This page answers one question in plain English: what can each major Cortiq function actually do for me? Use it as a product map — pick the function that matches your need and follow the link to the page that explains it in depth.
Cortiq has dozens of named capabilities split across strategy, supporting context, sessions, execution, validation, risk, review, the agent surface, and platform. Reading every detail page in advance is the wrong move. Instead, scan this page, find the rows that map to what you’re trying to do, and follow the links from there.
The Reference section is the page. Each row is one function, what it does, what it does for you, and where to read more.
Two reading modes work well:
- Evaluating — read every section, then start with Getting started and Sessions.
- Already running Cortiq — search this page for the function you’re configuring, then jump straight to the linked page.
If you want a higher-altitude view first, Feature overview is shorter and grouped differently.
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Playbooks | Defines setup, entry, invalidation, risk, and management logic. | Turns a strategy into a repeatable rule system instead of a loose prompt. | Playbooks & data packages |
| Playbook sections | Splits strategy logic into clean fields: setup, entry, risk, management, invalidation. | Makes playbooks the AI can follow and you can review later. | Playbook design guide |
| Playbook priority | Orders multiple playbooks inside one session. | Decides which setup logic wins when more than one idea is in play. | Playbooks |
| Data packages | Defines what data the AI receives. | Keeps the AI focused on the exact information your strategy needs. | Data packages |
| Screenshot-enabled timeframes | Adds chart images to selected timeframes. | Gives the AI visual confirmation when chart structure matters. | Data package design guide |
| Indicator inputs | Adds MT5 indicator values to the decision payload. | Brings your technical signal stack into the AI workflow. | Playbooks & data packages |
| Trade ideas | Tracks specific active theses. | Monitor one-off opportunities without making them permanent playbooks. | Trade ideas |
| Skills | Reusable Markdown instruction templates injected into generation flows. | Encode a house style or checklist once and reuse it across preparation, research, and reviews. | Skills |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Session instructions | Adds operator notes and constraints. | Captures desk rules and guidance that travel with the session. | Supporting context |
| Preparation packages | Generates reusable prepared analysis. | The AI sees broader market structure without rediscovering it every cycle. | Preparation packages |
| Instrument profiles | Stores long-lived per-symbol behavior context. | The AI knows what’s typical or unusual for a market over time. | Instrument profiles |
| Sentiment reports | Adds macro and news context. | Lets external pressure support or challenge the technical setup. | Sentiment reports |
| Support-layer stacking | Combines preparation, profile, sentiment, and trade ideas with live data. | A cleaner reasoning environment for the AI. | Trading cycle: overview |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Sessions | Creates the operating container for a strategy. | Turns a configuration into something you can run, pause, review, and improve. | Sessions |
| Active days and time windows | Controls when a session may trade. | Keeps a strategy inside the hours and days that fit its design. | Sessions |
| Single-instrument sessions | Locks each session to one instrument. | Clean specialization around one market, so results stay comparable over time. | Sessions |
| Provider selection | Picks which AI provider runs the session. | Match cost, reliability, and operating style to your workflow. | AI providers |
| Fallback provider | Configures a secondary AI provider. | Keeps the session resilient when the primary is unavailable. | AI providers |
| Provider transport | Picks how the provider is reached: API, ACP, CLI, or External MCP. | Match traceability, cost, and local-vs-hosted needs to your workflow. | AI providers |
| External MCP sessions | Lets an external agent control Cortiq. | Drive the workflow from a separate AI client like Claude Desktop. | MCP and agent integration |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Live trading | Sends real orders through MT5. | Move from simulation to real execution inside the same operating model. | Execution modes & notifications |
| Virtual trading | Simulates the trade lifecycle without sending real orders. | Test and build trust before using live capital. | Execution modes & notifications |
| Copy trading | Replicates a master workflow to follower accounts. | Scale one decision engine across multiple accounts. | Execution modes & notifications |
| Trade management | Modifies, partially closes, or closes positions. | The AI is responsible for handling — not only entering — trades. | Session trades and timeline |
| Notifications | Pushes trade events to selected channels. | Stay informed without watching the desktop continuously. | Execution modes & notifications |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Backtesting | Replays a session or playbook over historical M1 data, cycle by cycle. | Test a configuration against the past before committing capital. | Backtesting |
