For a Lucid account issued with a Tradovate/CQG connection, use the account's Tradovate credentials to establish access, complete the requested data agreements and then connect NinjaTrader Desktop if you want to trade there. Confirm the account number inside the platform before placing an order.
This procedure covers Lucid evaluations and simulated funded accounts on that connection. Rithmic credentials require a different route, and a move to LucidLive requires the onboarding instructions for the new live account. Official documentation checked on October 11, 2026.
Check the connection before installing anything
Lucid's support list places Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView under CQG. Find the purchased account in your Lucid dashboard and identify its feed, account ID and platform credentials. Your Lucid website password is not a substitute for a separately issued trading login.
If the account shows Rithmic, use the platform overview to check the supported route. General NinjaTrader support for Rithmic does not establish Lucid's approval of that combination. Lucid's own list is narrower.
Establish access in Tradovate
- Open the platform link supplied with the Lucid account, or use Tradovate's web login.
- Enter the Tradovate credentials issued for that account. Keep any separate personal brokerage login out of this connection.
- Complete any market-data agreements requested for the issued login. Check the subscriber classification as described below.
- For the evaluation or simulated funded account, select the supplied prop simulation environment. Follow the environment label in the current onboarding instructions.
- Find the expected Lucid account in the account selector. Match its ID to the dashboard and check the contract and market data before submitting an order.
A visible chart does not confirm that the selected trading account is correct. If the expected account is missing, stop at that check and resolve the connection. Opening a new personal brokerage account is not part of activating a Lucid evaluation.
Choose the accurate CME subscriber classification
Complete the certification according to your circumstances. CME's Non-Professional criteria include professional registration, institutional activity and how the data will be used. Choose Non-Professional only if you meet the applicable criteria; a lower fee is not a reason to select an inaccurate status. If the form leaves your situation unclear, ask Tradovate or Lucid before submitting it.
Source: CME Schedule 5, sections 8.1–8.3.
Connect NinjaTrader Desktop
NinjaTrader's Tradovate login page confirms access with Tradovate Prop credentials. Download the current Desktop installer through the official NinjaTrader account portal and check its system requirements. Before paying for a separate license or an add-on, confirm whether the issued account includes the particular feature you need.
For a configured provider connection, the official Tradovate instructions use the following sequence:
- Enable Multi-provider in NinjaTrader Desktop's settings if it is not already enabled, then restart the application. Older instructions call the settings menu Tools → Options.
- In the Control Center, open Connections → configure.
- Add the connection type NinjaTrader. Its default configured name is My NinjaTrader; you can rename it to identify the Lucid connection.
- Enter the issued Tradovate username and password. Choose the simulated account mode for this Lucid evaluation or simulated funded account.
- Save the connection, then select it from the Connections menu.
Sources: Tradovate's Multi-provider instructions and NinjaTrader Desktop connection guide. The latter also describes a direct application login when Multi-provider mode is not in use. Menu labels can vary by installed version; follow the current instructions for that version if they differ.
After connecting, inspect the Accounts tab and the account selector in the order-entry window. Select the Lucid account that matches your dashboard. A local practice account such as Sim101 is a separate account. Confirm the selected instrument, contract month and quantity before enabling a hotkey or automated strategy.
Account rules remain in force
The purchased account determines the MLL, drawdown method, DLL setting, position limit and payout requirements. Confirm those in Lucid before trading. Do not infer a firm's risk limit from an empty platform field, or assume that a local practice-account risk template also governs a connected evaluation.
Lucid permits automation and copy trading subject to its trading rules. The account holder remains responsible for resulting orders and breaches. High-frequency trading, prohibited hedging and microscalping restrictions still apply. Lucid's microscalping policy flags accounts when more than 50% of profits come from trades lasting five seconds or less.
The Lucid FAQ links the current rule owners, including the trading-session cutoff and the separate news restriction for funded Daily. For the underlying automation policy, see Lucid's permitted trading activities.
Using TradingView on the same account
TradingView connects through the Tradovate integration. Its chart subscription, integration entitlement and broker-side futures data are separate checks. A paid TradingView plan does not by itself prove that the connected account can trade a particular symbol.
Use the TradingView setup guide for the activation sequence, environment selection and symbol errors.
If the connection does not work
| Symptom | Checks before escalating |
|---|---|
| Credentials rejected | Confirm the login belongs to the purchased account, that its connection is Tradovate/CQG and that the chosen environment matches the account phase. |
| Login succeeds, account is missing | Compare the platform account selector with Lucid's account ID and status. A working connection does not prove that the account has been provisioned on it. |
| Quotes are absent or delayed | Check the symbol, contract month, trading session, requested agreements and market-data entitlement. Preserve the exact error text. |
| Orders are rejected | Check account status, permissions, current contract limit, working orders and risk limits. A permission error has more than one possible cause. |
| Platform and dashboard figures differ | Compare account ID, timestamps, open P&L, fees and the definition of each displayed value before treating the difference as a platform fault. |
Send Lucid the account ID, platform/version, selected environment, timestamp and exact error when the problem concerns account access or entitlement. For an application-specific failure, include those details in the platform support request. Never include the password. Resume only after the expected account and its data are visible.