About Backtesting Arena
Backtesting Arena provides AI agents and LLMs with crypto-market analysis and strategy backtesting APIs, including Bitcoin cycle scores, on-chain indicators, strategy insights, and on-demand backtests. Access is available through public endpoints, REST and MCP, or x402 pay-per-call.
Key features
- 01Daily Bitcoin and crypto cycle scores
- 02On-chain indicators and strategy insights
- 03Run strategy backtests on demand
- 04Public, Bearer API, and x402 access
- 05REST and MCP connectivity
Use cases
- 01Check the daily Bitcoin cycle outlook
- 02Query on-chain indicators in an agent workflow
- 03Evaluate historical crypto strategy performance
- 04Call market-analysis tools from an MCP client
MCP support
The project provides an MCP server accessible over HTTP with a Bearer key or through stdio. MCP clients can list and call its tools for analysis and backtesting capabilities.
Configuration
Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.
https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http skill-backtesting-arena https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp{"mcpServers":{"skill-backtesting-arena":{"type":"http","url":"https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp"}}}Open in Cursor{"servers":{"skill-backtesting-arena":{"type":"http","url":"https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp"}}}Open in VS Code{"mcpServers":{"skill-backtesting-arena":{"type":"http","url":"https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp"}}}{"mcpServers":{"skill-backtesting-arena":{"serverUrl":"https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp"}}}Run commands in a terminal; paste JSON into the client’s MCP config and restart. Servers that need sign-in will prompt on first connect.
https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcpAuth requiredTools
82| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| context | string | Yes | Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): "Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization." |
Details
From the project READMEBacktesting Arena — Agent Skill
Battle-tested market intelligence for AI agents — every claim backtested, versioned, and explainable. Evidence and base rates, never financial advice.
Skill package for AI agents and LLMs that need programmatic access to the Backtesting Arena API: daily Bitcoin / crypto cycle scoring, on-chain indicators, aggregated strategy insights, and on-demand backtests.
Three channels, one product:
| Channel | Auth | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Public | none, fair-use cache | quick reads, no signup |
| REST + MCP | Bearer API key (Free tier available) | full surface, higher quotas |
| x402 pay-per-call | EIP-3009 wallet signature (USDC on Base) | autonomous agents, no account |
The full capability descriptor an agent should load is SKILL.md.
Install for Claude Code / Claude Desktop
# Coming soon when /install-skill GA's; for now clone + reference manually:
git clone https://github.com/Schoasch/skill-backtesting-arena.git
Reference skills/backtesting-arena/SKILL.md as a context document in your agent runtime, or use the
MCP server directly (see below).
Quick start
1. Cycle-aware trading bot (Bearer)
curl https://tradingstrategies.work/api/arena-pulse/today
# → { "score": 35, "band": "risk-off", ... } — no API key required
Want higher quotas + full surface? Get a free Bearer key.
2. Autonomous agent with USDC wallet (x402)
# First call returns HTTP 402 + payment instructions:
curl -i https://tradingstrategies.work/api/v1/agent/btc-cycle/latest
# → 402 Payment Required, body has accepts[] with payTo, asset, amount, network
# Discovery descriptor lists all paid endpoints + pricing:
curl https://tradingstrategies.work/.well-known/x402
Full Python client showing the EIP-3009 sign + retry pattern: examples/python-x402-client.py.
3. MCP server (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Two transports — HTTP (recommended, requires Bearer key) or stdio.
HTTP variant (drop into claude_desktop_config.json → mcpServers):
{
"backtesting-arena": {
"url": "https://tradingstrategies.work/api/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer sk-arena-…" }
}
}
Full example incl. stdio variant + Cursor config: examples/claude-desktop-config.json.
Examples folder
| File | What |
|---|---|
examples/curl-snippets.sh | Bash snippets for public + Bearer endpoints |
examples/python-x402-client.py | Python EIP-3009 signing + retry for x402 endpoints |
examples/typescript-mcp-client.ts | Connect to MCP server, list the 49 default tools, call one |
examples/claude-desktop-config.json | Drop-in config for Claude Desktop / Cursor |
Discovery files (machine-readable)
For AI tooling that auto-discovers APIs:
/openapi.json— full OpenAPI 3.1 spec, ~70 paths,x-x402extension on agent endpoints/skill.md— this skill (canonical, kept in sync with this repo)/llms.txt— LLM-friendly summary/.well-known/api.json— cross-tool discovery hub/.well-known/x402— Bazaar-v2 descriptor of paid endpoints (alias.json)/.well-known/ai-plugin.json— OpenAI-style plugin manifest
Pricing
- Free — public endpoints + Free Bearer tier (30 req/h, 200/d)
- API Pro €9,99/mo — 300 req/h, 3k/d, backtest triggers, larger windows
- API Power €29,99/mo — 2000 req/h, 30k/d, universe-backtests (50 pairs)
- x402 pay-per-call — $0.01-$0.50 USDC per call, no subscription
One subscription covers both REST and MCP channels. Pricing is reviewed quarterly against agent-economy benchmarks (changelog).
License
MIT (this skill package). The Backtesting Arena API itself follows the Terms.
Operator
Solo-built crypto strategy backtesting platform from Germany/Austria. Public since 2026. Educational and research focus, not signal-selling.
Contact: [email protected] · Issues: github.com/Schoasch/skill-backtesting-arena/issues
Comments
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