LightningLynk (DOM and Copy Trader)
LightningLynk User Manual
Platform: Windows 10 / 11 (x64) By: QuantVue
LightningLynk is a Windows desktop application that streams live CME futures market data and sends order signals to QuantLynk via webhook. It is not a broker. It does not hold positions. It does not have opinions about your trading. It just sends the signal to QuantLynk. What happens next is between you and your execution platform.
Table of Contents
Installation & Setup
Requirements
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
A QuantLynk account
A Databento account with API access (optional, but necessary for OCO orders and DOM usage)
Installing
Download the installer here. <— If it gives you a warning about it being suspicious or blocked you'll need to bypass the warning. This is a standard warning from some browsers, including Google Chrome, when a file has been newly put on the internet and hasn't been downloaded many times.
Download the latest QuantVueLightningLynk-Setup.exe from the QuantVue distribution link provided to you. Run the installer and it will place LightningLynk in %LocalAppData%\QuantVue\LightningLynk and create a Start Menu shortcut.
The app is self-updating. On launch, the QuantVue Launcher checks for a newer version and downloads it automatically. You don't need to reinstall manually.
First Launch
On first launch you'll see an empty DOM and a disconnected feed. That's expected — you haven't configured anything yet. Head to ⚙ Settings in the menu bar and work through the sections top to bottom.
Data Files
Settings and profiles are stored at:
These persist across updates. If something goes deeply wrong, deleting both files resets the app to factory defaults. Use this power wisely (or at least knowingly).
Connecting to Databento
LightningLynk uses Databento for live CME futures market data. You need a Databento API key. You need the Standard plan for CME futures (refer to picture):
Getting an API Key
Sign up at databento.com
Navigate to API Keys in your account dashboard
Create a new key and copy it
Live MBP-1 (top of book) data is part of the standard plan with CME futures. MBO (full depth) costs more. Check Databento's pricing before enabling MBO mode for extended sessions.
Entering Your API Key
Open ⚙ Settings
Paste your key into the Databento API Key field
Click OK
The key is encrypted at rest. It is never logged, never sent anywhere except directly to Databento's API.
Connecting
Select a product from the dropdown (e.g.
NQ — E-mini Nasdaq-100)Click Connect
The feed status indicator in the header will pulse cyan when streaming. The title bar will show the current last price: QuantVue LightningLynk — NQ 21,450.25.
Supported Products
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
Changing the product while connected requires a reconnect.
QuantLynk Webhook Integration
LightningLynk sends order signals to your QuantLynk alerts, which forward them to your execution platform.
How It Works
When you click Buy, Sell, or Flatten (or trigger a hotkey), LightningLynk fires a webhook to lynk.quantvue.io with the order parameters. QuantLynk authenticates the request and routes it to your configured alert targets. Your execution platform receives the alert and places the order.
The signal path is: LightningLynk → QuantLynk → Broker. LightningLynk has no direct broker connection.
Alert Targets
Each Profile contains one or more Alert Targets. These individual QuantLynk destinations identified by an Alert ID. An alert ID maps to your accounts inside of QuantLynk, and is gotten in the same manner as you would normally get it for a TradingView or NinjaTrader strategy.
Think of profiles as presets and alert targets as the recipients. You can have multiple targets in one profile (e.g. a live account and a sim account) and toggle each independently.
Profiles & Order Configuration
What Is a Profile?
A profile groups a QuantLynk User ID, one or more Alert Targets, and is selected per trading session. Profiles are saved to profiles.json and persist across restarts.
Example: You might have a NQ Scalp profile pointing to your live NinjaTrader account, and an NQ Sim profile pointing to your simulator. Same setup, different destination.
Creating a Profile
Click Manage Profiles (or the profile button in the UI)
Click Add Row to create a new alert target
Fill in:
Name — a human-readable label (e.g.
Live NQ)User ID — your QuantLynk user ID
Alert ID — the target alert ID from QuantLynk
Click OK
You can add multiple alert targets to one profile. Each has a Visible and Enabled toggle — visible controls whether it appears in the main window toggle list; enabled controls whether orders are actually sent to it.
Selecting a Profile
Use the profile dropdown on the main window. The selected profile and its enabled targets determine where orders go when you click a button. If no targets are enabled, clicking Buy will result in a firmly worded log message and nothing else.
Configuring Orders
Quantity: The Qty spinner sets the number of contracts per order. It persists between sessions.
Order Types:
Market — sends a plain market order at the current price.
Market + OCO — wraps the order in an OSO->OCO bracket using the Target and Stop tick offsets. Requires an active live feed (it needs a reference price). If you disconnect mid-session while OCO is selected, the app resets to Market and warns you.
OCO Target / Stop: Set these in ticks using the spinners in the OCO Bracket section. These are offsets from fill price, not absolute price levels.
Example: NQ, Qty = 2, OCO, Target = 40 ticks, Stop = 20 ticks. Click Buy. LightningLynk sends a market buy for 2 NQ contracts with a 40-tick profit target and 20-tick stop.
DOM / Live Feed
The DOM (Depth of Market) panel streams live bid/ask depth and highlights notable activity.
Depth Modes
Set in ⚙ Settings → Feed:
MBP-1 (default)
Top of book only — best bid and ask. Standard Databento plan.
