> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.askfutures.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> The public programmatic surface is the MCP server — there is no public REST API.

The way to drive AskFutures from your own tools is the **MCP server**. That's the
public, supported programmatic surface. There is **no public REST API** for
third parties to call directly.

<Note>
  Everything the web app does — create a session, build a strategy, run a
  backtest, sweep parameters — is available to you through MCP tools. You connect
  an MCP client (Claude, Cursor, Codex, or your own), authenticate once, and call
  the tools.
</Note>

## What lives here

This tab is the detailed reference for the programmatic surface.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="MCP tool reference" icon="square-terminal" href="/api-reference/mcp-tools">
    Every MCP tool, with its inputs and the response shape it returns. The
    field-level companion to the Developers walkthrough.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Internal HTTP API" icon="server" href="/api-reference/internal-http-api">
    Why the web app's HTTP layer is private, and how the MCP tools map onto it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## If you want to get connected first

The Developers tab is the place to start — it covers connecting a client,
authenticating, and a guided first run. Come back here when you need the exact
input fields and response fields for a specific tool.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Developers overview" icon="code" href="/developers/overview">
    What the MCP server is and which clients work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="bolt" href="/developers/quickstart">
    Connect and run your first strategy programmatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/developers/authentication">
    How to sign in from an MCP client.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## A note on the numbers

Anything you read back from these tools — P\&L, win rate, drawdown — comes from a
fixed, deterministic backtest engine, not from the AI. The AI only turns your
words into rules. See [Is the backtest real?](/concepts/is-the-backtest-real).

<Info>
  Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always test before you
  trade.
</Info>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="MCP tool reference" icon="square-terminal" href="/api-reference/mcp-tools">
    Inputs and outputs for all the tools.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tools walkthrough" icon="toolbox" href="/developers/tools">
    The same tools, explained as a workflow.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>