The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, and others) connect to external data sources and tools. The Halal Terminal MCP server gives AI agents direct access to Shariah screening, ETF analysis, zakat calculators, and more — 22 tools and 7 resources that make AI assistants Islamic finance-aware.

What Does This Mean?

Instead of asking an AI "Is NVIDIA halal?" and getting a generic answer, you can connect the Halal Terminal MCP server and get real-time screening data — actual financial ratios, methodology-by-methodology verdicts, and purification rates — directly in your AI conversation.

Available MCP Tools

Category Tools Description
Screeningscreen_stock, get_result, get_all_resultsScreen any stock against 5 Shariah methodologies
Bulk Screeningscreen_bulk, bulk_status, bulk_results, bulk_summaryScreen entire indices asynchronously
ETF Analysisscreen_etf, etf_holdings, etf_info, compare_etfsScreen ETFs per-holding and compare side-by-side
Zakat & Purificationcalculate_zakat, calculate_purification, dividend_purificationCalculate zakat and purification amounts
Databasesearch_stocks, stock_info, database_stats, suggestSearch and browse the stock database
Market Datadividends, news, sec_filingsDividend history, news, and SEC filings
Systemhealth, token_costsCheck API health and token pricing

Setup: Claude Desktop

Add this to your Claude Desktop claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "halal-terminal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-remote", "https://api.halalterminal.com/mcp/sse"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "YOUR_HALAL_TERMINAL_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup: Cursor IDE

In Cursor Settings > MCP Servers, add:

{
  "halal-terminal": {
    "url": "https://api.halalterminal.com/mcp/sse",
    "headers": {
      "X-API-Key": "YOUR_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Example Conversations

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant natural language questions and get data-backed answers:

"Is Tesla halal?"

The AI calls screen_stock("TSLA") and returns:

Tesla (TSLA) is Shariah-compliant across all 5 methodologies:
- AAOIFI: PASS (debt/assets 6.8% < 30%)
- DJIM: PASS (debt/market-cap 0.9% < 33%)
- FTSE: PASS
- MSCI: PASS
- S&P: PASS
Purification rate: 1.5%

"Compare SPUS and HLAL"

The AI calls compare_etfs(["SPUS", "HLAL"]) and returns a detailed side-by-side comparison with compliance rates, holdings overlap, expense ratios, and purification rates.

"Calculate zakat on my portfolio: 100 shares of AAPL, 50 shares of MSFT"

The AI calls calculate_zakat with your holdings and returns the nisab threshold, whether you're above it, and the exact zakat amount per holding.

Building with MCP

If you're building an AI application that needs Islamic finance awareness, the MCP server lets you add this capability without building screening logic from scratch. Use cases:

Build with Halal Terminal

Halal Terminal API

58+ endpoints, 5 screening methodologies, ETF analysis, zakat calculators, and MCP tools. Free tier available.

Key Takeaways