Short answer: yes, with conditions. Topstep's own Help Center says custom automated strategies and bots are allowed through the TopstepX / ProjectX API, subject to the platform's standard rules and its ban on high-frequency trading. The conditions are where most traders slip up, so this guide walks through each one, as of November 2026, with links to Topstep's own pages. Always re-check the current wording on Topstep's site before you trade, because rules change.
See DeskBot for TopstepX: $1 first month, then $19.99/mo, or $155/year
What Topstep says about bots
Topstep's TopstepX API Access article (dated September 17, 2026) answers the question directly: custom automated strategies and bots are allowed via the API, and you remain the owner of your bot and are solely responsible for its design, performance and behavior. The Trading Combine parameters page also says automated strategies are allowed with conditions, that Topstep will not help set them up or troubleshoot them, and that you should test on a Practice account first.
Condition 1: orders must come from your own computer
This is the rule most bot setups break. Topstep says all trading activity must originate from your personal device, and that VPS, VPNs and remote servers are prohibited by its Terms of Use. Running automation on a VPS can lead to suspension or removal from the program.
A private server is still fine for work that does not touch order flow, such as storing historical data, backtesting, logging, a read-only dashboard, or receiving copies of your own fills. Topstep sums it up as: your server can watch and record, but it cannot trade. In practice, that means a cloud bot that places orders from someone else's servers is on the wrong side of the line. The bot has to run on a computer you control, and that computer has to stay on while it trades.
Condition 2: simulated accounts only, not Live Funded
The API Access page says Live Funded accounts are not allowed to trade through the ProjectX API, because the API gateway is built for the simulated environment. Automation is possible in the Trading Combine, the Express Funded Account and Practice accounts. Plan for that before you build your whole process around a bot.
Condition 3: no high-frequency trading or simulator exploits
High-frequency trading is banned, and Topstep's prohibited trading strategies cover behavior a bot can fall into by accident, such as strategies that only work because of unrealistic simulated fills or very rapid order churn. Read Topstep's Prohibited Conduct and Prohibited Trading Strategies pages before you switch a bot on. A rule your bot breaks counts exactly like one you break by hand.
Condition 4: API access is a separate paid add-on
You need an active Topstep account plus a ProjectX API Access subscription, which is billed separately from your Topstep subscription. Topstep lists the price and its trader discount on the API Access page, so check it there. One subscription and API key covers every eligible account under your profile. Treat the key like a password: it grants trading access to your eligible accounts.
Condition 5: you own every order
Orders sent through the API are final, with no review, adjustment or reversal. Topstep does not provide coding or implementation support and does not endorse third-party tools that connect to the API. There is no sandbox, so Topstep suggests testing on a Practice account, which uses the same endpoints without risking an evaluation.
A quick pre-flight checklist
- The bot runs on your own personal computer. No VPS, VPN or hosted order flow.
- The target is a Trading Combine, Express Funded or Practice account, not Live Funded.
- Your API Access subscription is active and linked to your TopstepX profile.
- You tested it on a Practice account first.
- Your daily loss budget and position size sit well inside your account's own limits.
- Brackets are set on every entry, and you know how the bot behaves around news and the session close.
Where DeskBot for TopstepX fits
DeskBot for TopstepX is a desktop app built around these conditions. It runs on your own Windows x64, Mac Intel or Mac Apple chip computer, and it works with eligible Trading Combine, Express Funded and Practice simulated accounts using your own ProjectX API access (API charges are separate). Live Funded accounts are not supported. It includes configurable opening-range breakout and EMA trend-pullback strategies, plus controls for sessions, direction, order size, risk budgets, tick-based brackets, cooldowns, daily entry limits and time exits. The engine starts stopped on every launch and only runs after you press Start. It is version 0.1.0 beta.
Pricing is $1 for the first month, then $19.99/month, or $155/year. The first month is paid access, not a free trial, and it renews until you cancel. See the product page for computer options and downloads.
Related guides: Futures Eval Discipline: Risk Rules to Set Before You Trade a TopstepX Combine and How to Test a Trading Bot Before You Trust It With Real Money. Browse every guide on the DeskBot Guides hub.
Risk disclosure: Futures trading carries substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Risk controls reduce but do not remove that risk, and no software can guarantee you pass an evaluation or make a profit. DeskBot is software, not financial or legal advice. This article summarizes Topstep's public help pages as we read them in November 2026; Topstep's current rules and Terms of Use always control. You are responsible for every trade in your accounts and for following your account's rules. DeskBot is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Topstep, TopstepX or ProjectX. Use is subject to the DeskBot Terms of Service.