MBP-10
10 DOM levels, requires Plus or higher.
MBO
Full market-by-order depth. Requires Plus or higher.
Spread Indicator
The header displays the current best bid/ask spread in ticks. It turns green when the spread is exactly 1 tick (normal for NQ). Wider than 1 tick and it goes muted — worth noting during illiquid hours or fast markets.
Outsized Orders
LightningLynk highlights DOM levels with unusual volume:
Notable (default: 3×): volume is 3× the average at that level — something is stacking there.
Large (default: 10×): volume is 10× the average — someone brought their appetite.
Thresholds are configurable in Settings.
Iceberg Detection
LightningLynk tracks the ratio of filled volume to resting size at a level. A high ratio suggests resting orders are being refreshed — classic iceberg behavior. The default detection threshold is 25×. Adjust in Settings if you're seeing too many (or too few) flags. MBP-10 and MBO only, for now.
DOM Hysteresis
The DOM auto-centers around the current price. Hysteresis controls how far price has to drift before the DOM re-centers, preventing constant micro-scrolls.
Top threshold (default: 20%) — re-center triggers when price is in the top 20% of the visible range
Bottom threshold (default: 80%) — re-center triggers when price is in the bottom 80%
Hotkeys
Global hotkeys fire regardless of which application has focus. You can be staring at your chart and still send an order without clicking back to LightningLynk.
Enabling Hotkeys
Hotkeys are off by default. To enable:
Open ⚙ Settings → Hotkeys
Check Enable
Optionally change the key bindings
Click OK
Default Bindings
Buy
Ctrl+F1
Sell
Ctrl+F2
Flatten
Ctrl+F3
Customizing Bindings
The key fields accept any .NET Keys enum name with optional modifiers. Valid examples:
Modifiers are recommended. Bare function keys (F1, F2) work but risk conflicting with TradingView, NinjaTrader, or whatever else is competing for them.
Safety Note
Hotkeys fire whenever the buy/sell/flatten buttons are enabled.
Holding down a hotkey does not spam orders. One press = one signal. You're welcome.
Always on Top
Menu → 📌 Always on Top keeps LightningLynk floating above all other windows. Useful when using hotkeys so you can see the flash feedback without alt-tabbing. Persists between sessions.
Settings Reference
Access via ⚙ Settings in the menu bar.
Feed
Databento API Key
(empty)
Your Databento key. Encrypted at rest.
Depth Mode
MBP-1
Top of book or full MBO depth.
DOM Refresh Rate
10 Hz
How often the DOM panel redraws. Higher = smoother, more CPU.
DOM Depth
30
Number of price levels shown in the DOM for MBO.
DOM Display
Hysteresis Top
20%
Re-center trigger — top boundary.
Hysteresis Bottom
80%
Re-center trigger — bottom boundary.
Outsized Notable
3.0×
Volume multiple for notable highlight.
Outsized Large
10.0×
Volume multiple for large highlight.
Iceberg Ratio
25.0×
Fill-to-rest ratio for iceberg detection.
Hotkeys
Enable
Off
Master toggle for global hotkeys.
Buy
Ctrl+F1
Global hotkey for Buy action.
Sell
Ctrl+F2
Global hotkey for Sell action.
Flatten
Ctrl+F3
Global hotkey for Flatten action.
Display
Theme
Dark
Dark, Light, or QuantVue (cyberpunk).
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Feed won't connect
Check your API key. Go to Settings and re-paste it. Even a trailing space will cause auth to fail and Databento will not be polite about why.
Check your Databento account status. Log into databento.com and confirm your account is active.
Firewall / VPN. LightningLynk makes outbound HTTPS connections to Databento's API. Some corporate firewalls or aggressive VPN configurations block this. If you're on a VPN, try disconnecting it.
OCO buttons are greyed out
OCO bracket orders require a live feed — the app needs a reference price to construct the bracket. Connect to market data first, then select Market + OCO from the order type dropdown.
I clicked Buy and nothing happened
A few possibilities:
No targets enabled. Open Profiles and confirm you have a target.
QuantLynk isn't set up right. Open QuantLynk and ensure you have accounts in your groups and alerts.
Webhook timeout. The log panel at the bottom will show an error if the signal failed to reach QuantLynk. Check your internet connection.
My hotkey isn't working
Hotkeys are disabled. Check Settings → Hotkeys → Enable.
Key conflict. If the log shows
⚠ Hotkey [Buy] (Ctrl+F1) registration failed, another application has already claimed that key. Change your binding to something less contested.App is in disconnected state. Hotkeys only fire when the Buy button is active.
The DOM looks frozen
The DOM refreshes at the configured rate (default 10 Hz). If it appears frozen:
Check the feed status indicator — if it's not pulsing, the feed has dropped. Reconnect.
If the indicator is pulsing but the DOM isn't moving, market may simply be quiet. Check that price on the title bar is updating.
I want to reset everything
Delete the following files and restart:
The app will start fresh with all defaults. Your Databento API key and QuantLynk credentials will need to be re-entered. Consider this the nuclear option.
Where do I get support?
QuantVue: quantvue.io
QuantLynk: https://login.quantvue.io
LightningLynk is beta software. It has been tested, but futures trading is inherently unforgiving and so are bugs. Always verify that orders reached your execution platform before assuming a position is open or closed. Trust, but verify. Preferably verify.
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