Openfinclaw Quantitative Research

OpenFinClaw Quantitative Research

Skill by ara.so — Devtools Skills collection.

OpenFinClaw CLI is an MCP-compatible tool that gives AI agents the ability to perform professional quantitative research, strategy development, backtesting, and paper trading. It provides 60+ built-in analysis skills covering technical, fundamental, sentiment, risk, and factor analysis across US equities, A-shares, HK stocks, crypto, and forex markets.

What It Does

• DeepAgent Research: Natural language queries that run full research → strategy → backtest loops
• Strategy Management: Browse, fork, validate, and publish strategies to a community leaderboard
• End-to-End Workflow: From idea to backtested results with metrics, trade logs, and optimization suggestions
• Multi-Market: Supports US equities, A-shares (沪深), Hong Kong, crypto, and forex
• MCP Native: Works in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and 20+ AI agents

Installation

Quick Start (60 seconds)

npx @openfinclaw/cli@latest install

This interactive wizard will:

• Prompt for your fch_ API key
• Auto-configure MCP for all detected AI agents
• Register skill keywords (quant, backtest, 量化)
• Run connectivity checks

Non-Interactive Installation

npx @openfinclaw/cli@latest install --yes \
  --platforms cursor,claude-code \
  --tool-groups deepagent,strategy \
  --api-key $OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY \
  --register-skill

Manual MCP Configuration

For Claude Code (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfinclaw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@openfinclaw/cli", "serve", "--tools=deepagent,strategy"],
      "env": {
        "OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY": "fch_xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfinclaw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@openfinclaw/cli", "serve", "--tools=deepagent,strategy"],
      "env": {
        "OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY": "fch_xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Key Commands

DeepAgent Research (Streaming)

# Technical analysis
openfinclaw deepagent +research "Find RSI divergence signals on NVDA in the last 6 months, then backtest them"

# Fundamental analysis
openfinclaw deepagent +research "Pull Apple's last 8 quarters of revenue, margins, and guidance"

# Strategy generation
openfinclaw deepagent +research "Design a momentum strategy on US mega-cap tech. Backtest 2y"

# Chinese markets
openfinclaw deepagent +research "A-shares 沪深 300 日内轮动策略，年化目标 15%"

# Backtest specific strategy
openfinclaw deepagent +research "Backtest a 50/200 SMA crossover on SPY from 2015. Include costs and slippage"

Strategy Management

# Browse top strategies
openfinclaw leaderboard --limit 20

# Get strategy details
openfinclaw strategy-info <strategy-id>

# Fork a strategy locally
openfinclaw fork <strategy-id>

# List local strategies
openfinclaw list-strategies

# Validate before publishing
openfinclaw validate ./strategies/my-strategy

# Publish to leaderboard
openfinclaw publish ./my-strategy.zip

# Check publication status
openfinclaw publish-verify --submission-id <id>

DeepAgent Management

# Check service health
openfinclaw deepagent health

# List available analysis skills
openfinclaw deepagent skills

# View research threads
openfinclaw deepagent threads

# View thread messages
openfinclaw deepagent messages --thread-id <id>

# View backtest results
openfinclaw deepagent backtests --thread-id <id>

# Download strategy package
openfinclaw deepagent download --package-id <id> --output ./strategy.zip

System Commands

# Run diagnostics
openfinclaw doctor

# Update CLI
openfinclaw update

# Show example prompts
openfinclaw examples

# Direct API access
openfinclaw api GET /deepagent/skills
openfinclaw api POST /strategies/fork --json '{"strategyId":"abc123"}'

MCP Tool Groups

DeepAgent Tools (14 tools, ~1,400 tokens)

When --tools=deepagent is specified:

• fin_deepagent_health - Check service status
• fin_deepagent_skills - List available analysis skills
• fin_deepagent_research_submit - Submit research query
• fin_deepagent_research_poll - Poll research status
• fin_deepagent_research_finalize - Finalize research session
• fin_deepagent_status - Get task status
• fin_deepagent_cancel - Cancel running task
• fin_deepagent_threads - List research threads
• fin_deepagent_messages - Get thread messages
• fin_deepagent_backtests - List backtests
• fin_deepagent_backtest_result - Get backtest details
• fin_deepagent_packages - List strategy packages
• fin_deepagent_package_meta - Get package metadata
• fin_deepagent_download_package - Download strategy package

