Finance & Accounting · Surf + Claude
Surf MCP with Claude: Faster Market and Financial Research from One Data Source
The short answer
Claude connects to Surf through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that lets Claude securely use outside software. Once connected with an API key, Claude can request financial, crypto, equity, on-chain, news and web data from Surf in response to plain-language questions, while your team controls what it can access.
What is Surf?
Surf is a unified API that gives developers one consistent way to access a broad range of data. It covers financial markets, cryptocurrency, prediction markets, equities, on-chain activity, news, search and web content. Developers, analysts, research teams and product builders use it to gather data that is structured and ready for AI tools to work with, instead of stitching together many separate sources.
How Claude connects to Surf through MCP
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that works like a universal adapter between Claude and other software. It lets Claude use a tool securely, reading information and taking actions, with permissions the organisation controls. For Surf, the connection is made using an API key that your team issues and can revoke at any time.
Once connected, Claude can ask Surf for the data it needs to answer a question. A research analyst might ask about recent price movements, a comparison of equities, activity on a blockchain, or what news has appeared on a topic. Claude then gathers the results and presents them in clear language, with the sources it used. Typical uses depend on the access your plan provides.
Permissions and approvals keep people in charge. We set access to the least privileges needed for each workflow, so Claude only reaches the data it should. Where a result will feed a decision, a person reviews it before action is taken. Usage is logged so your team can see what was requested and when.
What you can automate
Market research briefings
Analysts ask Claude for a short briefing on a sector, pulling equity data, news and search results from Surf. Claude summarises the main developments and the sources behind them, saving hours of manual searching before a client meeting or investment committee.
Crypto price and activity monitoring
A trading operations or treasury team asks Claude to review recent crypto prices and notable on-chain activity for assets they hold. Claude flags unusual movements and drafts a summary for the team to review each morning.
Equity comparison for analysts
An equity analyst asks Claude to compare several companies on the metrics they track. Claude retrieves the relevant data from Surf, lays it out side by side and notes any gaps, so the analyst can focus on interpretation rather than data gathering.
Prediction-market insight for strategy teams
Strategy and risk teams use Claude to review what prediction-market data suggests about an upcoming event. Claude presents the available figures alongside context from news and web search, clearly labelled so decision-makers can weigh them sensibly.
Product and research data for developers
Engineering teams building financial or crypto products use Claude to explore Surf's data while they design features. It helps them check data shapes, test queries and document what their application will need from the API.
An end-to-end workflow: Weekly investment research digest
TriggerEvery Monday at 7:00 a.m., a scheduled request is sent to Claude for the research team's watchlist.
Claude requests equity, crypto and news data for each company and asset on the watchlist through Surf.
Claude checks the results for missing data and notes any gaps in the digest.
Claude compares week-on-week movements and highlights notable on-chain or news events.
The draft digest is saved to the team's Microsoft 365 document library for review.
An analyst checks the digest, adds commentary and approves it.
The approved digest is shared with the investment committee and logged in the CRM notes for each client account.
OutcomeAnalysts start the week with a consistent, sourced research digest prepared in minutes instead of hours, while retaining full human review before anything reaches decision-makers. Results will vary by team and data scope.
How we set it up
Free automation audit
We review your research, trading or reporting workflows and identify where Surf data would save the most time. You receive a clear list of priorities at no cost.
Secure API key connection
We connect Claude to Surf using an API key that your team issues. The key is stored securely, access is limited to what each workflow needs, and it can be revoked at any time.
Workflow design and approvals
We design the end-to-end workflow across Surf and your other systems, such as Microsoft 365, your CRM or your reporting tools. People approve any consequential action before it happens.
Testing against real cases
We test the workflow against past questions and real research tasks, checking accuracy, source attribution and handling of missing data before anything goes live.
Launch, monitoring and team training
We launch with audit logs and monitoring in place, then train your team on how to ask good questions and review outputs. Support continues after launch.
Who benefits
- Equity and market analysts
- Spend less time gathering data and more time interpreting it, with sources attached to every briefing.
- Crypto and treasury operations leads
- Receive regular, plain-language summaries of prices and on-chain activity for the assets they manage.
- Heads of research and investment
- Get consistent digests across the team with clear human review before decisions are made.
- Developers and product teams
- Explore and test data needs quickly, using natural language to speed up design and documentation.
Security and control
- Access is limited to least privileges, so Claude only reaches the Surf data each workflow needs.
- API keys are stored securely, rotated on a schedule and revoked immediately if no longer needed.
- People approve any output that will inform a trading, investment or client decision.
- Audit logs record requests and results so your team can review what was asked and answered.
- Claude is instructed to show its sources and flag missing or uncertain data rather than presenting guesses as facts.
For teams in the US, UK, India and the Middle East
Organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom can run Claude workflows with Surf data under their own regulatory and data protection obligations. In India, workflows are designed to meet the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are supported under local data protection laws. We choose the hosting region for your Claude deployment, in India, the United States, the United Kingdom or the European Union, to match your compliance requirements.
Learn more about Claude and MCP
Anthropic's AI model and assistant.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
How engineers build and change software with Claude.
Hosted agents that run multi-step work.
The open standard Claude uses to connect to tools.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Surf MCP server do?
The Surf MCP server lets Claude access Surf's financial, crypto, equity, on-chain, news and web data through a standard connection. Claude can then request the data it needs in response to a plain-language question, with access limited to the permissions your team sets.
Is it secure to connect Surf to Claude?
Security depends on how the connection is set up. We use an API key that your team controls, limit access to only what each workflow needs, store keys securely and log all activity. Human approval is required for decisions that carry risk.
What can Claude do with Surf once connected?
Typically, Claude can search and retrieve market, crypto, equity, on-chain, news and web data, then summarise, compare and explain it. Actions available depend on the access your plan and API key provide, and we confirm these during the audit.
How long does setup take?
A focused connection and single workflow can often be set up within a few weeks, including testing and training. Larger or multi-system workflows take longer. The free automation audit gives a realistic timeline for your situation.
What plan or permissions do I need?
You need a Surf account that issues an API key with the data access your workflows require. Requirements vary by use case, so we check the plan and permission levels during the free audit and recommend the least access needed.