A lightweight Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for MetaTrader 5 that provides real chart snapshots directly from your MT5 terminal - no browser automation needed!
- οΏ½ Real MT5 Screenshots: Captures actual charts from your MetaTrader 5 terminal with ALL your custom indicators
- πΉ Market Data: Fetch current prices, spreads, and symbol information
- π Lightweight: Expert Advisor + file-based communication (no Selenium, no browser)
- π§ Easy Integration: Works seamlessly with Claude Desktop
- π¨ What You See Is What You Get: Captures charts exactly as they appear in MT5
- β‘ Fast: Direct chart capture via MQL5's ChartScreenShot function
- οΏ½ Secure: File-based communication, no network ports required
This system uses an innovative approach:
- MQL5 Expert Advisor: Runs inside MT5, captures real charts using
ChartScreenShot() - File-Based Protocol: Commands/responses via shared text files (UTF-16 LE encoding)
- Python MCP Server: Communicates with EA, serves charts to Claude Desktop
- MetaTrader5 API: For market data and symbol information
Key Advantage: Captures REAL MT5 charts with all your custom indicators, drawings, and settings - exactly as you see them!
- Windows OS (MetaTrader 5 requirement)
- MetaTrader 5 installed (download here)
- Python 3.10+
cd d:\Desktop\metatrader-mcp
pip install -e .-
Copy the EA:
- Open MT5 β
FileβOpen Data Folder - Navigate to
MQL5\Experts\ - Copy
expert_advisor\MCPChartCapture.mq5to this folder
- Open MT5 β
-
Compile the EA:
- In MT5, press
F4to open MetaEditor - Open
MCPChartCapture.mq5 - Press
F7to compile (should show "0 errors")
- In MT5, press
-
Attach to a chart:
- Open any chart in MT5 (e.g., EURUSD H1)
- In Navigator (
Ctrl+N), expandExpert Advisors - Drag
MCPChartCaptureonto the chart - In the dialog, go to
Commontab:- β Allow automated trading
- Click
OK
-
Enable AutoTrading:
- Click the
AutoTradingbutton in MT5 toolbar (or pressCtrl+E) - You should see a π on the chart
- Click the
python test_ea_connection.pyExpected output:
β
Connected to MT5 v5370
β
EA Response: EA is running
β
Screenshot saved: output\EURUSD_H1_20251101_024101.png
All tests passed! β
-
Locate config file:
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows:
-
Add MCP server:
{ "mcpServers": { "metatrader5": { "command": "python", "args": ["-m", "metatrader_mcp.server"], "cwd": "d:\\Desktop\\metatrader-mcp" } } } -
Restart Claude Desktop
-
Test it! Ask Claude:
Show me a screenshot of EURUSD H1 chart
Capture a real screenshot from MT5 terminal with all your indicators.
Parameters:
symbol(string): Trading pair (e.g., "EURUSD", "XAUUSD", "BTCUSD")timeframe(string): Chart timeframe - M1, M5, M15, M30, H1, H4, D1, W1, MN1
Returns: Path to the captured screenshot (PNG, 1920x1080)
Example:
Capture a screenshot of XAUUSD 15-minute chart
Get available trading symbols from MT5.
Parameters:
group(string, optional): Filter by group (e.g., "Forex", "Crypto")
Returns: List of symbols with descriptions
Example:
Show me all Forex symbols
Get real-time market data for a symbol.
Parameters:
symbol(string): Trading pair
Returns: Current bid, ask, spread, time
Example:
What's the current price of EURUSD?
List all supported timeframes.
Returns: Available timeframe codes
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| M1 | 1 minute |
| M5 | 5 minutes |
| M15 | 15 minutes |
| M30 | 30 minutes |
| H1 | 1 hour |
| H4 | 4 hours |
| D1 | Daily |
| W1 | Weekly |
| MN1 | Monthly |
metatrader-mcp/
βββ expert_advisor/
β βββ MCPChartCapture.mq5 # MQL5 Expert Advisor for chart capture
βββ src/
β βββ metatrader_mcp/
β βββ server.py # Main MCP server
β βββ mt5_handler.py # MT5 connection & market data
β βββ chart_generator.py # EA communication & screenshot handling
βββ output/ # Captured screenshots (auto-created)
βββ test_ea_connection.py # Test EA connectivity
βββ pyproject.toml # Python dependencies
βββ README.md
Solutions:
- Check the EA is attached to a chart (you should see π)
- Enable AutoTrading in MT5 (
Ctrl+E) - Check Experts log in MT5 for errors
- Try removing and reattaching the EA
Solutions:
- Verify MT5 is installed:
C:\Program Files\MetaTrader 5\terminal64.exe - Open MT5 at least once to initialize
- If custom install path, set
MT5_PATHenvironment variable
Solutions:
- Ensure EA is running (check for π on chart)
- Check Experts log for errors
- Verify AutoTrading is enabled
- Try capturing a chart that's already open
Solutions:
- The symbol must exist in your MT5 (check Market Watch)
- Symbol names are case-sensitive
- Try with "EURUSD" first to test
Solution: This is fixed! The system uses UTF-16 LE encoding for EA communication.
Claude, capture a screenshot of my XAUUSD M15 chart
β Returns actual MT5 chart with all your custom indicators!
Show me charts for EURUSD H1, GBPUSD H4, and XAUUSD M15
What are the current prices for EURUSD, GBPUSD, and USDJPY?
List all available Gold symbols
Run the test suite:
# Test EA connection
python test_ea_connection.py
# Test chart capture
python take_screenshot.py
# Test specific symbol
python capture_xauusd.pyCreate a .env file for custom settings:
# Custom MT5 installation path
MT5_PATH=C:\Program Files\MetaTrader 5
# Custom output directory for screenshots
OUTPUT_DIR=./chartsContributions are welcome! Feel free to:
- Report bugs
- Suggest features
- Submit pull requests
- Improve documentation
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details
- MetaTrader 5 Python API - For market data access
- MCP SDK - Model Context Protocol implementation
- MQL5 Community - For Expert Advisor development resources
Having issues? Here's how to get help:
- Run diagnostics:
python test_ea_connection.py - Check MT5 Experts log: Look for error messages in MT5
- Verify setup: EA attached? AutoTrading enabled? π visible?
- Open an issue: Include error messages and system info
Made with β€οΈ for traders who want to integrate MT5 with Claude AI
No browser automation. No Selenium. Just pure, lightweight MT5 chart capture!