What ports should I use?

Use port 7497 for paper trading and 7496 for live trading. The default port is 7496.

What if I’m not connected?

Ensure TWS or IB Gateway is running and API access is enabled; the output will indicate 'connected': false along with an error message.

How many accounts can be fetched?

Use --all-accounts to fetch all managed accounts; omit it to fetch the first account by default or use --account to fetch a specific one.

ib-account

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill staskh/trading_skills/ib-account --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

1.3 KB

IB Account

Fetch account summary from Interactive Brokers.

Prerequisites

User must have TWS or IB Gateway running locally with API enabled:

Paper trading: port 7497
Live trading: port 7496

Instructions

Note: If uv is not installed or pyproject.toml is not found, replace uv run python with python in all commands below.

uv run python scripts/account.py [--port PORT] [--account ACCOUNT_ID] [--all-accounts]

Arguments

--port - IB port (default: 7496 for live trading)
--account - Specific account ID to fetch
--all-accounts - Fetch summaries for all managed accounts

Default behavior (no flags): fetches the first managed account only. Always use --all-accounts unless the user asks for a specific account.

Output

Returns JSON with:

connected - Whether connection succeeded
accounts - List of account summaries, each with account ID, net liquidation, cash, buying power, etc.

If not connected, explain that TWS/Gateway needs to be running.

Dependencies

ib-async

Source

git clone https://github.com/staskh/trading_skills/blob/main/.claude/skills/ib-account/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

This skill retrieves Interactive Brokers account summaries by connecting to a locally running TWS or IB Gateway via the API. It returns key metrics such as cash balance, buying power, and net liquidation value, for one or all accounts. Use it to quickly answer questions about available cash and overall account value.

How This Skill Works

It connects to Interactive Brokers using a locally running TWS or IB Gateway via the API and runs scripts/account.py. If uv is available, commands use 'uv run python'; otherwise you can use plain 'python'. You can pass --port, --account, or --all-accounts to control which accounts are queried, with the default being the first managed account. The output is a JSON object with a 'connected' flag and an 'accounts' array of summaries.

When to Use It

User asks for current cash balance or buying power
User asks for account value or net liquidation across accounts
User wants to connect to a locally running TWS/IB Gateway
User needs summaries for all managed accounts rather than a single one
User wants to specify a particular account ID or port for the query

Quick Start

Step 1: Start TWS or IB Gateway and enable the API access (paper: port 7497, live: port 7496)
Step 2: Run the query (uv run python scripts/account.py --port PORT [--account ACCOUNT_ID] [--all-accounts])
Step 3: Read the JSON output; check 'connected' and review 'accounts' for cash, buying power, and value

Best Practices

Ensure TWS or IB Gateway is running and API access is enabled
Use --all-accounts for a complete cross-account view unless a specific account is requested
Match the port to your environment: 7497 for paper trading, 7496 for live trading
Handle the 'connected' flag to gracefully manage misconfigurations
Validate the returned account IDs before integrating into workflows

Example Use Cases

Show my cash balance for account U1234567
Fetch buying power for all my IB accounts
Retrieve net liquidation value for the primary trading account
List account summaries for every managed account
Check connection status to TWS/Gateway before placing orders

Frequently Asked Questions

Add this skill to your agents