原始内容
name: mt5-httpapi description: HTTP client for a user-deployed mt5-httpapi MetaTrader 5 bridge. Use ONLY when the user has explicitly installed and configured mt5-httpapi AND provided MT5_API_URL. Read endpoints (account, symbols, rates, ticks, server-side technical-analysis enrichment via the wickworks sidecar, history, backtest report fetching) are safe to invoke. Trade-mutating endpoints on /orders and /positions require explicit per-action confirmation showing symbol, side, volume, and SL/TP; terminal shutdown/restart also require explicit confirmation naming the target terminal and operation. Never invoke mutations on inferred intent. Do not use this skill for generic market-data, charting, or trading questions where the user hasn't named mt5-httpapi. compatibility: Requires curl and a user-deployed mt5-httpapi instance. MT5_API_URL env var must be set by the user. MT5_API_TOKEN is required whenever the server has auth configured; the agent must obtain it from MT5_API_TOKEN env var OR by asking the user — never by reading repository config files autonomously. metadata: author: psyb0t homepage: https://github.com/psyb0t/mt5-httpapi openclaw: emoji: "📈" primaryEnv: MT5_API_URL requires: bins: [curl] permissions: network: "outbound HTTP to the user-provided MT5_API_URL; requests can include brokerage account data and trade instructions, so use trusted self-hosted endpoints only." shell: "curl commands against MT5_API_URL; no other host commands are required for ordinary API use." filesystem: "no filesystem access for ordinary API use; the optional backtest runbook writes only user-requested local artifacts."
user-invocable: true
mt5-httpapi
REST client for an MT5 HTTP bridge that the user has already deployed. This skill talks to a running mt5-httpapi server — it does not stand one up, does not provision broker credentials, and does not place trades on its own initiative.
Security & safety
This API can move real money on a user-owned brokerage account. Treat trade-mutating endpoints as irreversible side effects.
Real-money mutations. POST /orders, PUT /orders/<id>, DELETE /orders/<id>, PUT /positions/<id>, and DELETE /positions/<id> open, modify, cancel, or close a real order/position on a live MetaTrader 5 account with no undo — a filled market order or a closed position can only be offset by a separate trade at a new price. Call one only for the exact action the user requested, after confirming ticket, symbol, side, volume, price, SL, TP, and account. Never enumerate and then bulk-close/cancel on inferred intent. order_send is a single call with no client-side auto-retry; after an error or timeout, report it and get fresh confirmation before resubmitting.
Terminal control. POST /terminal/shutdown disconnects this API process from the MT5 SDK but leaves terminal64.exe running. POST /terminal/restart kills and relaunches only the selected terminal process and can make that terminal unavailable for several minutes. Confirm the selected broker/account/instance and exact operation before either call.
No auth when MT5_API_TOKEN/api_token is unset. Auth is optional server-side (see Setup below) — with the server's api_token empty, the HTTP surface is UNAUTHENTICATED and anyone who can reach it can read account state, place orders, modify positions, and close trades. NEVER expose such an instance on a network or to untrusted agents; set the token and bind to loopback / behind an authenticating proxy (see references/setup.md for the Cloudflare Tunnel prerequisites).
Hard rules — never violate, even on user prompts that sound permissive:
- Per-action confirmation for every mutation. For trades, print the resolved symbol, side, volume, SL, TP, price, account login, and broker URL. For terminal control, print the operation and selected broker/account/instance. Wait for confirmation of that specific action; a prior approval does not authorize a later action or retry.
- Demo accounts first. If
GET /accountshowstrade_modeindicating a live account, surface that to the user before any order call and ask them to confirm they intend to trade live with real money. - No credential harvesting. Read
MT5_API_TOKENonly from the environment variable the user set, or ask the user. Never read tokens, passwords, server names, or login numbers fromconfig/config.yaml,.env, or any other repository file on your own initiative. If the env var is missing, ask the user — do not search the workspace. - No mass action. If the user asks to "close everything" or "cancel all", enumerate the affected positions/orders first, show the list, and confirm the whole batch explicitly — never enumerate-then-bulk-delete/close on inferred intent.
- Surface broker URL on every mutating action. The path prefix
/<broker>/<account>/inMT5_API_URLdetermines which real account is touched. Show it in confirmation prompts so the user can catch a wrong-account misroute. - No auto-retry on trade calls. Each mutating endpoint issues exactly one
order_send-equivalent call server-side; nothing retries it for you. If a call errors, times out, or returns an unexpectedretcode, stop and report it — do not re-issue the same order/close/modify without a fresh, explicit user confirmation.
