What authentication does the Alpha Vantage API use?

Alpha Vantage uses an apikey passed as a query string parameter on every /query request. Through Jentic, the key is stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected into the URL at execution time, so the apikey never appears in agent prompts.

Can I get realtime stock quotes with the Alpha Vantage API?

Call GET /query with function=GLOBAL_QUOTE and the symbol parameter for a latest-trading-day quote, or function=TIME_SERIES_INTRADAY with interval=1min for intraday bars. Freshness is controlled by the entitlement parameter: the documentation states that with entitlement unset historical data is returned, while entitlement=realtime and entitlement=delayed return realtime and 15-minute delayed intraday series. Alpha Vantage's support page describes realtime and 15-minute delayed US market data as premium-only, so plan for the historical series on a free key.

What are the rate limits for the Alpha Vantage API?

Alpha Vantage's support page documents the free tier at 25 API requests per day, and states unlimited API requests for verified open-source or educational projects. Premium plans are sold by per-minute throughput starting at 75 requests/min, and the premium page states 'No daily limits' for them. Alpha Vantage can report a problem inside a 200 response body instead of an HTTP error status, so read the JSON body as well as the status code.

How do I pull a stock price through Jentic?

Install self-hosted Jentic One from github.com/jentic/jentic-one and register your agent machine, then import the Alpha Vantage API from the Jentic API Directory and store your API key once. Ask for 'get a stock price' and the agent calls GET /query with function=GLOBAL_QUOTE and symbol=AAPL, with your own instance injecting the apikey at execution time so it never reaches the prompt.

Is the Alpha Vantage API free?

Yes, there is a free tier. The support page documents 25 API requests per day and describes it as covering the majority of Alpha Vantage's datasets. A paid plan raises per-minute throughput and unlocks the functions the documentation marks Premium, such as Realtime Options, Realtime Bulk Quotes, and the Index Data APIs, along with the realtime and 15-minute delayed US market data the support page describes as premium-only.

Is there an Alpha Vantage MCP server?

Yes. Alpha Vantage publishes an official Alpha Vantage MCP Server at mcp.alphavantage.co, with source at github.com/alphavantage/alpha_vantage_mcp, and its README covers connecting Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and VS Code by authorising your Alpha Vantage API key. You can also connect the Alpha Vantage API directly through Jentic: your agent reaches the same GET /query surface without loading another server's tool definitions into its context, operations are discovered on demand, your rules decide which operations it may call, and connecting the next API is an import rather than a further install and authorisation.

Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Alpha Vantage API?

Yes, at the operation level. Alpha Vantage gives you exactly one operation to grant or withhold, the read-only GET /query, so with self-hosted Jentic One the question is whether your agent may call it at all, and there are no write or trading operations to leave out. Note that the dataset is chosen by the function query parameter and not by a distinct URL path, so a method-and-path rule cannot single out individual function values: treat access to GET /query as access to every data series it can reach. Your API key stays in your own instance rather than the agent's prompt.