Topstep Automation Rules: What the TopstepX / ProjectX API Page Says

If you want to understand the Topstep automation rules before connecting a bot, the short version is this: Topstep's help center says custom automated strategies are allowed through the TopstepX / ProjectX API, with conditions that matter a great deal in practice. This article walks through what Topstep's own pages say, which questions they leave open, and how to prepare a clear written question for Topstep support.

Checked 11 October 2026. Every Topstep statement below comes from a page on help.topstep.com that we read on that date. Rules and pages change, so treat this as a reading guide and confirm the current wording yourself. WeCore is not affiliated with Topstep or approved by it, and nothing here is Topstep's position.

What Topstep's API Access page says

The TopstepX API Access article is the central page. These are its main points as we read them:

• Custom automated strategies and bots are allowed via the TopstepX / ProjectX API, subject to the standard platform rules and Topstep's prohibition on high-frequency trading (HFT).
• API access is a separate paid subscription. The page listed $29 per month, with a 50% discount for Topstep traders using a code shown on the page.
• You need an active Topstep account.
• Live funded accounts are not allowed to trade through the API, and the page says the API gateway operates only in simulated environments.
• Trading activity must originate from your personal device. VPS and remote servers are described as violating Topstep's Terms of Use and as a risk to the account.
• Topstep does not provide technical support for coding or implementation. The page points to the ProjectX documentation and a community channel instead.

Two things are worth noticing. First, "allowed" is not "unrestricted": the page ties the permission to the normal rules and the HFT ban. Second, the page's wording on devices and servers is the part most automation setups bump into.

Combine, simulated funded stages and live funded

Topstep accounts go through stages, and the API page only draws one explicit line: live funded accounts cannot trade through the API. The same page says the gateway works in simulated environments. What it does not spell out, at least on the page we read, is a stage-by-stage table. If you are in a Trading Combine or in a simulated funded stage, ask Topstep to confirm in writing that API trading is allowed at your exact stage, and ask what happens when you move to the live stage.

A practical consequence: a setup that is acceptable at one stage may have to be switched off at another. Plan for the day you are promoted by deciding in advance what you will do, for example trade that account manually or keep the automation disabled for it.

High-frequency trading and "unfair technology"

Besides the HFT ban on the API page, Topstep has two pages on conduct. The Prohibited Trading Strategies page (last updated June 10, 2026) lists "unfair technology", which it describes as using software, AI, ultra-high-speed systems or mass data entry that manipulates, abuses or provides an unfair advantage. Under simulator exploitation it lists, among others, scalping algorithms designed to exploit unrealistic fills and hundreds of rapid trades exploiting queue positioning.

The Prohibited Conduct page adds rules on VPNs and proxies, on trading on behalf of others and on coordinated trading across accounts. None of these pages gives a numeric threshold for what counts as HFT, so a conservative design matters more than an exact number. The section on moderate order frequency below covers this.

VPS, VPN and remote servers

This is the most common point of confusion, so read it carefully. According to the API Access page:

• Trading activity must come from your personal device.
• VPS and remote servers are described as prohibited by Topstep's Terms of Use.
• A personal server may be used for supporting work that does not place, modify or cancel orders: historical data storage, research, backtesting, logging and read-only dashboards.

Separately, the Prohibited Conduct page says not to use a VPN, proxy, TOR or other identity-masking service.

What these pages do not tell you is how Topstep treats a rented cloud machine that you alone control and that sends orders. The page's wording suggests it falls under "remote servers", but you should not rely on our reading. If your plan includes any always-on machine other than your own computer, the safe path is to ask Topstep directly.

What to ask Topstep about cloud servers

Send a short written question and keep the reply. For example:

1. "I want to run a self-written strategy through the TopstepX / ProjectX API at my account stage (Combine or simulated funded). Is API order placement allowed at this stage?"
2. "The API Access page says trading must originate from a personal device and that VPS and remote servers are prohibited. Does a cloud server that I alone control and that sends my orders count as a remote server for this purpose?"
3. "If it does, is a setup where the order-sending software runs on my own computer, and a cloud machine only stores data, acceptable?"
4. "Which account stages does the permission cover, and what changes when I reach live funded?"

Do not start live automation until the answer is in your inbox.

How WeCore connects to TopstepX

WeCore is software that connects TradingView alerts and your own strategies to your broker account. For Topstep it uses the ProjectX connection: you enter your TopstepX username and an API key, never your TopstepX password. You first subscribe to ProjectX API Access, link it in TopstepX under Settings, API, and create a key there. WeCore then lists your accounts and you pick one. New connections start in Simulation, and live orders require saved risk rules first.

WeCore can run on its website or on a trading server you create in your own cloud account. Because of the Topstep wording above, whether a cloud server is acceptable for your Topstep account is a question for Topstep, not for WeCore. Being able to connect an account does not mean the firm permits automation on it.

A technical note from the public ProjectX Gateway documentation: login with an API key uses your platform username and the key, the session token is valid for 24 hours, and requests are rate limited. The rate limits page listed 200 requests per 60 seconds for most endpoints at the time we read it.

Designing for moderate order frequency

Because no threshold is published, design so that your automation looks like an ordinary rules-based trader and nothing else:

• Prefer limit orders at levels you define over rapid-fire market orders.
• Give every strategy a cooldown after an exit before it can enter again.
• Cap the number of entries per day in your risk rules.
• Avoid very tight brackets and instant breakeven moves that exist only to take advantage of simulated fills, since Topstep's page names these as simulator exploitation.
• Review your trade list weekly. If it looks like hundreds of rapid trades, redesign it.

More on this mindset in risk management for algo traders and slippage and execution costs.

Checklist before connecting a Topstep account

1. Read the API Access, Prohibited Trading Strategies and Prohibited Conduct pages again on the day you start.
2. Confirm your account stage and whether API trading is allowed at that stage.
3. Decide where the order-sending software runs, and ask Topstep about it if it is not your own device.
4. Subscribe to API access, link it and create a key.
5. Keep the strategy in simulation first and review every order.
6. Set daily loss, position-size and trading-hour limits that sit inside Topstep's own limits.
7. Keep Topstep's written replies in a folder.

Also see the broader overview of prop firms that allow automation and prop firm rules compared. If you want to try the workflow without risk, you can see the plans or create an account and start in simulation. Ready-made strategies for your own server are described on the WeAlgo page.

FAQ

Does Topstep allow trading bots?

Topstep's API Access page says custom automated strategies and bots are allowed through the TopstepX / ProjectX API, subject to the platform rules and the HFT prohibition. Read the page again before you start, because it can change.

Can I automate a live funded Topstep account?

The API Access page we read says live funded accounts are not allowed to trade through the ProjectX API. Ask Topstep to confirm the rule for your exact account stage.

Can I run my bot on a VPS or cloud server for Topstep?

The page states that trading must originate from a personal device and that VPS and remote servers are prohibited by the Terms of Use. If you plan to use any cloud machine, ask Topstep in writing before you do.

Does Topstep give technical support for the API?

According to the page, no. It points to the ProjectX documentation and lists a contact only for linking and billing questions.

Does WeCore make my Topstep automation compliant?

No. WeCore provides software and risk controls. Whether your strategy, hosting and order pattern are allowed is decided by Topstep's rules and is your responsibility.

Rules were read on Topstep's help center on 11 October 2026 and may have changed. WeCore is not affiliated with Topstep. This article is general information, not investment advice, and does not promise any result. Futures trading carries a high risk of loss.