Set up NinjaTrader 8
About five minutes. You need NinjaTrader 8 installed and logged in to your account, and Hestavant Desktop signed in on the same computer. Trading a Tradovate account? Follow the Tradovate guide instead - it adds the Tradovate connection.
- 1
Choose NinjaTrader on the website, install the AddOn
On the website choose NinjaTrader 8 as your platform - during setup, or later under Settings → Trading platform. Hestavant Desktop then shows Your platform: NinjaTrader 8 at the top - the same choice, so you always know which platform it is driving.
In the NinjaTrader 8 card click Install AddOn. Hestavant copies its small bridge into NinjaTrader's AddOns folder; the button changes to Reinstall AddOn once it is there.
- 2
Open the NinjaScript Editor
In NinjaTrader's Control Center (the main window with the menu bar) click New, then NinjaScript Editor.
- 3
Compile once - press F5
With the NinjaScript Editor open, press F5 (or click Compile in its toolbar). NinjaTrader compiles everything in its Custom folder, including the Hestavant AddOn, and plays a short sound when it is done.
NinjaTrader does not compile a newly added AddOn on its own - do this after every install or update.
- 4
Check that it is running
In Hestavant Desktop the Your platform card turns green and reads Running · 1 account connected, and the NinjaTrader card reads AddOn v1.0.0 · running. Your accounts appear in the list below within a few seconds.
- 5
Connect the account on the website
Go to Accounts → Connect an account, pick your prop firm (or Live broker account), choose NinjaTrader 8, and tick the accounts Hestavant found. Then assign your signal to them.
- 6
Match stops and targets to your strategy
On the website open Accounts, find the account and its signal, and set Stop / target:
- Points from my fill (recommended) - your strategy's stop and target distances, in points, measured from the price your platform actually fills you at. If your strategy sends entry 21050.25 with stop 21030.25, the stop is placed exactly 20 points from your fill.
- Chart prices - the exact levels in the alert. Use it only when your platform quotes the same prices as your TradingView chart.
- Scale - your platform's points per chart point. Leave it at 1 when the chart and the platform trade the same instrument.
The route editor shows a live check of where the stop and target will land with your numbers. Then press Test connection - a dry run that checks everything without placing an order - and send a first alert to a demo account before switching the route live.
Keep it running
- 💡 Leave NinjaTrader 8 open and logged in whenever your strategy may trade - Hestavant places every order through it, on your computer.
- 💡 Keep Start with Windows ticked in Hestavant Desktop, so it is ready after every restart. It sits quietly in the tray.
- 💡 If NinjaTrader 8 closes or disconnects, reopen it and make sure your account is logged in. Hestavant Desktop turns its platform card red, tells you what to do, and reconnects by itself.
- 💡 Hestavant Desktop always shows the platform you chose on the website under Your platform. To switch, open Settings → Trading platform on the website.
Troubleshooting
Your platform is red: “NinjaTrader is not running”+
NinjaTrader is closed, or the AddOn has not been compiled yet. Open NinjaTrader and log in, then do step 3 (F5 in the NinjaScript Editor).
Your platform is red: an account “is disconnected”+
The account's connection dropped inside NinjaTrader. Reconnect it under Connections and log in again - Hestavant picks it up by itself.
F5 shows errors at the bottom of the editor+
An error in another NinjaScript file stops the whole compile. The error list shows the file name - fix or remove that file, then press F5 again.
How do I confirm the AddOn loaded?+
In the Control Center click New → NinjaScript Output. A line reading Hestavant Bridge … listening on 127.0.0.1:36990 means it is running.
My chart is MNQ1! (continuous)+
A continuous contract has no month. Set the route's Instrument to the contract you trade, e.g. MNQ 12-26.
I updated Hestavant Desktop+
If the card shows Update AddOn, click it, then press F5 in the NinjaScript Editor again.
Is anything opened to the internet?+
No. The AddOn only accepts connections from this same computer (127.0.0.1), and every request must carry a private key that only Hestavant Desktop can read.