Getting Started

Installation instructions, API key setup, and a hands-on tutorial to run your first skill.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Item Required Description
Claude Account Yes Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan (plans that support the Skills feature)
Python 3.9+ Yes Required for helper scripts. Most skills use Python-based data fetching
FMP API Key Optional Financial Modeling Prep API. Required by screening skills (free tier available)
FINVIZ Elite Optional Speeds up dividend screeners 70-80% and improves Theme Detector coverage
Alpaca Account Optional Required only for Portfolio Manager skill (free paper trading available)

Installation

Claude Web App

  1. Download the .skill file (ZIP format) for the skill you want from the skill-packages/ directory.
  2. Open Claude in your browser and navigate to Settings > Skills.
  3. Upload the downloaded .skill file.
  4. The skill activates automatically in new conversations.

See Anthropic’s Skills launch post for a feature overview.

Claude Code (Desktop / CLI) 

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tradermonty/claude-trading-skills.git

# 2. Copy the desired skill folder to your Claude Code Skills directory
#    (Find the path via Claude Code -> Settings -> Skills -> Open Skills Folder)
cp -r claude-trading-skills/skills/finviz-screener /path/to/skills-directory/

# 3. Restart or reload Claude Code to detect the new skill

Source folders and .skill packages contain identical content. Edit a source folder to customize a skill, then re-zip it for distribution via the web app.

API Key Setup

Financial Modeling Prep (FMP)

The primary data API used by most screening skills for fundamentals, quotes, and historical prices.

Plan Cost API Calls/Day Best For
Free $0 250 Occasional screening, small universes
Starter $29.99/mo 750 Full CANSLIM screening (40 stocks)
Professional $79.99/mo 2,000 Large-scale screening, multiple skills

Sign up: https://site.financialmodelingprep.com/developer/docs

# Set via environment variable (recommended)
export FMP_API_KEY=your_key_here

# Or pass as a command-line argument when running scripts
python3 scripts/screen_canslim.py --api-key YOUR_KEY

FINVIZ Elite

Speeds up dividend screener execution (70-80% faster) and provides full industry coverage for Theme Detector.

Plan Cost Notes
Monthly $39.99/mo Real-time data, fast API access
Annual $329.99/yr (~$27.50/mo) Best value with annual discount

Sign up: https://elite.finviz.com/

export FINVIZ_API_KEY=your_key_here

Alpaca Trading

Required for the Portfolio Manager skill to fetch real-time holdings and execute trades.

Plan Cost Notes
Paper Trading Free Simulated environment, full API access
Live Trading Free (no commissions) Stocks and ETFs

Sign up: https://alpaca.markets/

export ALPACA_API_KEY="your_api_key_id"
export ALPACA_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key"
export ALPACA_PAPER="true"  # set to "false" for live trading

Your First Skill – FinViz Screener

FinViz Screener is the easiest skill to try because it requires no API key. You describe screening criteria in natural language, and Claude builds a FinViz filter URL and opens the results in Chrome.

Example Prompt

Tell Claude:

Find stocks with EPS growth > 25% and price above SMA200

What Claude Does

  1. Parses your natural language and maps it to FinViz filter codes:
    • fa_epsqoq_o25 (Quarterly EPS growth > 25%)
    • ta_sma200_pa (Price above SMA200)
  2. Presents the selected filters in a table for your confirmation.
  3. Builds the URL and opens the FinViz screener results page in Chrome.

Expected Output

  • Chrome opens with the FinViz Screener results matching your criteria.
  • Stocks are displayed in a sortable table.
  • Switch between Overview, Valuation, Financial, and Technical views for deeper analysis.

For advanced usage including Japanese input, programmatic mode, and 14+ pre-built recipes, see the FinViz Screener Guide.

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Loading

Cause Fix
name field in SKILL.md does not match the folder name Verify that name in the YAML frontmatter exactly matches the skill folder name
Skill folder placed in the wrong directory Confirm the folder is inside Claude Code’s Skills directory
Claude Code not restarted Restart Claude Code after adding a new skill

API Key Errors 

ERROR: FMP API key not found. Set FMP_API_KEY environment variable or use --api-key argument.

Fix:

  1. Verify the environment variable is set: echo $FMP_API_KEY
  2. Add export FMP_API_KEY=your_key to your shell config (.zshrc or .bashrc) and reload it
  3. As a fallback, pass the key directly with --api-key YOUR_KEY

Python Dependency Errors 

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'requests'

Fix:

pip install requests beautifulsoup4 lxml pandas numpy yfinance

Required dependencies vary by skill. Check the Prerequisites section in each skill’s guide for specifics.

FMP API Rate Limit 

ERROR: 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded

Fix:

  1. The script automatically retries after 60 seconds.
  2. If you hit the free tier limit (250 calls/day), it resets at midnight UTC.
  3. Reduce the analysis scope with --max-candidates to lower API usage.
  4. For frequent use, consider upgrading to FMP Starter ($29.99/mo, 750 calls/day).