The fastest way to give Claude access to historical stock market data in 2026 is the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once configured, Claude can run analyses, write SQL, and check historical base rates during any conversation — no copy-paste, no manual API calls. This guide walks through the setup end-to-end using TradeOdds as the data source.

Total setup time: roughly five minutes.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows). Claude Code and Cursor follow the same pattern.
A TradeOdds account with at least Pro tier ($29/month) for MCP access. Power User ($99/month) adds direct SQL access via the query tool. Sign up at tradeodds.io/pricing.
Node.js 18+ installed locally. Check with node --version.

Step 1: Generate your TradeOdds API key

Sign in to TradeOdds and go to Account → API Keys. Create a new key. The full key is displayed once on creation — copy it immediately and store it somewhere safe (a password manager works). Keys start with the prefix sk-to-.

If you lose the key, generate a new one. You cannot retrieve an old key after navigating away from the creation screen.

Step 2: Install the TradeOdds MCP server

In your terminal:

npm install -g tradeodds-mcp

This installs the MCP server globally. Confirm with:

tradeodds-mcp --version

You should see a version string like 3.1.0 or later.

Step 3: Add TradeOdds to your Claude Desktop config

Open the Claude Desktop config file. On macOS it lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows it’s at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

If the file doesn’t exist, create it. Add the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tradeodds": {
      "command": "tradeodds-mcp",
      "env": {
        "TRADEODDS_API_KEY": "sk-to-your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace sk-to-your-key-here with the key from Step 1. If you already had other MCP servers in the config, add tradeodds as a sibling entry under mcpServers — don’t replace the whole object.

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit (Cmd+Q on macOS) and reopen Claude Desktop. The MCP server starts when Claude launches.

Step 5: Verify it’s working

Start a new conversation and ask:

“Use TradeOdds to find the historical win rate for SPY after a 3% drop with VIX above 25.”

Claude should call the analyze or query tool, return a number, and explain the result. If it instead says “I don’t have access to that data,” the config file path is probably wrong or Claude needs another restart.

What you can now ask Claude

Once connected, Claude has access to four TradeOdds tools:

list_symbols — what tickers are covered.
analyze — single-symbol historical base rate matching today’s conditions.
factor_match — universe-wide scan across 3,200+ symbols by historical win rate.
query (Power User and Quant tiers) — write SQL directly against the 35-year database with 16 indexed factor columns.

Practical prompts that work well:

“What’s the historical 5-day win rate for QQQ when RSI is oversold and VIX is above 25?”
“Run Factor Match against all stocks for a regime + low VIX + RSI midrange setup. Show me the top 10.”
“Write SQL against daily_metrics to find every SPY day in the last 35 years where the next 5-day return exceeded 5% after a 3%+ drop.” (Power User only)

Troubleshooting

Claude says it doesn’t see the tools. Quit and reopen Claude Desktop fully. The MCP servers initialize at startup; they don’t hot-reload.

Tool calls return an authentication error. Double-check the API key in the config file. Generate a fresh key from the Account page if needed.

“Command not found: tradeodds-mcp”. Ensure npm install -g succeeded and that your shell’s PATH includes the global npm bin directory. which tradeodds-mcp should print a path.

You’re on Cursor instead of Claude Desktop. Cursor uses .cursor/mcp_settings.json in your project directory or ~/.cursor/mcp_settings.json globally. Same JSON structure as the Claude Desktop config.

What this gives you

After setup, Claude becomes a quant research assistant grounded in 35 years of clean market data. Instead of guessing or fabricating numbers, it calls real tools, returns verifiable results, and shows you the underlying conditions. The same pattern works for Cursor, Continue, and any MCP-compatible client.

Verification. Setup steps and command syntax verified on June 4, 2026 against the TradeOdds MCP server v3.x and Claude Desktop’s published MCP support. Anthropic and TradeOdds occasionally update the MCP protocol; the high-level pattern (install server, add to config, restart) is stable but specific commands may evolve.

Disclaimer. TradeOdds provides historical analysis for informational purposes only. This is not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

How to Connect Claude to Stock Market Data (MCP Setup, 2026)