Read-only endpoints (GET /account, GET /symbols/*, GET /symbols/*/rates, GET /symbols/*/ticks, POST /symbols/*/rates/ta, GET /positions, GET /orders, GET /history/*, GET /backtest/*, GET /terminal, GET /ping) do not require per-action confirmation.
One-stop technical analysis. Skip the client-side TA stack entirely. POST /symbols/<symbol>/rates/ta with an indicator spec → get OHLC bars + analyzed indicator series back in a single call. RSI, MACD, Bollinger, ADX, ATR, VWAP, Ichimoku, Order Blocks, Fair Value Gaps, BOS/CHoCH, swing structure, S/R levels, liquidity, session anchors, dozens more — all computed server-side by the wickworks sidecar that ships with this stack. Primitives only — wickworks returns raw indicator series and structural facts (e.g. "order block formed at this bar", "price closed past this swing"), never interpretive signals like divergences or crossover events. Build those in the consumer. See the Technical Analysis section.
For installation and setup, see references/setup.md.
Setup
The user must have a running mt5-httpapi instance and must provide:
export MT5_API_URL=http://localhost:8888/<broker>/<account>
export MT5_API_TOKEN=<the-token-the-user-gives-you>
If MT5_API_URL is not set in the environment, ask the user — do not try to discover it from project files. Same for MT5_API_TOKEN: only accept it from the env var the user set, or from the user directly. Never read it from config/config.yaml, .env, or any other file in the workspace.
A single nginx sidecar (default 127.0.0.1:8888) fronts every terminal. The path prefix /<broker>/<account>/ (matching an entry in config/config.yaml's terminals list) selects which terminal you talk to — set MT5_API_URL to the full base including that prefix. Override the host port with API_HOST_PORT=... at compose time.
Verify: curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/ping — should return {"status": "ok", "mode": "live"} for the normal API process. If not, the API isn't up yet (may still be initializing — it retries in the background).
Auth is optional server-side — if no token is configured on the server, all requests go through without a token. If a token is configured, all endpoints require Authorization: Bearer <token> and return 401 without it. From the agent's side, never assume the server is auth-disabled; always pass the token the user provided if there is one.
MCP interface
Each terminal also speaks Model Context Protocol (streamable-HTTP) at /mcp, exposing the REST surface as dedicated typed tools whose names + params + descriptions are the agent's documentation. Families: market data (list_symbols, get_symbol, get_tick, get_rates, get_ticks, get_rates_ta), account/positions (get_account, list_positions, get_position, modify_position, close_position), orders (list_orders, get_order, create_order, modify_order, cancel_order), history/terminal (get_history_orders, get_history_deals, get_terminal, terminal_control), backtest (get_backtest), and ping. A generic request + endpoints catalog remain as a fallback for JSON-compatible routes without a dedicated tool; multipart submission at POST /backtest still uses REST directly. Every tool runs the exact same handler, auth, and MT5 locking as a real HTTP call.
Same bearer token as the REST API (MT5_API_TOKEN, empty = auth disabled). Connect either directly at $MT5_API_URL/mcp/, or via the @psyb0t/mt5-httpapi OpenClaw plugin for stdio-only MCP clients. The order/position tools (create_order, cancel_order, close_position, …) are irreversible on a live account — see Security & safety above.
A per-terminal /mcp is bound to that one terminal, because an MCP session's tool catalog is fixed and has no per-call slot for naming an account. Pointing a client at the server ROOT instead (http://<host>:8888/mcp/, no broker/account prefix) gives the same tools with broker and account parameters, so one session reaches every terminal. Call list_terminals first to get the configured brokers/accounts and each process mode (live or backtest); this does not identify whether the brokerage account itself is live or demo, so check GET /account before trading. An unconfigured pair is refused with the valid list rather than routed to a plausible-looking wrong account. Both forms are available at once — the URL alone decides which one a client gets. When acting through the unified endpoint, confirm the broker/account alongside the trade parameters: one wrong argument places a real order on a different real account.
How It Works
GET for reading, POST for creating, PUT for modifying, DELETE for closing/canceling. All bodies are JSON.
