LightningLynk

QuantVue LightningLynk — User Manual

QuantVue LightningLynk is a Windows desktop application for sending order signals to QuantLynk. It streams live CME futures depth-of-market data via Databento, routes signals to multiple accounts simultaneously, and puts one-click BUY, SELL, FLATTEN, and OCO bracket execution at your fingertips.

It looks incredible doing it.

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Table of Contents

1. Installation

2. First-Time Setup

3. Interface Overview

4. Profiles and Accounts

5. Market Data Feed

6. The DOM Price Ladder

7. Placing Orders

8. OCO Bracket Orders

9. Limit Orders from the DOM

10. Settings

11. Themes

12. Log

13. Auto-Updates

14. Troubleshooting

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Installation

1. Run QuantVueLightningLynk-Setup.exe

2. The installer places the launcher in %LocalAppData%\QuantVue\LightningLynk\launcher\ and creates a Desktop shortcut

3. On first launch, the cyberpunk launcher downloads the main application from the QuantVue update server automatically

4. The app opens when the download is complete

No administrator rights are required. The application installs entirely within your user profile — no IT department approval needed, no awkward conversations.

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First-Time Setup

Before placing any orders you need two things: a Databento API key for live market data and at least one Profile containing your QuantLynk credentials. Think of it as putting on your seatbelt before driving 200mph.

Enter your Databento API key

1. Click ⚙ Settings in the menu bar

2. Paste your Databento API key into the API Key field

3. Click OK

Your key is stored encrypted on disk using Windows DPAPI. It is never stored in plaintext. We take your credentials more seriously than the market takes your stop losses.

Create your first Profile

See Profiles and Accounts below.

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Interface Overview

The application is divided into two columns.

Left column — DOM Price Ladder The full-height depth of market grid showing live bid and ask liquidity, session volume, order flow delta, and price levels. Zoom controls sit at the top and a CENTER ON LAST button anchors the view to the current price. This is the part that makes people stop and stare.

Right column — Controls From top to bottom:

• Profile — select, add, edit, or delete profiles

• Accounts — toggle individual alert targets on or off

• Market Data — symbol selector, connect button, F1/F2 contract slot, feed status

• Quantity — contract count and order type

• OCO Bracket — target and stop price configuration

• BUY / SELL — the reason you're here

• FLATTEN AND CANCEL — the "oh no" button

• Status — last action result

• Log — timestamped record of all sent orders and events

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Profiles and Accounts

A Profile represents one QuantLynk user. Each profile contains:

• A User ID — your QuantLynk qv_user_id

• One or more Alert Targets — each with an Alert ID and a display nickname

You can have multiple profiles (live account, sim account, etc) and switch between them instantly.

Adding a Profile

1. Click Add in the Profile row

2. Enter a profile name, your QuantLynk User ID, and at least one Alert Target

3. For each Alert Target enter the Alert ID from your QuantLynk alert and a nickname (e.g. "NQ Live", "MNQ Sim", "Retirement Fund RIP")

4. Click OK

Editing and Deleting

Select a profile from the dropdown then click Edit or Delete.

Account Toggles

Once a profile is selected, the Accounts panel shows a toggle button for each Alert Target. Click a toggle to switch it ON (green) or OFF (grey).

Only ON accounts receive order signals. If you have multiple accounts enabled, all of them fire simultaneously when you click BUY, SELL, or FLATTEN. This is not a drill.

The Accounts panel collapses with the ▲ / ▼ arrow when you need more vertical space and less existential dread about how many accounts you're trading simultaneously.

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Market Data Feed

LightningLynk uses Databento to stream live CME futures data via the GLBX.MDP3 dataset. A valid Databento API key is required. The data is real, the prices are real, and unfortunately so are the losses.

Connecting

1. Select an instrument from the Market Data dropdown

2. Select F1 (front month) or F2 (back month)

3. Click Connect

The button changes to Disconnect when the feed is live. The symbol dropdown is locked while connected — disconnect first to change instruments. The market doesn't let you change your mind mid-trade either, so consider it a feature.

Supported Instruments

Symbol	Description
NQ	E-mini Nasdaq-100
MNQ	Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100
ES	E-mini S&P 500
MES	Micro E-mini S&P 500
YM	E-mini Dow Jones
MYM	Micro E-mini Dow Jones
RTY	E-mini Russell 2000
M2K	Micro E-mini Russell 2000
CL	Crude Oil
GC	Gold
SI	Silver
ZB	30-Year T-Bond
ZN	10-Year T-Note

F1 / F2 Contract Slots

F1 streams the front-month continuous contract. F2 streams the second month. For most traders F1 is correct. Switch to F2 in the week or two before expiration when volume rolls forward and the front month starts behaving like it has somewhere better to be.

Feed Depth Mode

Two feed modes are available in Settings:

• MBP-10 (default) — Market By Price, 10 levels. Aggregated bid/ask size at each price level. Recommended for most users.

