FAQ

Answers to frequently asked questions about Alpha Ladder's MCP API, supported clients, currencies, authentication, and more.

Which AI clients are supported?

Alpha Ladder works with any MCP-compatible client. Supported and tested clients include:

Claude.ai (web) — connects via the hosted MCP URL and OAuth 2.0 + PKCE.
Claude Code — connects via a direct Bearer token using claude mcp add.
Claude Desktop — connects via the local npm package and --token flag.
VS Code — connects via mcp.json using the hosted MCP URL and a Bearer token header.
Cursor, Windsurf, Cline — connect via the hosted MCP URL and OAuth 2.0 + PKCE.

For setup instructions for each client, see AI Clients.

Is there a REST API?

No. Alpha Ladder's only public integration surface is the MCP server at https://www.alphaladder.hk/mcp. There is no public REST API, GraphQL API, or WebSocket API. All functionality — financial operations and account queries — is accessed through MCP tools.

Which currencies are supported?

AgentX supports a range of fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, and others). The exact set available to your account is always queried at runtime via the relevant get_*_currencies tools — do not hard-code the list above.

How does authentication work?

Authentication depends on which client you use:

Claude.ai, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline — OAuth 2.0 with PKCE. You enter the MCP URL, are redirected to Alpha Ladder's consent page, paste your sk-… API key once, and click Allow. The client manages tokens automatically.
Claude Code — Direct Bearer token. You pass --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" when running claude mcp add.
Claude Desktop — Direct token via the --token flag in claude_desktop_config.json.
VS Code — Direct Bearer token via the headers field in mcp.json.

In all cases, you need a Alpha Ladder API key to authenticate. See Authentication for the full technical details.

How do I get an API key?

Log in to the Alpha Ladder dashboard, locate the API Keys section, and click Generate New Key. Copy the key immediately — it is shown only once. If you lose it, delete that key from the same section and generate a new one.

Your API key grants full access to your Alpha Ladder account. Keep it secret; do not commit it to source control or share it in documents or logs.

What happens when an OTC quote expires?

OTC quotes are valid for a fixed window. If you call confirm_otc_trade after the window has elapsed, the server returns HTTP 410 Gone. If the live rate has drifted from the quoted rate, it returns HTTP 409 Conflict.

In both cases, call get_otc_quote again to obtain a fresh quote, and present the updated rate to the user before re-confirming. Do not auto-retry. See Status & Errors for the full error reference.

Can I auto-retry failed withdrawal or trade operations?

No. Destructive financial operations — withdrawals, OTC trade confirmations, FIP subscriptions, and FIP redemptions — must never be auto-retried. If they return an error, surface it to the user and wait for explicit re-confirmation before submitting a new request.

See Rate Limits and Status & Errors for guidance.

Are there rate limits?

Alpha Ladder applies rate controls, but specific numeric quotas are not published here. For read-only operations, use exponential backoff on failure. For destructive operations, never auto-retry. If you need higher throughput, contact support. See Rate Limits for details.

Where can I get help?

See Support for contact channels, the GitHub repository, and what information to include in a request.

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