> 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/getting-started.md).

# Getting Started

#### Step 1 — Install

Download the installer (`HydraAgentSetup_<version>.exe`) from the Hydra Vision customer portal and run it.

* The installer runs under your own Windows account and does not ask for administrator approval.
* Near the end it sets up its Python components and downloads a few packages. This can take a couple of minutes — leave it to finish.
* On the last page, leave **Launch Hydra Agent** ticked and click **Finish**.

Hydra Agent is added to your Start menu as **Hydra Agent**, and is set to start automatically whenever you sign in to Windows.

#### Step 2 — Enter your API token

The first window you see is **Welcome to Hydra Vision**.

1. Paste the API token from your customer portal into the **API TOKEN** field.
2. Click **Connect** (or press Enter).

The agent contacts Hydra Vision to confirm your licence. You will see one of these results:

| Message                                                  | Meaning                                                                                                                               |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Licence confirmed.**                                   | Your token is valid. The window closes and setup continues.                                                                           |
| **Invalid token.**                                       | The token was rejected. Check for missing characters and copy it again from the portal.                                               |
| **Unable to reach Hydra Vision. Check your connection.** | The agent could not contact the cloud. This is a network problem, not a token problem — check your internet connection and try again. |
| **No MT5 accounts found for this user.**                 | Your token is valid but no MT5 account numbers are attached to your licence. Contact support.                                         |
| **Unable to validate. Check your connection.**           | Something went wrong while checking the token. This is usually a connection problem — check your internet connection and try again.   |
| **Please enter your API token.**                         | **Connect** was clicked with the field empty. Paste the token first.                                                                  |

Hydra Vision can sometimes send back its own, more specific message in place of **Invalid token.** or **Unable to reach Hydra Vision**. That message is shown as it arrives.

On later launches the token is remembered and the button reads **Continue**. You only need to re-enter a token if your licence changes.

#### Step 3 — Connect your MT5 terminal(s)

Immediately after your licence is confirmed, the **Hydra Vision Settings** window opens and scans your PC for installed MT5 terminals.

Each terminal it finds is shown as a card with the broker name, the account number currently logged in, and a status badge:

| Badge                     | Meaning                                                                 | What to do                                                           |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Ready** (green)         | Running and logged in to an account on your licence.                    | Tick it to connect.                                                  |
| **Wrong Account** (amber) | Running, but logged in to an account that is not on your licence.       | Log the terminal in to your licensed account, then click **Rescan**. |
| **Not Logged In** (red)   | Running, but no account is signed in.                                   | Log in to MT5, then click **Rescan**.                                |
| **Offline** (grey)        | Installed but not currently running.                                    | Open the terminal, log in, then click **Rescan**.                    |
| **In Use** (red)          | Another Hydra Agent install on this PC is already syncing this account. | Leave it — one account can only be synced by one agent at a time.    |

1. Click each **Ready** terminal you want Hydra to sync. Selected cards are highlighted green.
   * If exactly one licensed terminal is found, it is ticked for you automatically ("Auto-matched!").
2. Click **Save** (or **Save N Accounts** if you selected more than one).

The window switches to the main Settings view, where your accounts are now listed as connected. Click **Save** again to close it.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If the scan finds nothing, make sure MT5 is open and logged in, then click **Rescan**. See Troubleshooting for more.
{% endhint %}

#### Step 4 — Start syncing

Hydra Agent now lives in the Windows system tray (the icons near the clock, bottom-right of your screen — you may need to click the **^** arrow to see it).

**Right-click the Hydra icon and choose "Start All Agents".**

The icon turns green once data is flowing. That's it — leave it running and it will keep your Hydra Vision dashboards in sync.

{% hint style="info" %}
The agent does not start syncing on its own after setup or after being launched. Use **Start All Agents** (or start an individual account from the **Accounts** menu) to begin.
{% endhint %}