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Connect InsiderAlpha to VS Code

VS Code configures MCP servers in mcp.json, but with a different shape to Cursor: the top level key is servers, and a remote server must declare a type of http. It also has a guided command if you would rather not hand-edit JSON, and an input variable mechanism that prompts for a secret once and stores it securely instead of leaving it in the file.

Server URL: https://mcp.insideralpha.ai/mcp. You need an InsiderAlpha account. Sign up free if you do not have one, then follow the steps below.

Setup in VS Code

3
  1. Open the config

    Create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace, or run MCP: Open User Configuration from the command palette to configure it for your user profile instead.

  2. Add the server block, or use the guided flow

    MCP: Add Server from the command palette walks through the same result if you prefer not to edit JSON by hand.

  3. Sign in when the browser opens

    With an oauth block configured, VS Code runs the authorization flow itself and opens a browser window on first connection.

Configuration

Paste one of these into .vscode/mcp.json or the user profile config.

OAuth sign-in

{
  "servers": {
    "insideralpha": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.insideralpha.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The key is servers and the type is http. Both are required for a remote server.

Personal Access Token, prompted once and stored securely

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "insideralpha-token",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "InsiderAlpha MCP token",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "insideralpha": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.insideralpha.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:insideralpha-token}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Input variables exist so the token is not hardcoded in a file that tends to get committed. VS Code prompts for it on first start and stores it for you.

VS Code troubleshooting

2

Failure modes specific to this client, and what is actually going on.

What you seeWhy, and what to do
I pasted a Cursor block and VS Code ignored itCursor uses mcpServers. VS Code uses servers, and additionally needs type set to http. A block under the wrong key is silently skipped rather than reported as an error, which makes this look like a connection failure when it is a spelling difference.
The server is listed but has no toolsUsually the type field is missing. Without it VS Code cannot tell how to reach a remote server.

Good to know

  • For HTTP servers VS Code tries streamable HTTP first and falls back to SSE. InsiderAlpha speaks streamable HTTP.
  • A workspace .vscode/mcp.json is shared with everyone who clones the repository. The server URL is safe to commit; a token is not, which is what the input variable form above is for.

What the server exposes

19 tools in total: 14 read-only research, market and portfolio tools, plus 5 that act on a connected broker account and are switched off unless you explicitly enable them. The full list, the scopes and the rate limits are the same whichever client you use, so they live in one place: the MCP server reference.

Setting up a different client

VS Code setup steps verified against VS Code documentation: MCP configuration reference and Add and manage MCP servers on 2026-08-09. VS Code controls its own interface and can change it without notice, so if a menu name here does not match what you see, trust their documentation over ours and tell us.

InsiderAlpha returns SEC filing data and research output. It is informational and is not investment advice, and nothing it returns is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. You are responsible for every order placed from your own account.

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