NinjaTrader 8 MCP Server

Claude Code integration for NinjaTrader 8. Gives Claude direct access to accounts, positions, orders, market data, charts, and strategy management through a NinjaScript Add-On running inside NT8.

Architecture

Claude Code (claude.ai/code)
     | stdio JSON-RPC 2.0 (MCP protocol)
     v
src/server.js  (Node.js MCP server — 26 tools)
     | HTTP  localhost:7890
     v
nt8-addon/McpBridgeAddon.cs  (NinjaScript Add-On running inside NT8.exe)
     | NT8 internal API
     +-- Account.All             -> accounts, balances, P&L
     +-- Order.CreateOrder()     -> place / cancel / modify orders
     +-- Account.Positions       -> open positions
     +-- Instrument.All          -> market data, quotes, instrument search
     +-- ChartControl            -> chart state, instrument, reload
     +-- Strategy management     -> enumerate and stop running strategies

Key difference from browser-based MCPs: NT8 has no external HTTP API. McpBridgeAddon.cs is a NinjaScript Add-On that runs inside NT8's process and bridges its internal .NET APIs to an HTTP listener on localhost:7890. Without it, nothing works.

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Features (26 MCP tools)

Category	Tools
Health	nt_health_check
Connections	nt_connection_status
Accounts	nt_accounts, nt_account_balance, nt_account_info
Positions	nt_positions, nt_position
Orders	nt_orders, nt_place_order, nt_modify_order, nt_cancel_order, nt_cancel_all_orders, nt_close_position, nt_flatten_all
Market Data	nt_quote, nt_instrument_info, nt_instrument_search, nt_bars, nt_depth
Charts	nt_charts, nt_chart_state, nt_chart_instrument, nt_chart_reload
Strategies	nt_strategies_running, nt_strategy_stop
Indicators	nt_indicator_values

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Quick Setup

Prerequisites

• NinjaTrader 8 (any account — Sim, Demo, or Live)
• Node.js 18+
• Claude Code

1. Install the Add-On

Copy McpBridgeAddon.cs to NT8's custom Add-Ons folder:

# Adjust the path to match your user directory
Copy-Item "nt8-addon\McpBridgeAddon.cs" `
    "$env:USERPROFILE\OneDrive\Documents\NinjaTrader 8\bin\Custom\AddOns\McpBridgeAddon.cs" -Force

Or copy to:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\NinjaTrader 8\bin\Custom\AddOns\McpBridgeAddon.cs

2. Compile in NT8

1. Open NinjaTrader 8
2. Control Center menu: New -> NinjaScript Editor
3. In the left tree, expand Add-Ons -> click McpBridgeAddon
4. Press F5 to compile
5. If an authorization dialog appears ("NinjaTrader has detected new add-on(s)"), click Yes NT8 will restart and auto-enable the Add-On.
6. If the port doesn't come up automatically: Tools -> Add-Ons -> check McpBridgeAddon -> OK

3. Verify the Add-On is running

curl.exe http://localhost:7890/api/health
# Expected: {"status":"ok","version":"1.2.0","port":7890,"accounts":N}

4. Install the MCP server

npm install

5. Register with Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json under mcpServers:

"ninjatrader": {
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["C:/path/to/ninjatrader-mcp/src/server.js"],
  "env": {
    "NINJATRADER_MODE": "local",
    "NINJATRADER_LOCAL_URL": "http://localhost:7890"
  }
}

Restart Claude Code, then verify:

Use nt_health_check to verify NinjaTrader is connected.

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Automated Boot (optional)

scripts/nt8-full-boot.ps1 automates the entire cold-start sequence:

1. Launch NT8
2. Complete Google OAuth login (reads credentials from .env)
3. Select Simulation mode
4. Open NinjaScript Editor -> compile McpBridgeAddon
5. Detect and fix compile errors before proceeding
6. Enable Add-On via Tools -> Add-Ons
7. Verify port 7890 + run health check

cp .env.example .env   # fill in NINJATRADER_USERNAME
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\nt8-full-boot.ps1

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API Reference

The Add-On exposes 26 HTTP endpoints on localhost:7890. The MCP server wraps these as tools.

Key endpoints

GET  /api/health
GET  /api/connection/status
GET  /api/accounts
GET  /api/account/{id}/balance
GET  /api/account/{id}
GET  /api/positions
POST /api/order/place
POST /api/order/cancel
POST /api/order/modify
GET  /api/quote/{symbol}          -- symbol format: "NQ 09-26" not "NQ DEC25"
GET  /api/instrument/{symbol}
GET  /api/instruments/search?q=NQ
GET  /api/bars/{symbol}?period=1&type=minute
GET  /api/orders
POST /api/order/closeposition
POST /api/order/flattenall
GET  /api/charts
GET  /api/chart/state
POST /api/chart/instrument
POST /api/chart/reload
GET  /api/strategies/running
POST /api/strategy/stop
GET  /api/indicator/{symbol}/{name}
GET  /api/depth/{symbol}

Place order

curl -X POST http://localhost:7890/api/order/place \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"accountId":"Sim101","instrument":"NQ 09-26","action":"Buy","orderType":"Market","quantity":1}'

Field names: accountId (not account), instrument (not symbol)

NT8 symbol format: Use NQ 09-26 (futures month-year code). The current front month as of mid-2026 is NQ 09-26. Quarterly rolls change this in March/June/September/December.

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Accounts (Simulation)

Account	Connection	Cash
Sim101	Simulation	$100,000
DEMO7847095	Simulation	$50,000
Backtest	-	$100,000
Playback101	-	$0

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Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env:

NINJATRADER_MODE=local
NINJATRADER_LOCAL_URL=http://localhost:7890
NINJATRADER_USERNAME=your@gmail.com
NINJATRADER_ACCOUNT=simulated

NINJATRADER_USERNAME and NINJATRADER_ACCOUNT are only used by the boot automation script. The MCP server itself only needs NINJATRADER_MODE and NINJATRADER_LOCAL_URL.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Connection refused on port 7890	NT8 not running or Add-On disabled	Start NT8, enable Add-On via Tools -> Add-Ons
Compile error in NinjaScript Editor	API mismatch (rare)	See nt8-addon/McpBridgeAddon.cs header comments
Account not found	No broker connection	Connect Simulation account in NT8 Connections menu
Quote returns zeros	Market closed or no subscription	Normal on weekends; open a chart for that symbol
Order state: Rejected	Market hours (Sim broker)	Expected outside RTH; will fill when market opens
instrument is required	Wrong field name	Use instrument not symbol in order body

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File Structure

ninjatrader-mcp/
+-- src/
|   +-- server.js          MCP server (26 tools, JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio)
|   +-- api.js             NT8 HTTP API client
+-- nt8-addon/
|   +-- McpBridgeAddon.cs  NinjaScript Add-On (runs inside NT8.exe)
|   +-- INSTALL.md         Add-On installation guide
+-- scripts/
|   +-- nt8-full-boot.ps1  Full cold-start automation (launch -> login -> compile -> verify)
|   +-- nt8-enable-addon.ps1  Standalone: enable Add-On via Tools -> Add-Ons
|   +-- nt8-mcp-start.ps1    Standalone: start MCP server (assumes NT8 already running)
+-- .env.example           Environment variable template
+-- package.json
+-- README.md
+-- SETUP_GUIDE.md         Extended setup walkthrough

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License

MIT