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Connect an MCP client to SEC API when you want filing, company, and research tools available inside that client. Authenticate once, then confirm that the client can return a specific SEC filing before using it in a larger workflow.

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Set the API key

Create an API key in the signed-in dashboard, then expose it only to the MCP client process: 
export SECAPI_API_KEY="secapi_..."
SEC API serves MCP at https://api.secapi.ai/mcp. GET /mcp returns public connection metadata. MCP requests use JSON-RPC over an authenticated POST /mcp request with the key in x-api-key.

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Add the server

For Claude Code, add the hosted server with the API key header: 
claude mcp add --transport http secapi https://api.secapi.ai/mcp \
  --header "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY"
For another MCP client, use its HTTP-server configuration with the same URL and header. A typical configuration looks like this: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "secapi": {
      "url": "https://api.secapi.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-api-key": "${SECAPI_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
Use the environment-variable syntax required by your client. Do not put an API key directly in a checked-in configuration file.

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Verify a filing workflow

Restart or reload the client after adding the server. Then give it a bounded request that requires source fields in the answer:
A successful result identifies one filing and gives you fields to retain with any downstream analysis. Filing details change as new reports arrive, so do not compare the result to a fixed accession number.

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Discover tools before calling them

The server exposes its current tool catalog through the MCP protocol. Ask the client to list tools, or use tools.search to find a capability and tools.describe to inspect its input schema before calling it. This avoids relying on an old local catalog or a copied prompt.

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Troubleshoot a connection

If the client cannot list tools, confirm the URL, reload the configuration, and verify that SECAPI_API_KEY is present in the process environment. If a tool call fails, retain the HTTP status or JSON-RPC error, requestId, and any trace context before retrying. Read MCP workflows for task patterns and Troubleshooting for error-specific guidance.