This guide walks you through installing the Kite ↔ MT5 Bridge for the first time.

Before you start

  • MetaTrader 5 installed on Windows
  • An active Zerodha Kite Connect subscription
  • Python 3.11 (bundled with the installer)

Steps

  1. Run the installer and accept the EULA.
  2. The bridge auto-detects your MT5 terminal(s).
  3. Enter your Kite API key and secret when prompted.
  4. Launch MT5 and apply the bridge EA to any chart.
Tip: keep the bridge console window open while trading — it shows live connection status.

Getting your Kite API key and secret

Step 3 asks for an API key and secret. These come from Zerodha, not from us. Sign in at developers.kite.trade with your Zerodha credentials, create an app, and the key and secret are shown there. The Kite Connect data subscription is billed by Zerodha separately from anything you pay us.

Treat the secret like a password. It is stored locally by the bridge on your own machine and never sent to us.

What you should see on first run

  1. A Windows Firewall prompt. Allow it. The bridge talks to MetaTrader 5 over local ports 5555 and 5556, and blocking that is the most common cause of a silent first run.
  2. A console window with a rolling STATUS line. This is the bridge reporting that it is connected and streaming. Keep it open while you trade.
  3. Symbols appearing in MT5 Market Watch. Give it a moment on first connection — the symbol list is created rather than downloaded, so it populates progressively.
  4. Charts building. Open a chart on any symbol that has appeared. Bars should form as prices arrive.

Verify it properly before you trade

Do this during market hours, on a symbol you know is active:

  • Open Market Watch and confirm the bid and ask are moving, not frozen at a single value
  • Open the same instrument in Kite in a browser and check the two prices agree
  • Switch chart timeframes and confirm each one draws
  • If you have an execution tool, run it in paper mode first and confirm a simulated order behaves as expected before anything real is sent

If something does not happen

These are worth trying yourself, in this order:

  1. MT5 not auto-detected — close MetaTrader 5 completely, then start the bridge first and MT5 second.
  2. No symbols after several minutes — check the console for an authentication error. A wrong or expired API secret shows up here rather than in MetaTrader.
  3. Symbols present but prices frozen — see connection drops and reconnects.

If none of that changes anything, do not keep reinstalling. Send us a screenshot of the console including the last STATUS line and roughly when it stopped working, and we will tell you what it is.

One thing to plan for

Order execution through a broker API requires a static IP under SEBI’s framework. Data and charting work without one, so you can install, verify and learn the tools first, and sort the static IP out with your ISP before you start placing live orders.

Still stuck? Contact support → or join our Telegram community.