Connect NinjaTrader to Trade Desky

This guide walks through Sim101 paper first: local bridge, system-tray receiver, HTTPS forward URL on Connections, test order, then optional inbound webhooks and going live.

NinjaTrader

Architecture overview

Alerts enter Trade Desky from the desktop watcher or your inbound JSON webhook. The cloud parses intent and forwards futures orders to your local bridge, which hands them to NinjaTrader 8.

Diagram: desktop watcher or inbound webhook to trade-receiver, tunnel, local tray receiver, NinjaTrader 8
End-to-end path from alert capture to NinjaTrader. Use a tunnel when Trade Desky cloud must reach your machine.

  1. Install the local bridge (Sim101 first)

    Download the Windows installer from the download page (or use the portable ZIP). Copy NinjaTrader/*.cs into Documents\NinjaTrader 8\bin\Custom\AddOns\, compile in NinjaTrader, then open Trade Desky — NinjaTrader.

    • Select Sim101 (simulation account).
    • Click Start Listener.
    • Keep Live trading unchecked until you finish testing.
    NinjaTrader Add-On panel mock showing Sim101 selected, Start Listener, and live trading off
    Pick Sim101 and start the listener before connecting Trade Desky cloud.

  2. Run the webhook receiver

    Launch Webhook Receiver from the Start Menu (or run WebhookReceiver.exe from the portable ZIP). It sits in the Windows system tray (notification area, bottom-right) — no CMD window. Right-click the icon for status, logs, config folder, restart, or quit.

    Note the local webhook URL (default http://127.0.0.1:5088/webhook). Keep dry_run: true in config.json until Sim101 test fills look correct. Developers can still run python main.py from the bridge repo for a console.

    System tray receiver status showing listening URL and dry_run reminder
    Receiver listens in the system tray; open logs from the tray menu if you need the local URL.

  3. Expose the receiver for Trade Desky cloud

    Trade Desky cloud must POST to an HTTPS forward URL. You need a tunnel when the receiver runs on your PC and trade-receiver is hosted remotely.

    • Tunnel required: cloud Trade Desky → your home/office PC running NT.
    • Tunnel optional: everything on one machine during local dev (still use HTTPS in production).

    Use Cloudflare Tunnel (cloudflared tunnel) or ngrok to map a public URL to http://127.0.0.1:5088/webhook.

    Diagram showing Trade Desky cloud connecting through a tunnel to local receiver
    Example forward URL: https://your-subdomain.trycloudflare.com/webhook

  4. Connect in Trade Desky

    Subscribe on Pricing, then open Connections:

    1. Paste your HTTPS forward URL.
    2. Optionally add the bridge webhook secret and an account label.
    3. Click Connect NinjaTrader.
    4. Set NinjaTrader as default if futures should route there.
    5. Run Test — uses a dry-run ES1! order while in paper mode.
    Mock of Trade Desky Connections page with NinjaTrader forward URL and inbound webhook URL
    Forward URL is the bridge endpoint; inbound webhook is separate for TradingView or bots.

  5. Optional: inbound JSON webhook

    On Connections, create an inbound webhook and copy the URL. External systems POST JSON to that endpoint. Trade Desky parses with AI and routes futures to NinjaTrader when it is your default broker.

    Discord-style desktop alerts still use Trade Desky Watcher — no inbound webhook required for those.

  6. Go live checklist

    1. Sim101 test fills succeed with dry_run: true.
    2. Set dry_run: false in the receiver config.
    3. Enable Live trading in the NT Add-On only when you accept real risk.
    4. Confirm account, sizing, and caps in Trade Desky Settings.
    Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss. Trade Desky is software, not a broker or advisor. Read the Risk Disclosure before enabling live execution.

Your next alert could be an order.

Start in paper, connect your broker, and go live when you’re ready.

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