How to Use FXMacroData with Cline AI in VS Code (MCP)

By the end of this guide your Cline AI extension will have live access to macroeconomic indicator series, release calendars, CFTC COT positioning, precious-metals prices, and FX spot rates across 18 currencies — all queryable in plain English from inside VS Code without leaving your editor.

Path A — Connect via MCP Recommended

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the native way to add external tools to Cline. One configuration block and Cline auto-discovers every tool the FXMacroData server exposes — no schema definitions, no HTTP boilerplate.

Step 1 — Open the Cline MCP settings panel

Cline stores its MCP server configuration in a JSON file that you can edit directly from the extension. In VS Code, open the Cline side panel and click the MCP Servers icon (plug icon) at the top of the panel. Then click Edit Config (or Configure MCP Servers) to open the settings file.

The config file is located at:

# macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

# Linux
~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

# Windows
%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json

Step 2 — Add the FXMacroData MCP server

Inside the config file you will find a top-level mcpServers object. Add the FXMacroData entry using one of the two options below.

Option A — Hosted endpoint (zero install, simplest)

Points Cline at the production FXMacroData MCP server using the Streamable HTTP transport. USD data and the ping tool work immediately with no API key. For non-USD currencies append your API key to the URL.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "FXMacroData": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://fxmacrodata.com/mcp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Option B — Local MCP server via uvx

Use this if you prefer a local process or if your network restricts outbound HTTP streaming. The uvx runner downloads and executes the mcp-server-fxmacrodata PyPI package automatically. The env block passes your API key to the server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "FXMacroData": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-fxmacrodata"],
      "env": {
        "FXMACRODATA_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3 — Save and reload Cline

After saving the config file, Cline picks up the new server automatically. If it does not appear in the MCP Servers list immediately, reload the extension by clicking the Refresh icon in the MCP Servers panel, or restart VS Code.

Once loaded, the FXMacroData server entry should appear with a green connected status indicator in the Cline MCP Servers panel.

Step 4 — Verify the connection with a ping

Open a new Cline chat and type:

Run the FXMacroData ping tool.

Cline calls the ping tool in the background. A pong response confirms the server is reachable and your credentials are valid. You are ready to query live data.

Step 5 — Explore the available tools

Once connected, Cline registers all tools the server exposes. Here is the full set:

Cline resolves which tool to call from your natural-language prompt. You never need to specify a tool name or construct JSON — just ask the question.

Step 6 — Try a real analyst workflow

You are building a carry-trade signal in a Python notebook and want to compare the USD–AUD policy-rate differential with AUD/USD spot movement over the last year. In a Cline chat window, type:

“Fetch the USD and AUD policy rates for the last 12 months, then pull the AUD/USD spot rate for the same window and write Python code to plot the rate differential alongside the exchange rate.”

Cline calls indicator_query twice (once per currency) and forex once, then writes the plotting code directly in your open file. The equivalent REST calls that back these tool invocations are:

# USD policy rate
curl "https://fxmacrodata.com/api/v1/announcements/usd/policy_rate?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

# AUD policy rate
curl "https://fxmacrodata.com/api/v1/announcements/aud/policy_rate?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

# AUD/USD spot rate
curl "https://fxmacrodata.com/api/v1/forex/AUD/USD?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

Representative indicator_query response:

{
  "currency": "AUD",
  "indicator": "policy_rate",
  "data": [
    { "date": "2026-04-01", "val": 4.10, "announcement_datetime": 1743483000 },
    { "date": "2026-02-18", "val": 4.10, "announcement_datetime": 1739862600 },
    { "date": "2025-12-10", "val": 4.35, "announcement_datetime": 1733806200 },
    { "date": "2025-11-05", "val": 4.35, "announcement_datetime": 1730793000 }
  ]
}

With the policy-rate and forex series in hand, Cline can scaffold the full comparison chart without you writing a single HTTP call. The AUD policy rate indicator page and USD policy rate docs show the full indicator schema if you want to extend the analysis.

Path B — Direct REST API calls Alternative

If you prefer explicit HTTP calls — for example inside a Jupyter notebook run through VS Code, or when building a custom context provider — you can query FXMacroData directly via REST. All endpoints accept a query-parameter API key.

Fetching indicator data

import requests

BASE = "https://fxmacrodata.com/api/v1"
KEY  = "YOUR_API_KEY"

# Latest AUD inflation series
resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE}/announcements/aud/inflation",
    params={"api_key": KEY},
    timeout=10,
)
data = resp.json()
for row in data["data"][:5]:
    print(row["date"], row["val"])

Checking the release calendar

# Upcoming USD releases
resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE}/calendar/usd",
    params={"api_key": KEY},
    timeout=10,
)
events = resp.json()
for event in events["data"][:3]:
    print(event["indicator"], event["release_date"])

Pulling FX spot rates

# EUR/USD last 30 trading days
resp = requests.get(
    f"{BASE}/forex/EUR/USD",
    params={"api_key": KEY},
    timeout=10,
)
rates = resp.json()["data"]
print(rates[0])  # {"date": "2026-04-15", "rate": 1.1342}

A full list of available currencies and indicators is at /api-data-docs. Each indicator page includes the exact endpoint path, field descriptions, and example responses — for example EUR inflation or USD non-farm payrolls.

Summary

You have wired FXMacroData into Cline AI in two steps: added the FXMacroData MCP server to Cline’s settings JSON and confirmed the connection with a ping call. From here, every macro question you type in a Cline chat triggers a live data call — no browser tab-switching, no manual data imports.

Ready to explore what data is available? Browse the FXMacroData API docs for the full indicator catalogue, or check the MCP server reference for authentication options and advanced tool schemas. If you do not yet have an API key, subscribe to unlock all 18 currencies and the complete indicator set.