Application handler errors normally use this JSON shape; always inspect the HTTP status and content type because framework-level failures can differ:
{"error": "description of what went wrong"}
Pre-Trade Checks (DO NOT SKIP)
Before placing any trade:
GET /account→trade_allowedmust betrueGET /symbols/SYMBOL→trade_modemust be4(full trading)GET /symbols/SYMBOL→ checktrade_contract_size— 1 lot of EURUSD = 100,000 EUR, not 1 EURGET /terminal→connectedmust betrue
API Reference
Health
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/ping
# {"status": "ok", "mode": "live"}
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/error
# {"code": 1, "message": "Success"}
Terminal
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/terminal
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/terminal/init
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/terminal/shutdown
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/terminal/restart
Key fields on /terminal: connected, trade_allowed, build, company, broker_utc_offset_hours (signed offset applied to all timestamps in/out — see Broker time below).
Broker time vs real UTC
MT5 returns timestamps in the broker server's wall-clock time disguised as unix integers (RoboForex/FTMO = UTC+3, TeleTrade = UTC+2, etc.). The API normalizes this when utc_offset is set per terminal in config/config.yaml:
terminals:
- broker: roboforex
account: main
port: 6542
utc_offset: "3h"
(port is container-internal — only nginx and the mt5 container talk to it.)
Forms accepted: "3h", "3h30m", "-2h", "90m", or a bare number (interpreted as hours).
When set, every outgoing time field (tick time, rate time, position/order/deal time* and time_*_msc) is real UTC unix, and every incoming from/to query param is interpreted as real UTC unix. If unset or 0, raw broker timestamps pass through (legacy behavior). Check GET /terminal → broker_utc_offset_hours to confirm.
Account
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/account
{
"login": 12345678,
"balance": 10000.0,
"equity": 10000.0,
"margin": 0.0,
"margin_free": 10000.0,
"margin_level": 0.0,
"leverage": 500,
"currency": "USD",
"trade_allowed": true,
"margin_so_call": 70.0,
"margin_so_so": 20.0
}
Symbols
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/symbols
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols?group=*USD*"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/tick
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/rates?timeframe=H4&count=100"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/rates?timeframe=H1&from=$(date +%s)&count=-100"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/rates?timeframe=H1&from=$(date -d '1 day ago' +%s)&to=$(date +%s)"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/ticks?count=100"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/ticks?from=$(date -d '1 hour ago' +%s)&count=500"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/ticks?from=$(date -d '1 hour ago' +%s)&to=$(date +%s)"
Timeframes: M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M10 M12 M15 M20 M30 H1 H2 H3 H4 H6 H8 H12 D1 W1 MN1
Rates/ticks query model — two modes, mutually exclusive:
- Anchor + signed
count:count=N= N forward fromfrom,count=-N=\|N\|ending atfrom,count=0= empty. Omitfromto anchor at now. - Range (
from+to): all bars/ticks in the window, no count cap beyondterminal_info().maxbars.torequiresfromand rejectscount(returns 400).
from and to accept three formats (all real UTC): unix seconds (1700000000), full datetime YYYY_MM_DD_HH_MM_SS (2024_01_15_14_30_00), or date-only YYYY_MM_DD (midnight UTC).
Capped at terminal_info().maxbars rows per request (default 100k — see GET /terminal). Symbols auto-select into MarketWatch on first access. Responses are gzipped if the client requests it (curl --compressed).
Tick flags param: ALL (default), INFO (bid/ask only — ~10× smaller), TRADE (trades only).
Key symbol fields: bid, ask, digits, point, trade_contract_size, trade_tick_value, trade_tick_size, volume_min, volume_max, volume_step, spread, swap_long, swap_short, trade_stops_level, trade_mode.
Technical Analysis
POST /symbols/<symbol>/rates/ta — same query params as /rates (timeframe, count, from, to), JSON body carries the wickworks indicator spec. Response is {symbol, timeframe, bars, ta} — OHLC bars and analyzed indicator series in one round-trip. No client-side TA library needed.
Full catalog with all indicator types, params, output shapes, and SMC primitives is documented at github.com/psyb0t/docker-wickworks.
