ALT/FNDATA MCP Server

Connect Claude to luxury asset auction data. Query watches, jewelry, loose gemstones, handbags, cars, motorcycles, aircraft, wine and whisky, fine art, works of art, design, fashion, shoes, automobilia, and books from 100+ global auction houses directly in Claude.

Quick Start

1. Install

pip install altfinance-mcp

2. Get an API Key

Sign up at altfndata.com to get your API key.

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "altfinance": {
      "command": "altfinance-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ALTFINANCE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after adding the configuration.

3b. Or Configure Claude Code

claude mcp add altfinance -- altfinance-mcp

Set the env var before launching:

export ALTFINANCE_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

What You Can Ask Claude

Once configured, ask Claude questions like:

• "What tables are available in the ALT/FNDATA database?"
• "Show me the schema for the watches table"
• "Find the top 10 most expensive Rolex watches sold after 2020"
• "How many Hermes handbags were sold by Christie's?"
• "Give me market stats for Patek Philippe watches sold at Phillips"
• "How have Hermes Birkin prices moved over the last five years?"
• "Price-check a Rolex Daytona 116500 white dial"
• "Search the whole market for a Burma ruby ring over $50k"
• "What loose sapphires have sold at auction?" (uses gems, not jewelry)

Available Tools

All 9 tools are read-only and annotated with readOnlyHint: true. No data is modified by any tool.

Every tool carries readOnlyHint and openWorldHint.

Price alerts are read-only

Price alerts belong to a signed-in ALT/FNDATA account (Cognito login), not to an API key. The MCP authenticates with an API key only, so it cannot create or enable alerts, and the alerts feed itself is not reachable for an API-key caller. list_alerts therefore either reports fired alerts (when a session makes the feed reachable) or returns guidance on setting alerts up in the app at app.altfndata.com. Alert allowance by plan: free 0, registered 1, collector 10, pro 100, included with Membership.

Feature and plan suggestions

Some tool responses may append a single short "💡" line suggesting a complementary ALT/FNDATA product or a plan upgrade. This happens at most once per response, only at a genuine tier boundary (a table your plan does not include, or an exhausted row quota) or as a relevant feature tip, and never for unlimited or comp accounts. It never changes the data returned.

Query Capabilities

• Filter by any column using operators: eq, neq, gt, gte, lt, lte, like, in, not_in, is_null, is_not_null
• Sort by any column, ascending or descending
• Select specific fields to return
• Paginate with limit/offset (max 500 rows per request)

Data Coverage

The database spans 20 tables. Call list_tables for the live set with current column counts.

gems vs jewelry: gems holds LOOSE, unmounted stones (the right table for a gemstone valuation); jewelry holds FINISHED, mounted pieces set with stones. If one returns nothing, try the other.

Data sources include Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, Artcurial, Dorotheum, Heritage Auctions, and 100+ other auction houses worldwide.

Remote Connector (Claude.ai)

ALT/FNDATA is also available as a built-in connector in Claude. When connecting through Claude.ai, you'll be prompted to enter your ALT/FNDATA API key via a secure OAuth flow — no local installation needed.

Self-Hosting the Remote Server

To run the MCP server in remote (HTTP) mode:

export ALTFINANCE_TRANSPORT=streamable-http
export ALTFINANCE_ISSUER_URL=https://mcp.altfndata.com
export ALTFINANCE_RESOURCE_URL=https://mcp.altfndata.com
python -m altfinance_mcp

Or with Docker:

docker build -t altfinance-mcp .
docker run -p 8000:8000 \
  -e ALTFINANCE_TRANSPORT=streamable-http \
  -e ALTFINANCE_ISSUER_URL=https://mcp.altfndata.com \
  -e ALTFINANCE_RESOURCE_URL=https://mcp.altfndata.com \
  altfinance-mcp

The remote server exposes:

• POST/GET/DELETE /mcp — MCP Streamable HTTP endpoint (authenticated)
• GET /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server — OAuth metadata
• POST /register — Dynamic Client Registration
• GET /authorize — OAuth authorization
• POST /token — Token exchange
• GET/POST /login — API key entry form

Environment Variables

Local (stdio) mode

Remote (HTTP) mode

Privacy Policy

This MCP server connects to the ALT/FNDATA API (api.altfndata.com) to retrieve auction data. The following outlines our data practices:

• Data collection: The server sends your API key and query parameters (table names, filters, sort options) to the ALT/FNDATA API. No personal user data is collected beyond what is required for API authentication and query execution.
• Usage and storage: Query data is processed in real-time and returned to the MCP client. The server does not persist, cache, or store any query results or user data locally.
• Third-party sharing: Data is exchanged only between the MCP client and the ALT/FNDATA API (api.altfndata.com). No data is shared with any other third parties.
• Data retention: The server is stateless. No user data or query history is retained after a session ends.
• Contact: For privacy inquiries, contact support@altfndata.com.

Full privacy policy: https://altfndata.com/privacy-policy/

Support

• Documentation: https://docs.altfndata.com
• Email: support@altfndata.com

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• An ALT/FNDATA API key

License

MIT