MCP Quickstart

Connect Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Codex to the Alphacast MCP server in three steps and run your first prompt.

The Alphacast MCP server can be reached two ways: the hosted server at https://mcp.alphacast.io/mcp (no install, sign in with OAuth) or the local npm package (@alphacast/mcp) that your client runs via npx. Both expose the same 32 tools. Pick one path below.

Option A — Hosted (recommended, no install)

Nothing to install and no API key to copy. Your client connects to the remote URL and you authorize it in the browser with your Alphacast account.

1. Add the remote server to your client

   Claude Code: run this in a terminal.

   claude mcp add --transport http alphacast https://mcp.alphacast.io/mcp
   

   Claude Desktop: open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, name it alphacast, and paste the URL https://mcp.alphacast.io/mcp. See the Claude Desktop guide.

   For Codex, Cursor, and other clients, see their configuration guides — each shows the remote URL setup.

2. Sign in with OAuth

   The first time the client connects, it opens your browser to auth.alphacast.io. Sign in (or approve if already signed in) and grant the requested mcp:read / mcp:write scopes. The client stores the token and reconnects automatically afterwards.

   In Claude Code, if the browser doesn’t open on its own, run /mcp, select alphacast, and choose Authenticate.

3. Run your first prompt

   “List my Alphacast repositories.”

   The client should call list_repositories and display the result. If you get a 401, re-run the OAuth step — the token may have expired or been declined.

Option B — Local (npm package)

Runs the server as a local subprocess. Requires Node.js 18+ and an API key.

1. Get your API key

   Sign in to Alphacast and open Settings to copy your API key (or generate a new one). If you belong to multiple teams, make sure your active team subscription is selected first. The same key you use for the REST API works for the MCP server.

   Treat the key like a password. It grants the same permissions as your account. Store it in a secrets manager or an environment variable, not in source control.

2. Add the server to your client

   Claude Code: run this command in a terminal.

   claude mcp add alphacast -e ALPHACAST_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY -- npx -y @alphacast/mcp
   

   Claude Desktop: follow the Claude Desktop guide — it walks through editing claude_desktop_config.json step by step, including non-standard install paths. For Codex, Cursor, and other clients, see Configuration.

3. Run your first prompt

   Restart the client so it picks up the new server, then try a prompt that uses one of the tools:

   “List my Alphacast repositories.”

   The client should call list_repositories and display the result. If you see an authentication error, double-check that the ALPHACAST_API_KEY environment variable is set correctly in the previous step.

What’s next

Tools reference

Browse all 32 tools and their input schemas.

Examples

See full prompts that combine search, download, and provider tools.