Set up the desktop connector

1. Install the desktop app

Grab the installer for your platform from arcanan.com/download — macOS, Windows, and Linux (AppImage) builds are published on every release. On Arch, install from the AUR: yay -S arcanan-desktop-bin.

After launching, the app lives in your system tray / menu bar. The main window is the same Arcanan terminal you use in the browser; the tray menu is where broker connections are managed.

2. Pair the app with your Arcanan account

Pairing links this machine to your account with a single-use code — no password ever touches the desktop app.

1. In the web app, open Settings → Desktop connector and generate a pairing code. The code is single-use and valid for 15 minutes.
2. In the desktop tray menu, choose Pair with Arcanan… and paste the code.
3. The settings card flips to Online within a few seconds. You can revoke a paired device from the same card at any time.

3. Connect Interactive Brokers (TWS or IB Gateway)

The connector speaks the TWS API to a copy of Trader Workstation or IB Gateway running on the same machine. Log into whichever you prefer — paper accounts (ids starting with DU) are the default; Arcanan refuses to route paper orders anywhere else.

1. Install and log into TWS or IB Gateway from Interactive Brokers. For paper trading, use your paper login (IBKR issues one alongside every live account).
2. Enable the API: in TWS, File → Global Configuration → API → Settings — tick Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients, untick Read-Only API (it's on by default and silently rejects every order while connected), and add 127.0.0.1 to trusted IPs (or leave "Allow connections from localhost only" on).
3. Check the socket port. The connector expects 7497 (TWS paper) by default; IB Gateway paper uses 4002. Live sessions use 7496/4001. If your port differs, edit it via the tray's Open config file (ibkr.port in connector.json).
4. In the tray menu under IBKR, choose Connect. The first connection may pop a confirmation inside TWS — accept it.

4. Connect Futu / moomoo (OpenD)

Futu connectivity runs through OpenD, Futu's official local gateway. You log into OpenD with your own Futu / moomoo ID; the connector then talks to it over a local WebSocket.

1. Download OpenD from Futu's OpenAPI site (openapi.futunn.com) and log in with your Futu ID. First-time API users must complete the short API questionnaire and accept the OpenAPI agreements inside the Futu/moomoo client before OpenD will serve trading calls.
2. Enable OpenD's WebSocket port and set it to 33333 (the connector's default). This is separate from OpenD's main protocol port — the connector uses the WebSocket one.
3. If you set a WebSocket key in OpenD, put the plaintext key in connector.json (futu.wsKey, via the tray's Open config file). OpenD's own config stores the key's MD5 — pasting the digest instead of the plaintext will fail to log in.
4. In the tray menu under Futu, choose Connect. Your simulation accounts appear immediately; real accounts also require unlocking trade with your trading password inside OpenD before live orders will be accepted.

5. Place a paper order

Back in the terminal, open the Order ticket panel. A destination picker in the header lists every account your connector exposes — pick a paper account, set side, size, and price, and submit. The ticket shows the order's progress live: waiting for connector → submitted to broker, with a cancel action while the order rests. The Settings → Desktop connector card shows the same connection state.

6. Going live (Pro and Ultimate plans)

Real-money trading is enabled per account, deliberately behind three separate switches:

1. Request access under Settings → Live trading. Every request is reviewed individually.
2. Once approved, read and accept the live-trading terms and risk disclosure.
3. Turn on the live-trading switch in the same card.

On the broker side, your gateway must be running a live session for the live account to show up: for IBKR, log into TWS or IB Gateway with your live login and set ibkr.port to the live port (7496 TWS, 4001 Gateway); for Futu, unlock trade with your trading password inside OpenD. Placing the order itself works exactly like paper — same ticket, same flow — you just pick the live account as the destination.

Live accounts appear in the order ticket's destination picker marked unmistakably. Every live order gets a second, explicit confirmation restating account, size, and price — and tighter size limits apply than on paper. Revoking access (yours or ours) blocks new live orders immediately, but orders already resting at your broker are managed in the broker's own software.

Troubleshooting

• "Timed out connecting to OpenD" — OpenD isn't running, or its WebSocket port isn't enabled / isn't 33333. The connector needs the WebSocket port, not OpenD's main protocol port.
• OpenD login fails with a key set — you likely pasted the MD5 digest into futu.wsKey; it must be the plaintext key.
• IBKR won't connect — the API isn't enabled in TWS/Gateway settings, or the socket port doesn't match ibkr.port in connector.json (TWS paper 7497, Gateway paper 4002).
• IBKR connects but every order is rejected — Read-Only API is still ticked in TWS's API settings. Untick it and reconnect.
• Order ticket says the connector is offline — the desktop app isn't running, or the device was revoked in Settings. Re-open the app, or generate a new pairing code and pair again.
• A live account isn't selectable — live trading isn't enabled for your account yet (see "Going live"), or the broker gateway session doesn't expose that account (for Futu, trade may still be locked in OpenD).