What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources. The Insider Trades MCP server is a small program that exposes our API as an MCP “tool,” so any MCP-compatible assistant — Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot, Cline, Continue, and others — can query insider filings on your behalf.

What you'll need

  • Node.js 20 or later installed.
  • An Insider Trades API key — create one free in your dashboard.
  • An MCP-compatible AI tool (e.g. Claude Desktop or Cursor).

Setup

Add the server to your tool's MCP config. The npx command downloads and runs it automatically — there's nothing to install separately. In Claude Desktop, edit claude_desktop_config.json and add:

claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insider-trades": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "insider-trades-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "INSIDER_TRADES_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart the app and the insider-trades tools will appear. Cursor, Windsurf, and other clients use the same config block under their MCP settings.

What you can ask

Once connected, just ask in plain English — the assistant handles the filtering, pagination, and interpretation:

  • “Show me recent insider purchases at Apple.”
  • “Which CEOs bought their own company's stock this month?”
  • “Find insider transactions over $1M at Tesla in the last 90 days.”
  • “What have Microsoft directors been buying or selling this year?”

When to use MCP vs. the SDKs

Use the MCP server for interactive research inside an AI assistant. Use the Node.js or Python SDK when you're building an app, dashboard, or automated workflow that needs the data programmatically. All three share the same API and the same API key.

Get your API keyRead the API docs