Strategy Tools (7 tools, ~1,000 tokens)

When --tools=strategy is specified:

• strategy_publish - Publish strategy to leaderboard
• strategy_validate - Validate FEP v2.0 compliance
• strategy_fork - Fork strategy to local workspace
• strategy_leaderboard - Browse ranked strategies
• strategy_get_info - Get strategy details
• strategy_list_local - List local strategies
• strategy_publish_verify - Check publication status

Configuration

Environment Variables

# Required - unified API key for all services
export OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY=fch_xxx

# Optional overrides (rarely needed)
export OPENFINCLAW_CONFIG_PATH=~/.openfinclaw/config.json
export HUB_API_URL=https://hub.openfinclaw.ai/api
export DEEPAGENT_API_URL=https://hub-gw.openfinclaw.ai/api/deepagent
export REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS=30000
export DEEPAGENT_SSE_TIMEOUT_MS=300000

Config File

Auto-created at ~/.openfinclaw/config.json (chmod 600):

{
  "apiKey": "fch_xxx",
  "lastUpdate": "2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Usage Patterns for AI Agents

Pattern 1: Quick Research Query

When user asks: "Can you analyze Tesla's momentum signals?"

// 1. Submit research
const submitResult = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "fin_deepagent_research_submit", {
  query: "Analyze Tesla (TSLA) momentum signals over the last 6 months and backtest a momentum strategy"
});

// 2. Poll until complete
let status = "running";
while (status === "running") {
  await sleep(2000);
  const pollResult = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "fin_deepagent_research_poll", {
    threadId: submitResult.threadId
  });
  status = pollResult.status;
  // Show streaming content to user
  console.log(pollResult.content);
}

// 3. Finalize and get results
const finalResult = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "fin_deepagent_research_finalize", {
  threadId: submitResult.threadId
});

Pattern 2: Browse and Fork Strategy

When user asks: "Show me the best momentum strategies and let me try one"

// 1. Get leaderboard
const leaderboard = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_leaderboard", {
  limit: 10,
  sortBy: "sharpe_ratio"
});

// 2. Show user and get selection
const strategyId = leaderboard.strategies[0].id;

// 3. Get details
const info = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_get_info", {
  strategyId
});

// 4. Fork it
const forkResult = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_fork", {
  strategyId,
  outputDir: "./strategies/momentum-fork"
});

console.log(`Strategy forked to ${forkResult.path}`);

Pattern 3: Validate and Publish

When user says: "I've edited my strategy, can you publish it?"

// 1. Validate first
const validation = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_validate", {
  strategyPath: "./strategies/my-strategy"
});

if (!validation.valid) {
  console.log("Validation errors:", validation.errors);
  return;
}

// 2. Publish
const publishResult = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_publish", {
  strategyPath: "./strategies/my-strategy",
  isPublic: true
});

// 3. Track verification
const verification = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "strategy_publish_verify", {
  submissionId: publishResult.submissionId
});

console.log(`Backtest status: ${verification.status}`);

Pattern 4: Direct DeepAgent Health Check

Before running expensive queries:

const health = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "fin_deepagent_health", {});

if (health.status !== "healthy") {
  console.log("DeepAgent unavailable, falling back to local analysis");
  return;
}

// Proceed with research

Pattern 5: List Available Analysis Skills

When user asks: "What kind of analysis can you do?"

const skills = await use_mcp_tool("openfinclaw", "fin_deepagent_skills", {});

console.log("Available analysis skills:");
skills.categories.forEach(cat => {
  console.log(`\n${cat.name}:`);
  cat.skills.forEach(skill => {
    console.log(`  - ${skill.name}: ${skill.description}`);
  });
});

Real Code Examples

Example 1: Complete Research Flow (TypeScript)

import { exec } from 'child_process';
import { promisify } from 'util';

const execAsync = promisify(exec);

async function runQuantResearch(query: string) {
  try {
    // Stream research results
    const { stdout } = await execAsync(
      `openfinclaw deepagent +research "${query}"`,
      {
        env: {
          ...process.env,
          OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY: process.env.OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY
        },
        maxBuffer: 10 * 1024 * 1024 // 10MB buffer for large outputs
      }
    );
    
    console.log(stdout);
    
