your account from the OAuth identity and forwards the API key internally for upstream calls.

OAuth discovery: https://lab.flashalpha.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource (RFC 9728) advertises the authorization server, the flashalpha.mcp scope, and the supported bearer transport. Token issuance and JWKS live under https://flashalpha.com/oauth/.

Connecting from clients that need static OAuth credentials

Some MCP-capable hosts (Grok's Custom Connector at the time of writing, and a few enterprise tools) expect you to paste a pre-issued Client ID / Client Secret / Authorization Endpoint / Token Endpoint into a form, rather than performing Dynamic Client Registration automatically. Our server supports both modes.

Grok — exact field values

Grok's Custom Connector flow uses two screens. Make sure you put the right URL on each:

Screen 1 — "Custom Connector" (Name + Server URL):

Screen 2 — "OAuth Credentials Required":

Hit Save & Connect. Browser redirects to flashalpha.com/oauth/login — sign in with your FlashAlpha credentials, click Allow on the consent screen, and Grok takes over. All 40 FlashAlpha MCP tools become available in any conversation.

The published dcr_7f47b8381eee60f98fa9414ddab7af1f client is a shared public PKCE client whitelisted for Grok's https://grok.com/connectors-oauth-exchange-code/ callback. Each user authorizes it independently — your access token is bound to your FlashAlpha account, not to the shared client_id. This mirrors how every "Sign in with Google" button works (one app, many users).

Other hosts that ask for static OAuth credentials

If the host shows you its own callback URL (not Grok's), register a dedicated client first via curl, then paste the new client_id into the host's form:

curl -X POST https://flashalpha.com/oauth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "client_name": "my-host-connector",
    "redirect_uris": ["PASTE_HOST_CALLBACK_URL_HERE"],
    "grant_types": ["authorization_code", "refresh_token"],
    "response_types": ["code"],
    "token_endpoint_auth_method": "none",
    "scope": "openid offline_access flashalpha.mcp"
  }'

The response includes client_id (dcr_…); save it. Then paste into the host's form: same MCP Server URL, Authorization Endpoint, Token Endpoint, Scopes, Token Auth Method none as the Grok table above. DCR-issued clients persist forever — register once, paste forever.

The rest of this page documents the /mcp + apiKey flow because that's what self-hosted clients use. Tool semantics, tool names, and parameter shapes are identical between the two endpoints — only the auth differs.

When your AI assistant calls a FlashAlpha tool, it will pass your API key as the apiKey parameter automatically. On first use, the AI will ask you for the key. Most clients remember it for subsequent calls within the same session.

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes 40 tools in four groups: live market data (5), live exposure analytics (9), live volatility & pricing (9), and historical replay (17, Alpha tier — mirror the live ones with a required at timestamp parameter). Each live tool maps directly to a Lab API endpoint; historical tools map to the matching endpoint on historical.flashalpha.com. Tool names below are the exact strings clients send via tools/call — copy them verbatim. The screener is REST-only at POST /v1/screener (no MCP tool yet).

Market Data

Exposure Analytics

Volatility & Pricing

Historical Replay (Alpha tier)

These 17 tools hit historical.flashalpha.com and take a required at parameter: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss for minute resolution (ET wall-clock, no trailing Z) or YYYY-MM-DD which defaults to 16:00 ET session close. Response shapes are identical to their live counterparts (modulo a few documented divergences — see the OpenAPI spec). Currently-backfilled symbols: SPY, QQQ, META, AMZN, NVDA, SPX. Other symbols backfill on demand (~48h for liquid US equities/ETFs). Call get_historical_coverage first to confirm a symbol's window before replaying.

Tool Reference

Full parameter details for each tool. All tools accept apiKey (string, required) as the first parameter - omitted from the tables below for brevity.

GetStockQuote

Fetch a real-time stock quote including price, change, volume, and market cap.

Returns: Price, change, change percent, volume, previous close, 52-week high/low, market cap, name, and exchange.

GetTickers

List all ticker symbols supported by FlashAlpha.

Returns: Array of ticker objects with symbol, name, and exchange.

GetOptionChain

Retrieve the full option chain for a symbol with bid, ask, IV, greeks, and open interest.

Returns: Array of option contracts with strike, expiration, type (call/put), bid, ask, last, IV, delta, gamma, theta, vega, open interest, and volume.

GetAccount

Check your current plan, rate limits, and API usage statistics.

Returns: Plan name, daily request limit, requests used today, requests remaining, and account email.

GetGex

Gamma exposure (GEX) profile by strike for a symbol. Identifies hedging pressure zones, gamma flip, and call/put walls.

Returns: Net GEX, gamma flip strike, call wall, put wall, strike-by-strike GEX array, and day-over-day changes.

GetDex

Delta exposure (DEX) profile by strike. Shows net directional dealer exposure and put/call walls.

Returns: Net DEX, call wall, put wall, strike-by-strike DEX array, and day-over-day changes.

GetVex

Vanna exposure (VEX) profile by strike. Measures sensitivity of delta to implied volatility changes.

Returns: Net VEX, strike-by-strike VEX array, and sensitivity metrics.

GetLevels

Key support and resistance levels derived from options exposure data.

Returns: Gamma flip, call wall, put wall, key gamma strike, HVL (Highest Volume Level), and zero-gamma level.

GetExposureSummary

Aggregated exposure metrics for a symbol including net GEX, DEX, VEX, put-call ratio, and skew.

Returns: Net GEX, net DEX, net VEX, gamma flip, call wall, put wall, put-call ratio, IV skew, and market regime classification.

GetNarrative

AI-generated plain-English market narrative based on current exposure data. Requires the Basic plan or above.

Returns: A structured narrative with market regime, key levels, dealer positioning summary, and actionable insights.

GetVolatility

Volatility analysis including IV rank, IV percentile, historical volatility, term structure, and skew.

Returns: IV rank, IV percentile, 30-day IV, HV (20/60/120), term structure data, and put-call IV skew.

GetStockSummary

Comprehensive summary combining quote, exposure, volatility, and key levels in one call.

Returns: Stock quote, net GEX/DEX/VEX, gamma flip, call/put walls, IV rank, IV percentile, HV, and key support/resistance levels.

CalculateGreeks

Calculate option greeks from inputs using the Black-Scholes model.

Returns: Theoretical price, delta, gamma, theta, vega, and rho.

SolveIV

Solve for implied volatility given an option's market price using iterative root-finding.

Returns: Implied volatility as a decimal, plus the theoretical price at the solved IV.

Screener (REST-only — no MCP tool)

Example Prompts

Copy any of these into your AI assistant after connecting the MCP server. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key on first use - most clients remember it afterwards.

Rate Limits & Plans

MCP tool calls consume the same rate limits as REST API requests. Each tool call counts as one request.

View all plan details on the pricing page. Upgrade at any time from your profile.

Tool Access by Plan

Technical Details

The MCP server wraps the same Lab API endpoints. If you already use the REST API, MCP provides identical data - the tools are simply a structured interface for AI assistants. No SDK or library installation is needed on your end.

Get Started

Three steps to get live options data in your AI assistant:

FAQ