What to look for in an IBKR MCP server for Claude Code

Updated: 2026-10-05 22:11 CEST

Use canary mcp when you want Claude Code to read Interactive Brokers account and market data without giving the agent order-entry authority. It runs locally over stdio, beside IB Gateway or TWS.

The same binary carries more than the MCP server. The daemon composes a daily brief and the Action Queue, and Claude can read the 19-rule discipline rulebook through canary_rules and check that your limits add up through canary_policy_check. The terminal adds a risk policy you write yourself (canary policy) and daily statement reconciliation (canary recon). All of it runs locally.

The daemon evaluates the account and market inputs you are entitled to and keeps their freshness, source health and warning codes. The slimmer MCP server returns the result a decision needs instead of every underlying sensor.

In short, choose a local MCP server that connects to IB Gateway or Trader Workstation (TWS), offers explicit read-only tools and makes order placement impossible at the tool boundary. canary keeps to that boundary.

Why read-only matters

Claude Code is capable enough to inspect files, run commands and call MCP tools. That is useful for portfolio analysis. For placing brokerage orders unsupervised, it is the wrong default.

canary mcp offers read-only tools for status, account, positions, option strategies, named-symbol technical analysis, broker reporting, FX and lending reports, borrowing and short-interest research, the retrospective Edge review, the daily brief, rules, a policy check, proposals, opportunities, settings, readiness and order-lifecycle reads. It has no resources, preview tools or execution tools.

Best fit

• You want Claude Code to answer "what do I own?" and "what changed?" from live IBKR account context.
• You prefer local stdio MCP to a hosted broker proxy.
• You already run IB Gateway or TWS with API socket access enabled.
• One Go binary suits you, with no Python runtime, Java bridge, Docker stack or remote custody layer.
• You want portfolio, rulebook, Action Queue and source-health analysis without automated trade execution.

Claude Code install path

Install the Claude Code plugin from the self-hosted marketplace:

/plugin marketplace add osauer/canary
/plugin install canary@canary

For Claude for Mac's embedded Claude Code pane, run the equivalent commands from a regular terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add osauer/canary
claude plugin install canary@canary

The plugin is the recommended path for Claude Code. It bundles the canary skill, safety hooks and MCP server config. Installing the skill on its own creates only a skill command and registers no MCP tools or hooks.

Install the local canary binary separately:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/osauer/canary/main/install.sh | sh

Restart Claude Code or Claude for Mac after installation so the host reloads plugins, skills, hooks and MCP server processes.

Generic Claude Code MCP config

If you prefer not to use the plugin, add the local stdio MCP server directly:

claude mcp add canary -- /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/canary mcp

The command path must be absolute. After installing the binary, which canary shows it.

What Claude Code can ask

• "What's in my IBKR account?"
• "Show my positions by underlying and include option deltas."
• "What changed in my portfolio today?"
• "What does the technical picture for SPY look like?"
• "Read today's brief and summarise what needs attention."
• "Which rulebook findings are failing or unknown right now?"
• "Do my risk limits make sense for the size of my account?"

How to evaluate IBKR MCP servers

Related pages

• IBKR MCP server for an overview of the local MCP server.
• Claude Desktop install for the MCPB path.
• Read-only MCP server for the no-order-entry boundary.
• Portfolio review with Claude and IBKR for portfolio analysis prompts.
• MCP tools reference for the tool schema Claude chooses from.