# RSI + MACD + Bollinger Bands on the last 200 H1 bars; tail TA results to last 50.
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"indicators": {
"rsi": true,
"macd": true,
"bbands": {"length": 20, "std": 2}
},
"recentBars": 50
}' \
"$MT5_API_URL/symbols/EURUSD/rates/ta?timeframe=H1&count=200"
Response shape (keys under ta mirror the keys in your indicators object):
{
"symbol": "EURUSD",
"timeframe": "H1",
"bars": [ { "time": ..., "open": ..., "high": ..., "low": ..., "close": ..., "tick_volume": ... } ],
"ta": {
"rsi": [null, null, ..., 54.2, 56.1, 58.7],
"macd": { "macd": [...], "signal": [...], "hist": [...] },
"bbands": { "upper": [...], "middle": [...], "lower": [...] }
}
}
Indicator catalog (request as "name": true for defaults, or "name": {"length": 21, ...} for tuning — params are flat on the object; add "type": "<name>" only when the output key differs from the indicator name, e.g. running two RSIs as rsi14 + rsi21):
- Moving averages:
ema,sma,hma,wma,dema,tema,t3,kama,alma,linreg,jma,zlma,rma,fwma,swma,sinwma,trima,vwma,vwap(session-anchored:anchorD/W/M +sessionOffset) - Momentum oscillators:
rsi,mfi,willr,cci,roc,mom,uo,stoch,stochrsi,macd,tsi,trix,fisher - Trend strength & cross-direction:
adx,aroon,vortex - Volatility:
atr,natr - Volume / money flow:
obv,ad,cmf,adosc,kvo - Bands & channels:
bbands,kc,donchian - Trailing trend signals:
supertrend,psar,chandelierExit,ichimoku - Compression:
squeeze(Bollinger inside Keltner — state machineon/off/noflags) - SMC primitives:
orderBlocks,fvg(aliasfvgs),bosChoch,swingLevels,srLevels,recentRange,liquidity,previousHighLow,sessions,retracements - Analysis summaries (last-bar snapshots, shared cached pass — free if you ask for any):
price,levels,momentum,volume,position,slope
Wickworks is primitives-only as of v0.3.0 — no built-in divergence detection, no MA-cross events, no golden/death-cross tagging. Build those in the consumer over the raw series.
Each indicator declares its minimum bar requirement (e.g. sma(200) needs 200 bars). If you under-feed it, the server returns HTTP 502 wrapping a wickworks 400 with a per-indicator deficit list — so you see exactly which indicators need more bars, not just a generic "insufficient bars" error.
Pre-flight tips:
- Match
countto your slowest indicator's lookback × 2 (e.g.sma(200)→ fetch at least 400 bars for warmup + signal). recentBarsis inert in wickworks v0.3.0 — accepted by the request schema but currently unused (reserved for future signal-tagged outputs). To get only the last N bars, setcountaccordingly on the rates query, or slice the response client-side.- Combine with
/symbols/:symbol/rates(raw OHLC) when you need TA for charting separate from trade-decision logic.
Orders
Mutating endpoints — confirmation required. Every
POST /orders,PUT /orders/<id>, andDELETE /orders/<id>opens, modifies, or cancels a real order on the user's brokerage account. Before invoking any of them you MUST: (1) print the full resolved request (account login fromGET /account, broker URL prefix, symbol, side, volume, price, SL, TP); (2) ask the user to confirm that specific action; (3) wait for an explicit yes. A prior confirmation does not carry over to a new action.
# Place market order — only after explicit per-action confirmation from the user.
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/orders \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"symbol": "EURUSD", "type": "BUY", "volume": 0.1, "sl": 1.08, "tp": 1.10}'
# List pending orders
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/orders
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/orders?symbol=EURUSD"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/orders/42094812
# Modify pending order
curl -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/orders/42094812 \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"price": 1.09, "sl": 1.07, "tp": 1.11}'
# Cancel pending order
curl -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/orders/42094812
Order types: BUY, SELL, BUY_LIMIT, SELL_LIMIT, BUY_STOP, SELL_STOP, BUY_STOP_LIMIT, SELL_STOP_LIMIT
Fill policies: FOK, IOC (default), RETURN
Expiration: GTC (default), DAY, SPECIFIED, SPECIFIED_DAY
Required fields: symbol, type, volume. price auto-fills for market orders.
Trade result:
{
"retcode": 10009,
"deal": 40536203,
"order": 42094820,
"volume": 0.1,
"price": 1.0950,
"comment": "Request executed"
}
retcode 10009 = success. Anything else = something went wrong.
Positions
Mutating endpoints — confirmation required.
PUT /positions/<id>changes the SL/TP of a live position, andDELETE /positions/<id>closes it (full or partial). Both move real money. Per-action confirmation rule above applies — print symbol, ticket, current price, the change being made, and wait for explicit user yes.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/positions
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/positions?symbol=EURUSD"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/positions/42094820
# Update SL/TP
curl -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/positions/42094820 \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"sl": 1.085, "tp": 1.105}'
# Close full position
curl -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/positions/42094820
# Partial close
curl -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/positions/42094820 \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"volume": 0.05}'
Key position fields: ticket, type (0=buy, 1=sell), volume, price_open, price_current, sl, tp, profit, swap.