| License-free backtests | Runs backtests without an active license. | Evaluate Cortiq’s loop on history before you buy. | Backtesting |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Global risk controls | Limits across the full environment. | Protect the whole operating environment, not one account. | Risk management |
| Per-account risk controls | Limits account-by-account. | Different mandates for different accounts. | Risk management |
| Drawdown and profit targets | Pause behavior based on account performance. | Hard boundaries on how much damage or overtrading the workflow can do. | Risk management |
| Trade-count and exposure limits | Restricts how much the system can open. | Prevents runaway activity and concentration in one symbol or account. | Risk management |
| Automatic risk pause | Pauses sessions when a breach occurs. | An independent safety layer above the AI decision itself. | Risk management |
| Emergency-stop breaker | Halts all trading activity immediately on demand or on a hard breach. | A single switch to stop the whole environment when something looks wrong. | Risk management |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Trade journal | Records trade-level context and outcomes. | Review whether a trade was disciplined or improvised. | Journal & analytics |
| Session journal | Records behavior over a broader run. | See whether the operating model is working as a whole. | Journal & analytics |
| Analytics | Computes P/L, win rate, and similar metrics. | Evaluate whether changes actually improved the workflow. | Journal & analytics |
| Dashboard | Cross-account performance, recent trades, global state. | Understand the whole environment without opening every session. | Workspace & monitoring |
| Session cohorts | Compare grouped sessions side-by-side. | Test which configuration or style is working better. | Workspace & monitoring |
| Conversations view | Raw AI conversations across sessions. | Inspect the model’s actual responses, not only the summary. | Workspace & monitoring |
| Session timeline | What happened in each trading cycle. | Audit and explain the AI workflow. | Session trades and timeline |
| Decision rendering | Analysis, trade ideas, and actions in a readable format. | Understand what the AI concluded, not only what the market did afterward. | Trading cycle: overview |
| Session reviews | One-click AI review of a finished run. | Get scored suggestions and durable per-instrument lessons instead of a bare result. | Session reviews |
| System messages | In-app notification inbox with actionable cards. | Read platform alerts and approve agent actions in one place. | System messages |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Research | A single-instrument idea lab with workspaces, runs, and artifacts. | Explore and stress-test ideas on one market before they become playbooks. | Research |
| Edge-discovery guardrails | Opt-in phased out-of-sample validation for research runs. | Stronger evidence that an edge is real, when you choose to enforce it. | Research |
| MCP server | Exposes Cortiq tools to MCP-compatible clients. | Drive analysis and trading from an external agent. | MCP and agent integration |
| Cortiq Copilot | An in-app Copilot dock (Ctrl+K) that authors entities. | Build playbooks, packages, and sessions by asking, behind the approval gate. | Cortiq Copilot |
| Agent permissions | Approval model with an always-on trade gate plus capability grants. | The AI can act while you stay the final authority on trades. | Agent permissions |
| Function | What it does | What it does for you | Read more |
|---|
| Windows installation and activation | Installs and licenses the desktop app. | A working Cortiq environment on the machine that operates it. | Installation & activation |
| Home workspace | Active sessions, quick actions, first-run progress. | A practical starting point every time you open the app. | Workspace & monitoring |
| MT5 integration | Connects Cortiq to the local terminal. | Turns AI decisions into actual broker-side execution. | MetaTrader 5 integration |
| Provider health | Tracks volume, success rate, response speed, retries, errors. | Diagnose whether provider instability is affecting results. | Workspace & monitoring |
| Feature-level provider overrides | Specific functions can use a different provider than the session default. | One session default plus a different provider for a special workflow. | AI providers |
| Automated performance reports | Scheduled summary reports through Telegram. | Monitor performance without opening the desktop. | Execution modes & notifications |
| Public releases | Distributes the current public installer. | One place to get updates. | Licensing & support |
| Public issues and discussions | Public support and feedback channels. | Report bugs, ask usage questions, request improvements. | Licensing & support |
- Playbook design guide — once you know what to configure, this raises the quality of your playbook writing.
- Data package design guide — same for data packages.
- Sessions — where most of the tables above come together at runtime.
- Backtesting — validate a configuration against history before going live.