Claude for options trading: connect a real scanner over MCP
By OptionClaws · Updated 2026-09-28
Claude is a careful reasoner, which makes it a good partner for options work: it will walk through a spread's payoff, question an assumption, and lay out the tradeoffs between two setups. What it lacks out of the box is market data. Claude does not have live option chains, so without a data source it can explain a strategy but cannot tell you which trades are actually available today. OptionClaws is a remote MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Claude that missing piece. Add it as a connector in Claude, or with one command in Claude Code, and Claude can run options scans on market data refreshed intraday, pull a symbol's option chain with greeks, and then do what it does well: compare the candidates and explain them. This guide covers setup for both, and the multi-step workflows that make Claude especially useful here.
Key facts
- OptionClaws is a remote MCP server; Claude connects to it as a custom connector, and Claude Code adds it with one terminal command.
- Claude can run preset and custom scans across 23 strategies, re-run your saved scans, and pull a symbol's option chain with bid, ask, IV, delta, gamma, theta, and vega.
- All 9 tools are read-only. Claude can research and compare trades but cannot place, modify, or cancel an order.
- Scans run on market data refreshed intraday, are limited to 10 per minute, and return 15 rows by default, up to 25.
- Sign-in uses OAuth with your OptionClaws account; scans need an active trial or subscription, and new accounts get a 7-day trial with no card.
Why Claude needs a data connection for options
Options are priced off quotes that move all day. A model's knowledge stops at its training cutoff, so anything Claude says about a specific premium, implied volatility, or strike without looking it up is, at best, stale. That leaves you doing the data work by hand: copying chains into the chat, one symbol at a time.
MCP is the open standard, introduced by Anthropic, that lets Claude call outside tools. The OptionClaws MCP server turns the OptionClaws scanner into tools Claude can call directly, so the numbers in the conversation come from a scan run on OptionClaws servers rather than from memory or from whatever you pasted in.
Set up OptionClaws in Claude
Custom connectors are available on Claude's Free plan (one custom connector), Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. On Team and Enterprise, an owner adds the connector from organization settings.
- Open Settings, then Connectors.
- Choose Add custom connector.
- Paste the MCP server URL, https://api.optionclaws.com/optionclaws/mcp, and click Add. Sign in to OptionClaws when prompted.
Add OptionClaws to your AI assistant
Works in ChatGPT and Claude, on the web, and in the iOS and Android apps. No card needed for the trial.
Set up OptionClaws in Claude Code
If you work in a terminal, Claude Code can use the same server. Run this command: claude mcp add --transport http optionclaws https://api.optionclaws.com/optionclaws/mcp. Then run /mcp inside Claude Code to sign in. Authentication is OAuth 2.1 with PKCE in both Claude and Claude Code, so there is no API key to copy into a config file.
Claude Code is useful when a scan is one step in a larger job. Because Claude Code can also read and write files in your project, you can ask it to run a set of scans and save the ranked rows to a CSV or a markdown table, or compare this week's results with a file you saved last week. Those files are yours; OptionClaws itself only returns scan results.
Multi-step analysis: where Claude earns its keep
A single scan is a list. The value of doing it through Claude is chaining several tool calls and reasoning across the results. A typical flow looks like this: Claude calls describe_scan_filters to learn the valid filters for the strategy you named, builds and runs a scan, then calls get_symbol_details on the top few names to check the full chain, the next earnings date, and the stock's technicals before summarizing.
Every scan row also carries its actual value for each filter the scan applied, so Claude can explain exactly why a candidate passed and which filter it barely cleared. That makes it practical to ask follow-ups such as "which of these is closest to failing the probability floor?" without running another scan.
- "Run the Wheel Candidates preset, then pull details for the top three and flag any with earnings or an ex-dividend date before expiration."
- "Scan bull put spreads with max loss under $500 and bear call spreads with the same cap, and tell me which side has better return on risk for the same probability."
- "Find 30 to 45 day cash-secured puts on my watchlist, then compare the best two by breakeven distance in ATRs."
- "Re-run my saved iron condor scan and compare the top five with the results from earlier in this chat."
Comparing candidates side by side
Claude is well suited to comparisons that a results table leaves to you. Ask it to put two or three candidates in a table with max profit, max loss, return on risk, probability of profit, breakevens, days to expiration, IV rank, expected value, and the widest leg's bid-ask spread, and then argue for and against each one.
An illustrative comparison with made-up round numbers, not real results: candidate A is a put credit spread risking $400 to make $100 with a model probability of profit of 80%; candidate B risks $300 to make $200 with a probability of 60%. A good analysis points out that A wins four times in five but a single full loss erases four wins, while B loses more often but each loss is smaller relative to its credit. Neither number is a forecast, and neither trade is a recommendation. The point is that Claude can lay out the tradeoff clearly so you can decide.
Limits of the setup
OptionClaws is a scanner. The connector cannot place orders, set alerts, backtest a strategy, or journal your trades, and Claude cannot do those through it. Scans are limited to 10 per minute, which matters in long multi-step sessions; if Claude plans a dozen scans, ask it to combine them or narrow the filters. Data is refreshed intraday and is a snapshot rather than a live stream, so confirm quotes at your broker. Probability of profit and expected value are model estimates from option prices, and nothing Claude or OptionClaws returns is investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the OptionClaws MCP server URL for Claude?
- https://api.optionclaws.com/optionclaws/mcp. Paste it into Settings, Connectors, Add custom connector in Claude, or use it in the claude mcp add command in Claude Code.
- Does the Claude connector work on the free plan?
- Claude's Free plan allows one custom connector, so yes, as long as that slot is free. Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise also support it. Running scans additionally needs an OptionClaws trial or subscription.
- Can Claude execute options trades through OptionClaws?
- No. All 9 OptionClaws tools are read-only. Claude can scan, pull option chains, and compare trades, but nothing places, modifies, or cancels an order.
- How is Claude Code different from the Claude app for this?
- Both call the same tools with the same limits. Claude Code runs in your terminal and can also work with local files, so it suits repeatable jobs like running a fixed set of scans and saving the results to a file. The Claude app suits conversational research.
- Is my OptionClaws password shared with Claude?
- No. Claude signs in through an OAuth 2.1 flow on OptionClaws, and you approve access in your browser. Claude receives a token scoped to the MCP tools, not your password.
- Does Claude see my saved scans and watchlist?
- It can list and re-run saved scans and limit a scan to your watchlist. You create and edit saved scans and the watchlist in the OptionClaws web or mobile app.
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