# Best COT Data API for CFTC Data

Source: https://finzdata.com/guides/best-cot-data-api

FinzData provides CFTC Commitments of Traders since 1986 with point-in-time API access. COT releases Fridays for positions as of prior Tuesday.

[Guides](https://finzdata.com/guides/) › Buyer's guide

# Best COT Data API, CFTC Commitments of Traders

**For futures traders and macro analysts, a usable COT API needs history since 1986, release-date stamping, and reliable pairing with futures prices. FinzData provides CFTC Commitments of Traders since 1986 with point-in-time access via API and MCP, and futures data from the exchanges.**

## What to check in a COT data API

CFTC Commitments of Traders is published on Fridays for positions as of the prior Tuesday, so backtests should use the release date. A good API should offer:

- History since 1986

- Release-date stamping and point-in-time queries

- Matching to futures prices for the same contracts

- API and MCP access for AI agents and quants

- A free tier to test

## How FinzData compares on each

| Criterion | FinzData |
| --- | --- |
| History since 1986 | COT: CFTC Commitments of Traders since 1986. Full history with the look-back bundles and Institutional. |
| Release-date stamping | Point-in-time market data API. Every time-series tool takes as_of to pin a snapshot; results carry snapshot ids. |
| Matching to futures prices | Futures: 139 markets, 17,625 individual contracts since 2007, back-adjusted and raw continuous series, roll calendar; bars 1, 5, 15, 30-minute, hourly, daily. Data comes directly from the exchanges. |
| API / MCP access | MCP server https://api.finzdata.com/mcp with 39 read-only tools incl. get_cot. OpenAPI: https://api.finzdata.com/openapi-agents.json |
| Free tier | Free key: last 12 months of COT. Free key also provides 1,000 data calls and 5 backtests a day, and last 6 months AI preview. |

## Pair COT with prices

COT analysis requires aligned futures prices. FinzData futures cover 139 markets from CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, ICE, Eurex, Cboe with 17,625 individual contracts since 2007, back-adjusted and raw continuous series with roll calendar. Bars: 1, 5, 15, 30-minute, hourly, daily. One market $49 for every bar size, full history. Futures Daily all markets daily $95; Futures Complete all markets every bar size $295. Free key: last 30 days of daily bars, all 139 markets.

## Pricing and free tier

COT pricing is bundled with FinzData data access:

- Free key: last 12 months of COT

- Full history with the look-back bundles and Institutional

- Institutional $975 once + $59.95/month, everything, commercial licence, per-strike GEX, raw options chains

Formats: JSON and CSV on every plan; Parquet, batch downloads and yearly files on paid plans. You keep what you pay for.

Shop: /shop

## Use it from an AI assistant

Access COT via MCP server https://api.finzdata.com/mcp. Relevant tool: get_cot.

Example question: "Show speculator positioning in crude oil from get_cot as of the last release date and compare to CL futures daily bars."

Every time-series tool takes as_of to pin a snapshot; results carry snapshot ids. Works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Gemini CLI. No sign-up AI preview: last 6 months.

## Questions

### What dates does FinzData COT cover?

CFTC Commitments of Traders since 1986. Free key provides last 12 months; full history with the look-back bundles and Institutional.

### Is COT release-date stamped for backtesting?

FinzData is a point-in-time market data API. Every time-series tool takes as_of to pin a snapshot; results carry snapshot ids.

### Can I pair COT with futures prices?

Yes. Futures data covers 139 markets, 17,625 contracts since 2007 with back-adjusted and raw continuous series, bars 1, 5, 15, 30-minute, hourly, daily, from the exchanges.

### How do I access COT via MCP?

Use MCP server https://api.finzdata.com/mcp. Tool get_cot is included in the 39 read-only tools.

### Is there a free tier for COT?

Free key provides last 12 months of COT, plus 1,000 data calls and 5 backtests a day, and last 6 months AI preview.

Updated November 6, 2026. Prices are one-time unless stated. Source: FinzData.