ibc2

One command to keep Interactive Brokers Gateway / TWS logged in, always on.

ibc2 wraps IBC (the Java tool that logs in to TWS / IB Gateway and clicks through its dialogs; retired upstream in September 2026) and adds what unattended algo-trading setups actually need:

• a guided ibc2 setup (finds your install, stores your password in the OS keyring, never in a file you edit),
• a watchdog that checks the API with a real handshake and restarts a frozen Gateway,
• alerts (Telegram, Discord, e-mail, any webhook) the moment IBKR wants your 2FA approval, a login fails, or Gateway shows a pop-up nobody has taught it to dismiss,
• a weekly re-login reminder, because IBKR forces a fresh 2FA login every week,
• ibc2 install-service to start at login (Windows Task Scheduler / systemd / launchd),
• a ready-made Docker image for headless servers.

pip install ibc2
ibc2 setup
ibc2 start

What it can and cannot do

IBKR requires a fresh, fully authenticated login (with second factor) about once a week - the first login after Sunday 01:00 New York time. No tool can remove that, and ibc2 does not try to bypass it. What ibc2 does is make sure the nightly restarts and every disconnect recover by themselves, and that the weekly approval is a 30-second tap on your phone, with an alert telling you exactly when, instead of a silent outage.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• An offline (standalone) IB Gateway or TWS from Interactive Brokers. IBC does not work with the self-updating TWS. (Gateway is recommended for always-on use.)
• Java: the one bundled with Gateway/TWS is used automatically.

Commands

Alerts

ibc2 setup asks for one channel; you can add more in ~/.ibc2/ibc2.toml (or the environment):

[alerts]
telegram_token = "123:ABC"       # from @BotFather
telegram_chat_id = "123456789"
discord_webhook = "https://discord.com/api/webhooks/..."
webhook_url = "https://example.com/hook"        # receives {"title","message","level","time"}
email_to = "you@example.com"
smtp_host = "smtp.gmail.com"
smtp_user = "you@gmail.com"
smtp_password = "app password"

You are alerted when: second-factor approval is needed, login fails, Gateway shows an unrecognised window, the API stops answering, IBC crashes, and a few hours before the weekly forced re-login.

When Gateway shows a new pop-up

Interactive Brokers occasionally adds a dialog IBC does not know. ibc2 tells you the window's title and text. Add a rule to ~/.ibc2/dialogrules.txt - no recompiling:

title=^Gateway$ ; text=Prediction Markets ; click=Close

Rules only apply to windows IBC does not already handle.

Docker / headless servers

See docker/README.md in the repository: docker compose up gives you a headless Gateway under Xvfb with the watchdog and alerts, configured by environment variables / secrets.

Security notes

• The password is stored in your OS keyring (Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, Secret Service). For containers use IBC2_PASSWORD_FILE (a Docker/Kubernetes secret).
• While running, ibc2 writes a private (owner-only) runtime/config.ini for IBC to read; it is deleted when ibc2 stops.
• IBC's command server listens on 127.0.0.1 only.
• Start with paper trading. ibc2 setup asks you to type live to confirm live mode.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later, like IBC. This is an independent fork; see the repository for upstream credits.