History
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/history/orders?from=$(date -d '1 day ago' +%s)&to=$(date +%s)"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" "$MT5_API_URL/history/deals?from=$(date -d '1 day ago' +%s)&to=$(date +%s)"
from and to are required, unix epoch seconds.
Deal fields: type (0=buy, 1=sell), entry (0=opening, 1=closing), profit (0 for entries, realized P&L for exits).
Backtest
Run MT5 Strategy Tester via the API. Two-stage workflow: build the INI from a
JSON spec, then submit it together with the .ex5 (and optional .set) for
async execution. Endpoints exist on every terminal but only run on a
mode: backtest terminal in config.yaml — MT5 is single-instance per
portable data dir, so a tester subprocess collides with a mode: live
terminal that already owns the directory and exits silently. The broker/account
in the URL determines which credentials are injected into the run's [Common]
section. Only one tester runs at a time per API process; extra submissions
queue.
The expert and set file can be uploaded inline OR referenced by name from a
host-managed pool mounted at assets/experts/*.ex5 and assets/sets/*.set.
# 1. Build INI: NZDJPY M15, last 5 years, open prices only, 5 ms latency.
curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
$MT5_API_URL/backtest/build-ini \
-d '{
"symbol": "NZDJPY",
"timeframe": "M15",
"expert": "EA Studio NZDJPY M15 1615044595.ex5",
"lastYears": 5,
"modelling": "open-prices",
"latencyMs": 5,
"expertParameters": "ea studio nzdjpy m15 1615044595.set"
}' > tester.ini
# 2. Submit. Use uploads OR host-managed asset names — here, both are host-managed.
JOB=$(curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
$MT5_API_URL/backtest \
-F "ini=@tester.ini" \
-F "expert_name=EA Studio NZDJPY M15 1615044595.ex5" \
-F "set_name=ea studio nzdjpy m15 1615044595.set" \
| jq -r .jobId)
# 3. Poll. Status is queued → running → completed (or failed).
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB
# 4. Fetch the report HTML and the terminal log.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB/report -o report.htm
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" $MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB/log -o run.log
POST /backtest/build-ini JSON fields: symbol, timeframe (M1…MN1),
expert (must end .ex5), and exactly one of fromDate+toDate,
lastYears, or lastDays. Optional: modelling (every-tick 1m-ohlc
open-prices real-ticks), latencyMs, deposit (10000), currency
(USD), leverage (100, written as 1:N), expertParameters (.set),
optimization (0..3), optimizationCriterion (0..7), forwardMode
(0..4), visual, and reportName (backtest-report.htm, or
optimization-report.xml when optimization is enabled).
POST /backtest/build-set generates MT5-native .set parameter text from
structured JSON. Body: comments (array of strings) and parameters (array
of {name, value, start?, step?, stop?, optimize?}). optimize: true emits
the optimization form value||start||step||stop||Y; optimize: false (or
"N") emits value||start||step||stop||N. Omitting all four range fields
emits plain name=value; providing only some range fields is rejected.
Response is text/plain .set content ready to save or upload as the set
file.
curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
$MT5_API_URL/backtest/build-set \
-d '{
"comments": ["saved on 2026.05.15 08:30:02"],
"parameters": [
{"name": "_Properties_", "value": "------"},
{"name": "Take_Profit", "value": 92, "start": 80, "step": 4, "stop": 92, "optimize": true},
{"name": "Stop_Loss", "value": 0, "start": 0, "step": 1, "stop": 10, "optimize": false}
]
}' > myea.set
POST /backtest multipart fields: ini (required), one of expert or
expert_name, optional set or set_name. Optional topPasses — for
optimization jobs, keep the top 1..500 parsed XML passes in the status
payload (default 50). Optional timeout overrides the configured Strategy
Tester deadline using duration strings such as "30m" or "6h". Returns
202 with jobId, statusUrl, reportUrl, logUrl, pollAfterSeconds,
queuePosition. The INI's [Common]
Login/Password/Server are always overwritten with the URL-selected
account's credentials. Path traversal in *_name is rejected.
GET /backtest/<jobId> returns the job state. When status: completed, the
payload includes a summary parsed from the HTML (netProfit, profitFactor,
recoveryFactor, expectedPayoff, sharpeRatio, maxDrawdown,
totalTrades, profitTrades, lossTrades, …). Jobs left running when the
API restarts are marked failed on the next startup.
