IBKR Contract Setup: Stocks, Options, and Futures
How to define IBKR contracts correctly in Python to avoid ambiguous-contract errors and bad data requests.
IBKRContractsStocksOptionsFuturesPython
Contract precision is critical
Incorrect or incomplete contract definitions are a top source of IBKR API errors.
Always provide enough contract detail for unambiguous resolution.
Python examples
python
from ib_insync import Stock, Option, Future
stock_contract = Stock("AAPL", "SMART", "USD")
option_contract = Option("AAPL", "20260719", 200, "C", "SMART")
future_contract = Future("ES", "202609", "GLOBEX")
print(stock_contract, option_contract, future_contract)Common contract mistakes
- Missing exchange or currency fields for multi-venue instruments.
- Wrong option expiry/strike/right combinations.
- Using generic symbols without required qualifiers.
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