# AI agents for QuantConnect

From a research cell to a paper alert. A backtest is not a track record.

No business relationship with QuantConnect. Checked 2026-10-18.

## Does QuantConnect have an official MCP server?

Yes. QuantConnect documents a remote MCP server at https://www.quantconnect.com/api/v2/mcp for Claude Code, Copilot in Local Platform, Cursor, and Devin Desktop.

Checked on 2026-10-18. [MCP server](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server). [Key concepts](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/key-concepts). [Claude Code](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/claude-code). [Copilot](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/copilot). [Cursor](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/cursor). [Devin Desktop](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/devin-desktop). [Launch announcement](https://www.quantconnect.com/announcements/19439/quantconnect-mcp-server/). [Local server repo](https://github.com/QuantConnect/mcp-server).

- The remote URL in the client docs is https://www.quantconnect.com/api/v2/mcp. [Claude Code](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/claude-code), [Copilot](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/copilot), [Cursor](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/cursor), and [Devin Desktop](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/devin-desktop) each set that URL.
- The [MCP server](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server) page lists Claude Code, Copilot in Local Platform, Cursor, and Devin Desktop. [Cursor](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/cursor), [Copilot](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/copilot), and [Devin Desktop](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/devin-desktop) list GPT, Claude, and Gemini as models. The ChatGPT app is not in that client list.
- The remote server needs a paid agent node, such as A1-1, A4-8, or A16-32. The free A-MICRO node cannot connect. The error text calls the paid node an Assistant node. [Key concepts](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/key-concepts).
- The [launch announcement](https://www.quantconnect.com/announcements/19439/quantconnect-mcp-server/) documents the Docker image quantconnect/mcp-server. The [local server repo](https://github.com/QuantConnect/mcp-server) is marked deprecated and points to the key concepts page. Its config puts QUANTCONNECT_USER_ID and QUANTCONNECT_API_TOKEN in environment variables. Do not paste either into chat.
- Tools on the [key concepts](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/key-concepts) page cover projects, backtests, optimization, and live deployment. create_live_algorithm deploys to paper trading on the QuantConnect brokerage. The [MCP server](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server) page names the same jobs: create projects, run backtests, and deploy live algorithms.
- Paper first. A backtest is not a track record. A live brokerage deploy waits until you choose it. LIVE_TRADING stays off until you set it.

### Do I need a paid node to use the QuantConnect MCP server?

Yes. The remote server needs a paid agent node, such as A1-1, A4-8, or A16-32. The free A-MICRO node cannot connect. The error text calls the paid node an Assistant node.

### Can the QuantConnect MCP deploy a live algorithm?

The documented deploy tool, create_live_algorithm, deploys to paper trading on the QuantConnect brokerage. The server can also stop that deployment without liquidating, or close the positions and stop. Paper first. A backtest is not a track record. A live brokerage deploy waits until you choose it.

### Is there a local QuantConnect MCP server?

The current client docs use the remote URL. The launch announcement documents the Docker image quantconnect/mcp-server. The GitHub repo is marked deprecated and points to the key concepts page. Its config puts QUANTCONNECT_USER_ID and QUANTCONNECT_API_TOKEN in environment variables. Do not paste either into chat.

## What to use and when

| Session | Hours | What to use | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| US equity regular | 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET | The usual equity session. Extended hours depend on the algorithm and the brokerage you select. | [NYSE hours](https://www.nyse.com/markets/hours-calendars) |
| Backtest | No live clock | Notifications are ignored in a backtest. | [QuantConnect notifications](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/writing-algorithms/live-trading/notifications) |
| Local LEAN | No cloud notifications | Cloud notifications are unavailable on local LEAN. | [QuantConnect notifications](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/writing-algorithms/live-trading/notifications) |
| Paper or live cloud | The brokerage session | Once a live brokerage is selected, that broker's session hours apply. | [QuantConnect paper](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/live-trading/brokerages/quantconnect-paper-trading) |

## Paste this to start

### Connect: Draft the cell. You run it.

```
You are drafting for my QuantConnect research notebook. You do not log in and you do not deploy.

QuantConnect's remote MCP server is https://www.quantconnect.com/api/v2/mcp. I connect it myself. Do not ask for a user id, an API token, or a password.
A free A-MICRO node cannot connect. A paid agent node (A1-1, A4-8, or A16-32) is required.

I paste your text into the notebook and run it myself.
No order methods. No SetHoldings, MarketOrder, Buy, Sell, or Liquidate.
If a method is not on the doc page you are using, say so and link the doc. Do not guess.
```

### Paper: Paper is not a brokerage

```
Next step is QuantConnect paper, not a live brokerage.

Draft a comment I can put at the top of the algorithm:
- this deployment is paper
- notifications write to my log
- a backtest is not a track record

If I set LIVE_TRADING, name the broker's session rules and stop until I confirm preflight, a risk gate, hard limits, and kill rules. That choice is mine.
LIVE_TRADING is off unless I set it. Paper first. Go live when I choose, behind preflight, a risk gate, hard limits and kill rules.
```

### First alert: A sentence for the log

```
Draft one notification for a paper deployment.
Symbol, time, and the condition that was met. A sentence for my log. Not an order.

Add a comment: backtests ignore notifications.
If this condition can be true outside the regular session, add one line: the receiving broker may reject the order type. If I name Alpaca or TradeStation, point me at that guide on this site.
```

### Journal: Do not grade a backtest

```
Log line:
[paste]

Say whether it came from research, a backtest, or paper.
Do not turn a backtest into a win rate or a track record.
Fields: time, symbol, condition, did I act. Blank if missing.
LIVE_TRADING is off unless I set it. Paper first. Go live when I choose, behind preflight, a risk gate, hard limits and kill rules.
```

## Gotchas agents must know

- **Backtests stay quiet.** Notifications do not fire in a backtest. They fire on a cloud paper or live deployment. Local LEAN does not include those cloud notifications.
- **Paper is fictional capital.** Use it to see the wiring. Do not quote it as a track record.
- **The broker's clock.** Once you pick a live brokerage, that broker's session rules apply. An alert at 7:00 AM ET is still that broker's pre-market.
- **You deploy.** The agent drafts the cell and the notification. You paste it, you run it, and you choose paper or live. create_live_algorithm deploys to QuantConnect paper, and it waits until you say so.

## Their docs

The calls, fields, and error strings live in those docs. This pack does not repeat them.

- [MCP server](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server)
- [MCP key concepts](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/key-concepts)
- [Claude Code](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/claude-code)
- [Copilot](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/copilot)
- [Cursor](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/cursor)
- [Devin Desktop](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/ai-assistance/mcp-server/devin-desktop)
- [MCP launch announcement](https://www.quantconnect.com/announcements/19439/quantconnect-mcp-server/)
- [Local MCP repo](https://github.com/QuantConnect/mcp-server)
- [Cloud research](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/research)
- [Research environment](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/research-environment)
- [Notifications](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/writing-algorithms/live-trading/notifications)
- [Paper trading](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/live-trading/brokerages/quantconnect-paper-trading)

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