MCP Quickstart

Connect ALT/FNDATA to Claude

Three steps to query verified auction and private-sale prices in Claude: get a key, connect the connector, and ask your first question. It works in Claude on the web and desktop through the remote connector, or locally through a small Python package for Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

3 read-only tools Remote connector + local (pip) Endpoint: mcp.altfndata.com/mcp Keys: api.altfndata.com/portal

Before you start

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets Claude call an external data source live during a conversation. You connect ALT/FNDATA once, and Claude queries it whenever a question needs real numbers. The connector is read-only: it exposes three tools (list_tables, get_table_schema, query_table), and nothing is ever written or changed. For the full tool and field reference, see the technical docs.

Get an API key

Sign in at the ALT/FNDATA portal (or app.altfndata.com) and copy your key. It looks like afi_live_.... Data-API access is gated to a paid plan; see Membership. Keep the key secret, it carries your entitlements.

Connect to Claude

Two ways to connect, both authenticated with the same key. Pick one.

Remote connector (Claude web and desktop)

In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and enter the server URL:

https://mcp.altfndata.com/mcp

When Claude connects, it runs a secure OAuth handshake and shows an ALT/FNDATA login screen. Paste your afi_live_... key there once. Claude stores the session, not the raw key.

Local server (Claude Desktop)

Install the package and add it to your Desktop config:

# install the local MCP server

pip install altfinance-mcp

// claude_desktop_config.json

// macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/

// Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\

{

  "mcpServers": {

    "altfinance": {

      "command": "altfinance-mcp",

      "env": { "ALTFINANCE_API_KEY": "afi_live_your_key" }

    }

  }

}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Claude Code

Add the same local server from a terminal:

# local (stdio) server

export ALTFINANCE_API_KEY="afi_live_your_key"

claude mcp add altfinance -- altfinance-mcp

Tip Start prompts with "Using ALT/FNDATA" so Claude reaches for the connector rather than answering from memory.

Your first questions

Once connected, try one of these. Each names the data and a category, so Claude reads the schema and runs one read-only query.

Using ALT/FNDATA, what tables can I query, and what columns does the watches table have?

Using ALT/FNDATA, show the ten highest prices for Patek Philippe watches sold in 2024. Include the lot title, the auction house, the sale date, and the price in USD.

Using ALT/FNDATA, find sold Hermes Birkin handbags from the last two years and give me the low, median, and high price in USD. Sold lots only.

Claude calls list_tables and get_table_schema to orient itself, then query_table with the right filters and sort. Remember that prices are populated on sold lots, and the newest one to two quarters undercount while recent sales are still being ingested.

Where to next

Use-case playbook. Eight roles and more than twenty copy-paste recipes, each with the output shape and the caveat it carries.
Technical docs. The three tools in full, the dataset and field reference, auth and API keys, and limits.
Coverage and methodology. What the data covers, how fresh it is, and how to trust an answer.

Questions Reach us at info@altfndata.com.