> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.hydravision.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.hydravision.ai/products/live-analytics-and-hydra-agent/hydra-agent/before-you-start.md).

# Before you start

You will need:

| Requirement                   | Notes                                                                                                                                                                 |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Windows 10 or 11** (64-bit) | Hydra Agent is a Windows-only desktop application.                                                                                                                    |
| **MetaTrader 5 installed**    | Hydra Agent works with MT5 only. MetaTrader 4 terminals are detected but skipped.                                                                                     |
| **MT5 running and logged in** | The agent reads live data from a terminal that is open and signed in to your trading account.                                                                         |
| **A Hydra Vision API token**  | Issued from your Hydra Vision customer portal at [hydravision.ai](https://hydravision.ai). Your licence lists which MT5 account numbers the agent is allowed to sync. |
| **An internet connection**    | Needed during installation, to validate your licence, and to upload data.                                                                                             |

{% hint style="info" %}
Hydra Agent ships with everything else it needs. The installer adds the .NET 8 runtime if your PC doesn't have it, and includes its own Python runtime used to talk to MT5. You do not need to install anything else, and you do not need administrator rights — it installs for your Windows user only.
{% endhint %}