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Activating your license key

Last updated on Jul 25, 2026

New MTContext users often look for a license code in their welcome email — there isn't one. Activation works a little differently, and it's simple once you know the shape of it: you generate a terminal key in your dashboard and bind it to your terminal by connecting once. This article walks through it.

What a terminal key is

A terminal key is the single credential your Expert Advisor and your AI client both use. It looks like MTMCP- followed by 32 hex characters, and each key is bound to exactly one MetaTrader 5 terminal the first time that terminal connects with it. That one-key-one-terminal binding is what guarantees a command can never be routed to the wrong account.

Step 1 — Generate the key

  1. Log in to your dashboard with the email you used at checkout.

  2. Go to Terminal Keys → Generate New Key.

  3. Copy the key somewhere safe — the plaintext value is shown only once. If you lose it, you generate a new one; the old plaintext can't be revealed again.

Step 2 — Bind it to your terminal

A freshly generated key isn't usable until a terminal has connected with it once:

  1. Install the MTContext Expert Advisor on the terminal you want to connect (see Installing the EA on MT5).

  2. Enter the terminal key as the EA's license input and let it connect once.

  3. When the EA shows as connected in your dashboard, the key is bound. It will now work in any MCP client configuration.

Step 3 — Use it in your AI client

With the key bound, add it to your AI client as the bearer token (Authorization: Bearer MTMCP-YOUR-TERMINAL-KEY) pointing at https://mcp.mtcontext.com/mcp/v1. The client guides — Connecting Claude Desktop and the others — show exactly where each client wants it.

Does the free tier get a key?

Yes. Every account, including free, generates a terminal key the same way — the tier just determines which tools the key can use (free keys are read-only).

If activation isn't working

  • Confirm the key starts with MTMCP- and has no trailing spaces.

  • Confirm the EA has connected at least once so the key is bound.

  • A 401 Unauthorized means the key is invalid, mistyped, or revoked; a 403 Forbidden means it's valid but your tier lacks that tool's capability.

See EA won't connect / shows "disconnected" and "No terminal connected" in your AI client for deeper troubleshooting.

Next steps

Ready to connect a client? See Connect any AI client to MetaTrader. Rotating a key safely later? That's covered in Rotating or revoking a terminal key.

Manage your keys at mtcontext.com/dashboard.