Can this MCP server place Interactive Brokers orders?

Not in the standard downloads. The installer, the Claude Desktop bundle, and the plain ibkr tarballs are read-only builds with no order placement, modification, or cancellation tools compiled in. Each release also publishes a clearly marked ibkr-trading tarball for users who explicitly opt into order management; it ships with warnings and layered safeguards and is never installed by default.

How do I connect Claude Desktop to IBKR?

Install the latest ibkr MCP Bundle from the GitHub release, open the .mcpb file with Claude Desktop, and restart Claude Desktop while IB Gateway or TWS is running locally.

Agentic IBKR workflows

ibkr canary for portfolio analysis and trading research

Q: What is the IBKR MCP server?

ibkr canary is a local Model Context Protocol server and Canary app that lets Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Zed, and other MCP hosts analyze Interactive Brokers account and market data through IB Gateway or TWS.

Q: Does ibkr work with TWS and IB Gateway?

Yes. ibkr can connect to a local Trader Workstation or IB Gateway API session and auto-discovers the standard paper and live ports unless you pin a specific config.

Connect Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Gateway or TWS to Claude Desktop first, with Claude Code, Cursor, Zed, and other local MCP hosts supported from the same binary. Ask real portfolio and market questions without copying tables out of TWS.

The bundled MCP surface is read-side only: agents can analyze, monitor, and size plans without receiving order-entry tools.

Claude Desktop Install Install other clients View on GitHub Read MCP tools

For Claude Desktop, use the MCPB install page, restart Claude, and keep IB Gateway or TWS running locally. The shell and Claude Code paths are there when you want one shared binary.

ibkr is analysis software, not financial advice — nothing it shows or says is a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

Terminal screenshot of ibkr regime showing volatility, credit, funding, FX, gamma, and breadth indicators

Local by default Connects to IB Gateway or TWS on your machine. No hosted broker custody layer.

Agent-ready Runs as a stdio MCP server for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Zed, and other MCP hosts.

Review depth Portfolio review, options diagnostics, scanners, scheduled stress checks, gamma, breadth, and regime context in one tool.

Go binary One installable CLI with a local daemon and a clean-room Go TWS protocol library.

Install for Claude Desktop first.

Most Mac users should start with the Claude Desktop MCPB. It bundles the local MCP server, keeps the broker session on your machine, and avoids hand-editing MCP config files.

Prerequisites: IB Gateway 10.37+ or TWS running locally, plus an IBKR Pro account with TWS API access. IBKR Lite does not include TWS API access.

Claude Desktop Install

The Claude Desktop path explains what the MCPB bundles, what still needs to be running locally, and the exact Mac install and restart steps.

# Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add osauer/ibkr
/plugin install ibkr@ibkr
# restart Claude Code or run /reload-plugins after install/update

# Shell, Cursor, Continue, Zed, generic MCP hosts
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/osauer/ibkr/main/install.sh | sh
ibkr setup claude-desktop

# then ask:
# "How does my IBKR account look today?"

Market, account, and option context.

Terminal screenshots are generated from synthetic fixture data, so the public page shows the real CLI shape without exposing account holdings or balances.

Risk regime

One dashboard for volatility, credit, funding, FX carry, dealer gamma, and S&P 500 breadth.

Stress monitor

Scheduled lifecycle, readiness, source-health, and stress checks from account, exposure, regime, and data-quality gates.

Option chains

Expiry lists, ATM implied volatility, and expected moves from the local IBKR market-data session.

sanitized ibkr positions by underlying terminal output

Positions and exposure

Underlying grouping, option legs, marks, Greek coverage, and portfolio-level exposure with sensitive values redacted here.

Ask portfolio and market questions in plain language.

The MCP descriptions are written for agent routing, so assistants can pick the right tool without you naming commands.

Review my portfolio and rank the risks I should look at today.
What is in my IBKR account?
Show my SPY exposure, including option deltas.
How does the market regime look today?
Is today a normal review, a watch day, or a data-quality problem?
Is Xetra open on Whit Monday?
Are dealers supporting or amplifying today's SPY move?
What expiries are listed for SPY and what is the implied move?
If I enter MSFT at 418 with a stop at 408, what is my EUR risk?

One local tool, three ways to use it.

MCP server

For AI assistants

ibkr mcp exposes account, quote, calendar, chain, scanner, sizing, breadth, gamma, regime, and stress-monitoring tools to MCP clients for analysis and scheduled-review workflows.

Terminal CLI

For fast checks

Run commands such as ibkr status, ibkr positions, ibkr canary, ibkr calendar, ibkr chain SPY, and ibkr regime. Every data command supports JSON; the CLI is useful, but the Claude/MCP path is the main path.

Go library

For custom systems

github.com/osauer/ibkr/pkg/ibkr speaks the TWS protocol directly with no Python bridge and no IBKR jars.

Experimental remote Canary app.

The paired Canary PWA can now run through a beta HTTPS relay when you want phone access away from the LAN. The app and broker session still live on your Mac; the relay is transport-only and currently maintainer-assisted for early users.

Mobile monitor

Market regime, portfolio canary, protection, alerts, positions, and settings in the paired PWA.

Remote beta

Start ibkr app --remote, pair the phone, and keep TWS or IB Gateway running on the Mac.

Security

TLS-protected transport

The phone uses HTTPS and the Mac connector uses WSS, so network intermediaries cannot read the traffic. Pairing and session authorization remain local to the app.

Guide

Canary remote app beta

Short setup notes, relay caveats, pairing flow, screenshots, and the current beta security model.

IBKR MCP FAQ.

What is the IBKR MCP server?

ibkr mcp is a local Model Context Protocol server for Interactive Brokers account and market-data workflows.

Can it place orders?

Not in the standard downloads: the installer, the Claude Desktop bundle, and the plain ibkr tarballs are read-only builds with no place, modify, or cancel tools compiled in. Each release also publishes a clearly marked ibkr-trading tarball for users who explicitly opt into order management — it ships with warnings and layered safeguards.

Does it use TWS or IB Gateway?

Yes. It connects to a local TWS or IB Gateway API session and auto-discovers the standard paper and live ports.

How does Claude Desktop connect?

Install the latest MCPB release asset, open it with Claude Desktop, and restart Claude while IB Gateway or TWS is running.

Useful setup pages.

Start with Claude Desktop if that is where you plan to ask questions. The other pages are here for TWS, Gateway, safety, and deeper portfolio-review context.

Claude Desktop