    // Parse structured results from output
    const backtestMatch = stdout.match(/Backtest ID: ([\w-]+)/);
    if (backtestMatch) {
      const backtestId = backtestMatch[1];
      
      // Fetch detailed metrics
      const { stdout: metricsJson } = await execAsync(
        `openfinclaw api GET /deepagent/backtests/${backtestId}`
      );
      
      const metrics = JSON.parse(metricsJson);
      console.log('\nKey Metrics:');
      console.log(`  Sharpe Ratio: ${metrics.sharpe_ratio}`);
      console.log(`  Max Drawdown: ${metrics.max_drawdown}%`);
      console.log(`  Win Rate: ${metrics.win_rate}%`);
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Research failed:', error);
  }
}

// Usage
await runQuantResearch('Design a mean-reversion strategy on BTC. Backtest 2 years.');

Example 2: Strategy Workflow Automation (Bash)

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# 1. Find top-performing strategies
echo "Fetching top strategies..."
openfinclaw leaderboard --limit 5 --format json > leaderboard.json

# 2. Fork the best one
BEST_ID=$(jq -r '.[0].id' leaderboard.json)
echo "Forking strategy $BEST_ID..."
openfinclaw fork "$BEST_ID" --output ./my-fork

# 3. Modify strategy (example: change position size)
cd ./my-fork
sed -i 's/position_size: 0.1/position_size: 0.15/' fep.yaml

# 4. Validate
echo "Validating modified strategy..."
openfinclaw validate .

# 5. Publish
echo "Publishing to leaderboard..."
SUBMISSION=$(openfinclaw publish . --json | jq -r '.submissionId')

# 6. Wait for backtest
echo "Waiting for backtest (submission: $SUBMISSION)..."
while true; do
  STATUS=$(openfinclaw publish-verify --submission-id "$SUBMISSION" --json | jq -r '.status')
  echo "Status: $STATUS"
  [ "$STATUS" = "completed" ] && break
  sleep 10
done

echo "Strategy live on leaderboard!"

Example 3: Batch Analysis (Python)

import subprocess
import json

def analyze_portfolio(tickers: list[str], period: str = "1y"):
    """Run technical analysis on multiple stocks"""
    results = {}
    
    for ticker in tickers:
        query = f"Analyze {ticker} technical indicators over {period}. Include RSI, MACD, and Bollinger Bands."
        
        proc = subprocess.run(
            ["openfinclaw", "deepagent", "+research", query],
            capture_output=True,
            text=True,
            env={"OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY": os.getenv("OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY")}
        )
        
        results[ticker] = {
            "output": proc.stdout,
            "success": proc.returncode == 0
        }
    
    return results

# Analyze tech portfolio
portfolio = ["NVDA", "AAPL", "MSFT", "GOOGL", "TSLA"]
analysis = analyze_portfolio(portfolio, period="6m")

for ticker, result in analysis.items():
    if result["success"]:
        print(f"\n=== {ticker} ===")
        print(result["output"][:500])  # Show first 500 chars

Example 4: MCP Server Integration (Node.js)

// mcp-client.js - Example MCP client using OpenFinClaw tools
import { Client } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js';
import { StdioClientTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/stdio.js';

const transport = new StdioClientTransport({
  command: 'npx',
  args: ['@openfinclaw/cli', 'serve', '--tools=deepagent'],
  env: {
    OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY: process.env.OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY
  }
});

const client = new Client({
  name: 'quant-research-client',
  version: '1.0.0'
}, {
  capabilities: {}
});

await client.connect(transport);

// List available tools
const tools = await client.listTools();
console.log('Available DeepAgent tools:', tools.tools.map(t => t.name));

// Run research
const submitResult = await client.callTool('fin_deepagent_research_submit', {
  query: 'Backtest a Bollinger Bands strategy on SPY'
});

const threadId = submitResult.content[0].text.match(/threadId: ([\w-]+)/)[1];

// Poll for results
let done = false;
while (!done) {
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 2000));
  
  const pollResult = await client.callTool('fin_deepagent_research_poll', {
    threadId
  });
  
  const response = JSON.parse(pollResult.content[0].text);
  console.log(response.content);
  
  if (response.status === 'completed' || response.status === 'error') {
    done = true;
  }
}