• MBO — Market By Order. Individual order-level data. More granular, higher bandwidth, and an excellent way to feel like you're reading the mind of every participant in the market. You're not, but it's a good feeling.

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The DOM Price Ladder

The DOM is the heart of LightningLynk — a live, color-coded, auto-scaling depth of market ladder that updates up to 10 times per second. It's the kind of thing you show people and they immediately ask "what is that."

Column Layout

Column	Description
(left)	BUY pill — click to send a limit buy at that price
VOL	Session volume accumulated at that price level
Δ	Bid delta — net change in bid size since last update
ORDERS	Number of resting bid orders at this level
BID SZ	Total bid size
PRICE	Price level — current last price shown in bold yellow
ASK SZ	Total ask size
ORDERS	Number of resting ask orders at this level
Δ	Ask delta — net change in ask size since last update
VOL	Session volume (ask side mirror)
(right)	SELL pill — click to send a limit sell at that price

Row Highlighting

The DOM automatically flags price levels where something interesting is happening — large resting orders that could represent absorption zones, institutional interest, or someone with considerably more conviction than you.

Highlight	Condition	Meaning
Outsized (bright orange)	Size ≥ OutsizedLargeX × median	Extremely large resting order — someone means business
Notable (amber)	Size ≥ OutsizedNotableX × median	Significantly above average — worth watching
Key Level (gold/cyan)	Order count ≥ 2.5× mean	Many small orders stacked — potential support or resistance

Thresholds are configurable in Settings. Tune them to your instrument — what's outsized on ZB is a quiet Tuesday on NQ.

Delta Columns (Δ)

The Δ columns show the net change in size at each level since the last refresh. Green means size was added; red means size was pulled. Watching orders get yanked right before a big move is one of the more humbling experiences the market offers, and now you can see it happening in real time.

Session Volume Bars

Each row displays a proportional bar behind the VOL column representing session trade volume at that price — a live inline volume profile. Heavy bars mark heavily traded levels. Price tends to remember where the business was done.

DOM Zoom Controls

The toolbar above the DOM contains two zoom controls:

ROW (− / +) — adjusts the pixel height of each row. Range: 8–32px in steps of 2. Crank it up if you want to read it from across the room. Turn it down if you want to see more levels and have good eyesight.

TICKS (− / +) — adjusts how many ticks are aggregated per row. Values: 1, 2, 4, 8. At TICKS=1 each row is one tick. At TICKS=4 each row covers four ticks, compressing the ladder. Useful for instruments with tight tick sizes when you want a wider macro view.

Auto-Fit Row Count

The DOM automatically calculates how many rows to display based on the current window height and row pixel size. Resize the window and the DOM fills the available space exactly. No configuration, no scrollbars, no gaps. It just works.

Hysteresis Centering

The DOM doesn't chase every tick — it uses a hysteresis lock to stay stable while the market wiggles, only re-centering when the price drifts past the top 20% or bottom 80% of visible rows. This keeps the display from looking like it's having a panic attack during volatile sessions.

Thresholds are configurable in Settings under DOM Behavior.

Click CENTER ON LAST at any time to immediately snap back to the current price. No questions asked.

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Placing Orders

Setting Quantity

Enter the number of contracts in the Contracts field. Click Save Qty to lock it in — you'll be asked to confirm. This is intentional. Fat-finger protection is a feature, not a bug. Ask anyone who has accidentally sent 10 contracts instead of 1 on a Friday afternoon.

⚠️ If your QuantLynk alert has a quantity multiplier configured, your actual fill size will be larger than the number shown here. LightningLynk sends the raw quantity — QuantLynk applies multipliers on its end. Double-check your alert configuration before going live.

Order Type is always Market. Limit orders are placed directly from the DOM — see Limit Orders from the DOM.

BUY

Sends a market buy signal to all enabled accounts simultaneously. Fast, decisive, and green — just like you want your P&L to be.

SELL

Sends a market sell signal to all enabled accounts simultaneously.

FLATTEN AND CANCEL

Sends a flatten signal to all enabled accounts. Closes all open positions and cancels working orders for each account via QuantLynk.

FLATTEN AND CANCEL is always available regardless of feed connection status. When you need it, you need it now.

Multi-Account Behavior

When multiple accounts are toggled ON, all signals fire in parallel. The Status bar shows OK if everything succeeded or One or more requests failed if anything went wrong. Check the Log for per-account detail. The market doesn't wait for you — neither does this button.

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OCO Bracket Orders

An OCO (One-Cancels-Other) bracket attaches a profit target and stop loss to your entry. When the entry fills, QuantLynk places both orders automatically. When one fills, the other is cancelled. It's risk management on autopilot — which is what we all wanted anyway.

Configuration

Check Enable OCO to activate the bracket fields.

Field	Description
Target	Your profit target price
Stop	Your stop loss price — the one you actually want to respect this time

OCO orders require a live price feed. Connect to Market Data before sending a bracket.

