IBKR + OpenClaw Integration#

Connect OpenClaw to your Interactive Brokers account for live portfolio monitoring, real-time quotes, technical analysis, and automated Telegram alerts.

Features#

• Live account data — NAV, cash, P&L, buying power
• Positions — all holdings with avg cost and exchange
• Real-time quotes — delayed or live market data
• Historical K-lines — daily OHLCV data for technical analysis
• Technical indicators — RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, ATR, MA (via ib_async)
• Read-only safe — API configured for read-only access

Prerequisites#

• Interactive Brokers account (live or paper)
• IBKR Mobile app (for 2FA approval)
• Docker & Docker Compose installed on your server
• Python 3.9+ with ib_async and pandas

Setup Guide#

Step 1: Install Docker#

bash

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
docker --version
docker compose version

Step 2: Clone IB Gateway Docker#

The IB Gateway runs in a Docker container based on gnzsnz/ib-gateway-docker.

bash

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
git clone https://github.com/gnzsnz/ib-gateway-docker.git
cd ib-gateway-docker

Step 3: Configure Environment#

Create a .env file in the ib-gateway-docker directory:

env

# IBKR Account
TWS_USERID=your_username
TWS_PASSWORD=your_password

# Trading mode: live or paper
TRADING_MODE=live

# Read-only API (recommended for monitoring)
READ_ONLY_API=yes

# API settings
TWS_ACCEPT_INCOMING=auto
TWS_MASTER_CLIENT_ID=1

# 2FA device name (find in IBKR web portal → Settings → Security)
TWOFA_DEVICE=IB Key

# 2FA timeout
TWOFA_TIMEOUT_ACTION=exit

# Timezone
TIME_ZONE=Asia/Singapore
TZ=Asia/Singapore

# VNC password (optional, for remote desktop)
VNC_SERVER_PASSWORD=your_password

# Auto restart (daily maintenance)
AUTO_RESTART_TIME=23:45

# Save settings between restarts
SAVE_TWS_SETTINGS=yes

Important: Find your TWOFA_DEVICE name in your IBKR web portal under: Settings → Security → Second Factor Authentication → Devices

Step 4: Start the Container#

bash

docker compose up -d

Check logs:

bash

docker logs algo-trader-ib-gateway-1 --tail 20

Step 5: Approve 2FA#

The Gateway will prompt for 2FA. Approve the notification on your IBKR Mobile app.

Once connected, the API is available on:

• Port 4001 → Paper trading API
• Port 4002 → Live trading API (read-only if configured)

Step 6: Install Python Dependencies#

bash

pip install ib_async pandas

Step 7: Test the Connection#

bash

python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/ibkr-openclaw/scripts/ibkr_client.py summary --port 4001

Expected output:

text

Account: ['DU1234567']
----------------------------------------
BuyingPower..............      500,000.00
NetLiquidation...........      125,000.00
TotalCashValue...........       25,000.00
StockMarketValue.........      100,000.00
FuturesPNL...............        -500.00
UnrealizedPnL............        3,200.00

CLI Usage#

ibkr_client.py — Account, Positions & Quotes#

bash

# Account summary
python3 scripts/ibkr_client.py summary --port 4001

# All positions
python3 scripts/ibkr_client.py positions --port 4001

# Quick NAV
python3 scripts/ibkr_client.py nav --port 4001

# Quote a stock
python3 scripts/ibkr_client.py quote 2800 --exchange SEHK --currency HKD --port 4001

Getting Historical Data (Python)#

python

from ib_async import IB, Stock

ib = IB()
ib.connect('127.0.0.1', 4001, clientId=1, readonly=True)

contract = Stock('2800', 'SEHK', 'HKD', primaryExchange='SEHK')
qualified = ib.qualifyContracts(contract)

bars = ib.reqHistoricalData(
    qualified[0], '', '6 M', '1 day', 'TRADES', True, 1
)

for bar in bars[-5:]:
    print(f"{bar.date} O:{bar.open} H:{bar.high} L:{bar.low} C:{bar.close} V:{bar.volume}")

ib.disconnect()

API Port Reference#

PortModeDescription4001PaperPaper trading API4002LiveLive trading API5900VNCRemote desktop (if VNC enabled)

Troubleshooting#

2FA not arriving#

• Check IBKR Mobile app is logged in with the correct username
• Verify TWOFA_DEVICE matches your device name in IBKR web portal
• Check phone notification settings for IBKR app

Connection timeout#

• Ensure the container is running: docker ps
• Check logs: docker logs algo-trader-ib-gateway-1 --tail 20
• The Gateway restarts daily at 23:45 SGT (configured via AUTO_RESTART_TIME)

Read-only errors#

• READ_ONLY_API=yes prevents trading but allows all read queries
• Some ib_async features auto-request write access — ignore those errors
• Account summary and positions work fine in read-only mode

Container won't start#

• Check .env file has correct credentials
• Ensure ports 4001, 4002, 5900 are not in use: netstat -tlnp | grep 400
• Try recreating: docker compose up -d --force-recreate

Security Notes#

• .env contains your IBKR password in plain text — keep it secure
• READ_ONLY_API=yes prevents accidental trades
• VNC is bound to 127.0.0.1 (localhost only) by default
• The container auto-restarts daily to maintain connection

Architecture#

text

┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  OpenClaw   │────►│  ibkr_client.py  │────►│ IB Gateway  │
│  Agent      │     │  (ib_async)      │     │  (Docker)   │
└─────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     └──────┬──────┘
                                                     │
                                              ┌──────▼──────┐
                                              │ IBKR Servers│
                                              │ (live data) │
                                              └─────────────┘

Credits#

• gnzsnz/ib-gateway-docker — IB Gateway Docker image
• ib_async — Python IBKR API wrapper (maintained fork of ib_insync)