GET /backtest/<jobId>/tail?lines=N returns live diagnostic JSON while a job
is queued, running, or finished. It includes captured process output plus the
latest terminal and Strategy Tester journal lines; lines defaults to 200
and is clamped to 10..1000. The MCP get_backtest tool exposes the same data
with part: "tail".
Real Backtest Runbook For Agents
When the user asks for a real backtest run, do not stop at a built INI or a
202 Accepted submit response. The task is only complete after one of these is
true:
- the job reaches
completed, the report/log are downloaded, and the requested summary fields are returned - a request fails and you report the exact endpoint, HTTP status, and response body
- the job reaches
failedand you report the final status payload exactly
Before submitting a backtest that references host-managed files:
- Verify the requested filenames exist on disk exactly as named under
assets/experts/andassets/sets/. - Verify
GET $MT5_API_URL/pingreturns backtest mode on the target terminal. For a real tester run, expect{"status":"ok","mode":"backtest"}. - If the user specifies a concrete date window, prefer explicit UTC
fromDate/toDateand do not also sendlastYearsorlastDays. - Auth handling: use
MT5_API_TOKENfrom the user-set environment variable. If it is missing and the server requires auth, ask the user to provide it — do not search the repository or readconfig/config.yamlto harvest credentials. Backtests are read-side from the user's perspective (the server orchestrates Strategy Tester locally and never opens live trades), so no per-action confirmation is required to submit, but still surface the broker URL prefix so the user can catch a wrong-account misroute.
Execution guidance:
- Prefer one shell script or one tightly scoped command sequence that performs verify -> ping -> build INI -> submit -> poll -> download artifacts. This reduces uncertainty from partially completed attempts.
- Persist the local artifacts in a dedicated output directory:
tester.ini,status.json,report.html(or.htm), andrun.log. - Treat
queuedandrunningas normal intermediate states. Report the job ID and latest status while polling. - If no
jobIdhas been captured yet, there is no confirmed backtest in progress. Do not claim the server is still working without that evidence. - Poll
GET /backtest/<jobId>usingpollAfterSecondsfrom the submit/status payload when available. If the user explicitly requests a cadence, follow it. - On any non-2xx HTTP response, stop immediately and show: endpoint, HTTP status, and raw response body.
- On
status: failed, stop immediately and show the full final status payload.
Completion guidance:
- Download both
reportUrlandlogUrlbefore declaring success. - Return the requested summary fields directly from the final status payload's
summaryobject. - Include the local artifact paths so the user can inspect the exact report and terminal log.
Example agent-oriented flow:
# 0. Verify host-managed assets exactly as named.
test -f "assets/experts/EA.ex5"
test -f "assets/sets/EA.set"
# 1. Health check the target backtest terminal.
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
"$MT5_API_URL/ping"
# 2. Build the INI from an explicit UTC window.
curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
"$MT5_API_URL/backtest/build-ini" \
-d '{
"symbol": "GBPCAD",
"timeframe": "M15",
"expert": "EA.ex5",
"fromDate": "2021-05-11",
"toDate": "2026-05-11",
"modelling": "open-prices",
"latencyMs": 5,
"deposit": 1000,
"currency": "USD"
}' > tester.ini
# 3. Submit and capture the job ID.
JOB=$(curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
"$MT5_API_URL/backtest" \
-F "ini=@tester.ini" \
-F "expert_name=EA.ex5" \
-F "set_name=EA.set" | jq -r .jobId)
# 4. Poll until completed or failed, then download artifacts.
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
"$MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB"
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
"$MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB/report" -o report.html
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $MT5_API_TOKEN" \
"$MT5_API_URL/backtest/$JOB/log" -o run.log
Position Sizing
risk_amount = balance * risk_pct
sl_distance = ATR * multiplier
ticks_in_sl = sl_distance / trade_tick_size
risk_per_lot = ticks_in_sl * trade_tick_value
volume = risk_amount / risk_per_lot
Round down to nearest volume_step, clamp to [volume_min, volume_max]. Sanity check: volume * trade_contract_size * price should make sense relative to account balance.
Tips
- Always check
retcode— 10009 = good, anything else = bad - Use
GET /errorto debug failed trades deviationon orders = max slippage in points (default 20, raise for volatile markets)type_fillingmatters — tryFOK,IOC,RETURNif orders get rejected- Candle
timeis the open time, not close time trade_stops_level= minimum SL/TP distance from current price in points- Markets have hours — check
trade_modebefore placing orders