TradingAgents/CONFIG_GUIDE.md

Configuration Guide

TradingAgents supports configuration through multiple methods with the following priority:

Priority (highest to lowest):

1. Environment variables
2. config.ini file
3. Built-in defaults

Quick Start

Option 1: Using config.ini (Recommended)

1. Copy the example configuration:

   cp config.example.ini config.ini
   

2. Edit config.ini with your preferences:

   [llm]
   provider = openai
   deep_think_llm = o1-mini
   quick_think_llm = gpt-4o-mini
   
   [analysis]
   research_depth = 1
   default_analysts = market,news,social
   
   [data]
   global_news_limit = 15
   

3. Run the CLI - it will use your defaults and skip prompting for configured values:

   uv run python -m cli.main
   

Option 2: Using Environment Variables

Set environment variables in your shell or .env file:

export LLM_PROVIDER=openai
export DEEP_THINK_LLM=o1-mini
export QUICK_THINK_LLM=gpt-4o-mini
export RESEARCH_DEPTH=1
export GLOBAL_NEWS_LIMIT=20

Configuration Options

LLM Settings

Config Key	Env Variable	Description	Default
provider	LLM_PROVIDER	LLM provider (openai, anthropic, google, ollama)	openai
backend_url	LLM_BACKEND_URL	API endpoint URL	https://api.openai.com/v1
deep_think_llm	DEEP_THINK_LLM	Model for complex analysis (gpt-5, o1, o3, etc.)	o1-mini
quick_think_llm	QUICK_THINK_LLM	Model for simple tasks (gpt-5, gpt-4o-mini, etc.)	gpt-4o-mini

Analysis Settings

Config Key	Env Variable	Description	Default
research_depth	RESEARCH_DEPTH	Depth level (1=shallow, 2=medium, 3=deep)	1
default_analysts	DEFAULT_ANALYSTS	Comma-separated list of analysts	market,news,social

Data Settings

Config Key	Env Variable	Description	Default
global_news_limit	GLOBAL_NEWS_LIMIT	Number of global news articles to fetch	15
commodity_news_limit	COMMODITY_NEWS_LIMIT	Number of commodity news articles	50

Data Vendors

Configure which data sources to use:

Config Key	Env Variable	Description	Options
stock	DATA_VENDOR_STOCK	Stock price data	yfinance, alpha_vantage
indicators	DATA_VENDOR_INDICATORS	Technical indicators	yfinance, alpha_vantage
fundamentals	DATA_VENDOR_FUNDAMENTALS	Fundamental data	alpha_vantage, openai
news	DATA_VENDOR_NEWS	News data	alpha_vantage, openai, google
commodity	DATA_VENDOR_COMMODITY	Commodity data	alpha_vantage

Examples

Example 1: Minimal config.ini for quick daily use

[llm]
provider = openai
deep_think_llm = o1-mini
quick_think_llm = gpt-4o-mini

[analysis]
research_depth = 1
default_analysts = market,news

Result: When you run the CLI, you'll only be prompted for:

• ✅ Ticker symbol
• ✅ Analysis date

Auto-configured (no prompts):

• ✅ LLM provider (OpenAI)
• ✅ Models (o1-mini & gpt-4o-mini)
• ✅ Research depth (Shallow)
• ✅ Analysts (Market & News)

Everything else uses your configured defaults!

Example 2: Using GPT-5

[llm]
provider = openai
deep_think_llm = gpt-5
quick_think_llm = gpt-5

[analysis]
research_depth = 2
default_analysts = market,news,social

Example 3: Power user with custom news limits

[llm]
provider = anthropic
deep_think_llm = claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
quick_think_llm = claude-3-5-haiku-20241022

[analysis]
research_depth = 3
default_analysts = market,news,social,fundamentals

[data]
global_news_limit = 30
commodity_news_limit = 100

[vendors]
news = openai
stock = alpha_vantage

Example 4: Using environment variables

# In your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export LLM_PROVIDER=openai
export DEEP_THINK_LLM=o1-mini
export QUICK_THINK_LLM=gpt-4o-mini
export GLOBAL_NEWS_LIMIT=20

Configuration Priority Example

If you have:

• config.ini with global_news_limit = 15
• Environment variable GLOBAL_NEWS_LIMIT=30

The system will use 30 (environment variable wins).

How It Works

When you run the CLI with a config.ini file, you'll see output like this:

Step 1: Ticker Symbol
Enter the ticker symbol to analyze
> AAPL

→ Detected asset class: Equity

Step 2: Analysis date
Enter the analysis date (YYYY-MM-DD)
> 2025-01-15

→ Using configured analysts: market, news, social
→ Using configured research depth: Shallow
→ Using configured LLM provider: OPENAI (https://api.openai.com/v1)
→ Using configured models:
  Quick thinking: gpt-4o-mini
  Deep thinking: o1-mini

The → lines show values being used from your config, skipping the prompts!

Tips

1. Start with config.ini - Easier to manage than environment variables
2. Use env vars for secrets - Keep API keys in environment variables, not config files
3. Version control - Add config.ini to .gitignore, commit config.example.ini
4. Test changes - Run CLI after changing config to verify your settings work
5. Partial config is OK - You can configure only some values; the rest will be prompted

Troubleshooting

CLI still prompts for everything:

• Check that config.ini exists in the TradingAgents directory
• Verify the file has the correct structure (see config.example.ini)
• Check for typos in section names and keys

Wrong model being used:

• Check priority: env vars override config.ini
• Verify model names match your provider's API exactly
• Check logs for which config values are being loaded

News limit not working:

• Limits are read from config on each run
• Clear Python cache: find . -type d -name "__pycache__" -exec rm -rf {} +
• Check the tool logs to see what limit is actually being used