Common Patterns

Pattern: Multi-Market Comparison

# Compare same strategy across markets
openfinclaw deepagent +research "
Compare a 20-day breakout strategy performance on:
1. S&P 500 (SPY)
2. A-shares CSI 300 (沪深300)
3. Bitcoin (BTC)
Backtest 2 years, report which market suits this strategy best
"

Pattern: Fundamental Screening

# Screen for value stocks
openfinclaw deepagent +research "
Screen S&P 500 for stocks with:
- P/E ratio < 15
- Dividend yield > 3%
- Positive earnings growth last 4 quarters
Show top 10 with recent price momentum
"

Pattern: Risk Analysis

# Deep risk assessment
openfinclaw deepagent +research "
Analyze NVDA risk profile:
- Historical volatility vs sector
- Beta and correlation with QQQ
- Drawdown behavior during 2022
- Options-implied volatility percentile
"

Pattern: Strategy Optimization

# Fork, modify, and test parameter sensitivity
openfinclaw fork strategy-abc123 --output ./my-strategy
cd ./my-strategy

# Edit fep.yaml to test different parameters
cat > fep.yaml <<EOF
parameters:
  lookback_period: [10, 20, 30]  # Parameter sweep
  entry_threshold: [0.02, 0.03, 0.05]
EOF

openfinclaw validate .
openfinclaw deepagent +research "Backtest ./my-strategy with parameter grid search"

Troubleshooting

Issue: Error: API key not found

Solution: Ensure OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY is set or exists in ~/.openfinclaw/config.json:

export OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY=fch_xxx
# Or
openfinclaw init  # Re-run wizard

Issue: MCP server not responding

Solution: Check MCP config and restart agent:

openfinclaw doctor  # Diagnostics
openfinclaw serve --tools=deepagent  # Test server manually

Verify config path:

• Claude Code: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json
• VS Code: .vscode/mcp.json

Issue: Backtest taking too long

Solution: DeepAgent backtests can take 2-5 minutes for complex strategies. Check status:

openfinclaw deepagent threads
openfinclaw deepagent status --task-id <id>

Cancel if needed:

openfinclaw deepagent cancel --task-id <id>

Issue: Strategy validation failed

Solution: Review FEP v2.0 requirements:

openfinclaw validate ./my-strategy --verbose

Common issues:

• Missing fep.yaml or strategy.py
• Invalid parameter types
• Missing required fields (name, version, market)

Issue: Rate limit exceeded

Solution: Free tier has request limits. Upgrade at hub.openfinclaw.ai or add delays between requests:

for ticker in AAPL MSFT GOOGL; do
  openfinclaw deepagent +research "Analyze $ticker"
  sleep 30
done

Issue: Cannot fork strategy - not found

Solution: Strategy may be private or removed. Check leaderboard:

openfinclaw leaderboard --limit 50
openfinclaw strategy-info <id>

Issue: Tool context too large

Solution: Load only needed tool group:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfinclaw": {
      "args": ["@openfinclaw/cli", "serve", "--tools=deepagent"]
    }
  }
}

• --tools=deepagent → ~1,400 tokens
• --tools=strategy → ~1,000 tokens
• Both (default) → ~2,400 tokens

Best Practices

1. Start with +research: The streaming commands (+research) give better UX than atomic triplet for human interaction
2. Validate before publishing: Always run openfinclaw validate before publish to catch FEP errors early
3. Use environment variables: Never hardcode API keys; use $OPENFINCLAW_API_KEY
4. Check health first: Run openfinclaw deepagent health before long research queries
5. Fork popular strategies: The leaderboard's top strategies are battle-tested; fork and tweak instead of starting from scratch
6. Optimize tool loading: Use --tools= to load only needed groups and save context window
7. Stream when interactive: Use +research for user-facing queries; use atomic tools (research_submit / poll / finalize) for scripts
8. Save backtest IDs: Parse and store backtest IDs from output for later retrieval
9. Test locally first: Use openfinclaw api GET for direct API exploration before building workflows
10. Monitor quotas: Free tier has limits; cache results and batch queries when possible

Additional Resources

• Get API Key: hub.openfinclaw.ai
• Browser Playground: hub.openfinclaw.ai/en/chat (try before installing)
• GitHub: github.com/wikidjon/ai-openclaw-cli
• Platform Configs: See configs/ directory for more MCP examples
• Comparison: See COMPARISON.md for differences vs QuantConnect, Zipline, etc.