Sending a Bracket

With OCO enabled, clicking BUY or SELL sends an OSO bracket to QuantLynk with entry price, stop, and target all in a single payload. Set your levels, click the button, let the system handle the rest.

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Limit Orders from the DOM

You can place limit orders directly from the price ladder without touching the main BUY/SELL buttons.

• Click the BUY pill on any row to send a limit buy at that price

• Click the SELL pill on any row to send a limit sell at that price

BUY pills appear in the leftmost column (green). SELL pills appear in the rightmost column (red). Both use the current Contracts quantity and fire to all enabled accounts instantly.

This is the fastest way to get a resting order in at a specific level. See a big buyer at a price you like? Click the pill. Done.

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Settings

Open Settings via ⚙ Settings in the menu bar.

API Key

Your Databento API key. Encrypted at rest. Click Show key to verify it.

Feed

Setting	Description
Refresh Rate (Hz)	How often the DOM updates. Default: 10 Hz. Lower if needed.
Depth Mode	MBP-10 (aggregated, recommended) or MBO (order-level, power users)

DOM Behavior

Setting	Description
Hysteresis Top %	Price reaches this % from the top before re-centering. Default: 20%
Hysteresis Bottom %	Price reaches this % down before re-centering. Default: 80%

A tighter range re-centers more aggressively. A wider range keeps the display stable longer. Tune to your preference and session volatility.

Outsized Order Detection

Setting	Description
Notable (N× median)	Rows at or above this multiple of the visible median highlight amber. Default: 3×
Outsized (N× median)	Rows at or above this multiple highlight orange (bold). Default: 10×

Display

UI theme selection. Restart required to apply — good things take a moment.

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Themes

Three themes are available. All of them look better than your broker's platform.

Dark

The default. Deep charcoal backgrounds with green/red bid-ask colors and muted teal accents. Professional, readable, and easy on the eyes during the 6:30am open when you've had exactly one coffee.

Light

Clean light-gray terminal aesthetic with dark text. For traders who sit next to a window, or who just like to be different.

⚡ QuantVue

This is the one. Full cyberpunk mode, built on the QuantVue brand palette. If Dark is a professional trader's setup, QuantVue is what that setup looks like in a movie about professional traders.

• Background: #0B0E17 — deep space black

• Everything: #00E5FF electric cyan borders, labels, and accents

• Bid side: neon mint green

• Ask side: #FF2D6B neon magenta

• Current price: electric yellow

• Key levels: cyan glow

• Outsized rows: neon orange

• Log: black background, cyan text — pure terminal energy

• All panels: black backgrounds with glowing cyan titles

Visitors to your desk will ask questions. Answer them confidently.

Theme changes take effect after restarting the application.

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Log

The Log panel records every order sent, every status change, and any errors — most recent entry always at the top.

Each entry includes a timestamp, a result header (Order — OK, Order — FAILED, etc.), and per-account detail including the full payload sent and the HTTP response received.

The log is session-only. It clears on restart, which is also how most traders prefer to handle bad days.

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Auto-Updates

LightningLynk keeps itself current automatically. No manual downloads, no re-running installers, no checking a website.

When you launch the application:

1. The QuantVue Launcher opens and checks the QuantVue update server

2. If a new version is available it downloads and installs silently with an animated progress bar that looks like something out of a science fiction film

3. The main app opens when ready

If the update server is unreachable the launcher falls back to your currently installed version without complaint. It doesn't crash, it doesn't panic — it just gets on with it.

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Troubleshooting

Feed won't connect

• Verify your Databento API key in Settings

• Ensure your key has access to the GLBX.MDP3 dataset

• Confirm the button reads "Connect" — if it says "Disconnect" you're already connected

• Disconnect and reconnect after changing symbols or depth mode

Orders not sending

• Confirm at least one account toggle is ON — the app will not fire to a profile with all accounts disabled

• Verify your User ID and Alert ID in the profile — a typo here is the leading cause of "why didn't that order go through"

• Check the Log for the HTTP response — 4xx means a credentials issue, 5xx means QuantLynk had a moment

• Confirm your QuantLynk alert is active and configured to accept webhook signals

DOM appears frozen

• Check the feed status label below the F1/F2 buttons — it should show the active contract symbol

• Disconnect and reconnect

• Lower the Refresh Hz in Settings if you're on an older machine

Price is off-screen

• Click CENTER ON LAST — immediate snap back to current price

• The hysteresis centering catches up automatically on the next tick if price is slightly out of range

Wrong contract month

• Disconnect, switch F1/F2, reconnect

• The symbol selector and F1/F2 buttons are locked while the feed is live

Application won't launch after an update

• Open %LocalAppData%\QuantVue\LightningLynk\ in File Explorer

• Delete the app\ folder and current_version.txt

• Relaunch — the launcher performs a clean reinstall automatically

General weirdness

Turn it off and back on again. Works approximately 60% of the time, every time.

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QuantVue LightningLynk — built by QuantVue May your fills be swift and your drawdowns brief.