Skip to main content

​
Setup Guide

​
Prerequisites

  • Node.js v20+ (LTS)
  • Interactive Brokers TWS or IB Gateway (latest stable)
  • npm (comes with Node)
  • pm2 for process management (npm i -g pm2)

​
1. Clone and install

​
2. Configure TWS

In TWS, go to Edit → Global Configuration → API → Settings:
1

Enable API

Check Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients
2

Set port

  • Paper trading: Port 7497
  • Live trading: Port 7496
3

Allow connections

Ensure Allow connections from localhost only is checked (or add your IP)
4

Disable read-only

Uncheck Read-Only API if you want to place orders

​
3. Start the bridge

​
Live trading

​
With pm2 (production)

The bridge starts on port 3001 with:
  • REST API at http://localhost:3001/api
  • WebSocket at ws://localhost:3001/ws

​
4. Start the frontend

Open http://localhost:3000 — the dashboard connects to the bridge automatically.

​
5. Configure MCP (for Claude Code)

Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (.claude/settings.json or similar):

​
Paper vs Live

Always test on paper first. The risk gate is bypassed on paper ports so you can test freely without position limits blocking you.

​
Verify connection

Once running, check the connection:
  1. Frontend: Navigate to /status — should show green “Connected” with your account ID
  2. MCP: Run the get_status tool — should return ibkr.connected: true
  3. Bridge logs: Check pm2 logs for IBKR connected message

​
Import historical data

​
TraderSync trades

Export your trades from TraderSync as CSV, then use the tradersync_import MCP tool or REST endpoint.

​
Holly AI trades

Export from Trade Ideas, then use holly_trade_import_file with the CSV path.