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Vcp Screener

  • 945 installs
  • 2.5k repo stars
  • Updated July 26, 2026
  • tradermonty/claude-trading-skills

vcp-screener is a Claude Code trading skill that automatically screens for stocks exhibiting the Volatility Contraction Pattern using live Financial Modeling Prep API data for developers who run systematic equity scans.

About

vcp-screener is a tradermonty/claude-trading-skills workflow that screens US equities for Volatility Contraction Pattern setups via the Financial Modeling Prep API. Phase 1 pulls S&P 500 constituents, batches quote requests in groups of five across roughly 101 calls for 503 stocks, and prefilters candidates; later phases fetch up to 260-day historical price series for SPY and finalists. Developers with an FMP API key use it to replace manual chart review with a repeatable VCP scan. Invoke when you need live pattern detection rather than static FinViz filter URLs.

  • Screens the full S&P 500 universe for VCP setups
  • Uses 3 FMP API endpoints: constituents, batch quotes, and 260-day historical prices
  • Default run stays under free-tier API limits (~203 calls)
  • Built-in rate limiting, retries, and in-memory caching
  • Outputs ranked candidates with trend template and VCP detection

Vcp Screener by the numbers

  • 945 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +47 installs in the week ending Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #150 of 1,136 Finance & Trading skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/tradermonty/claude-trading-skills --skill vcp-screener

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs945
repo stars2.5k
Security audit3 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 26, 2026
Repositorytradermonty/claude-trading-skills

How do you screen stocks for Volatility Contraction Pattern?

Automatically screen for stocks exhibiting the Volatility Contraction Pattern using live FMP API data.

Who is it for?

Developers and systematic traders with an FMP API key who want automated VCP scans across the S&P 500 universe.

Skip if: Skip vcp-screener when you only need FinViz filter URLs or lack Financial Modeling Prep API access.

When should I use this skill?

User asks to screen for Volatility Contraction Pattern, VCP setups, or FMP-based contraction scans.

What you get

Ranked VCP candidate list with symbols, quotes, and 260-day historical price context from FMP API

  • VCP candidate watchlist
  • Batch quote snapshots
  • 260-day historical price context

By the numbers

  • ~101 batch quote API calls for 503 S&P 500 stocks at 5 symbols per request
  • Fetches 260-day historical price series via timeseries=260 parameter
  • Evaluates up to 100 candidate symbols after pre-filtering

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

VCP Screener - Minervini Volatility Contraction Pattern

Screen S&P 500 stocks for Mark Minervini's Volatility Contraction Pattern (VCP), identifying Stage 2 uptrend stocks with contracting volatility near breakout pivot points.

When to Use

  • User asks for VCP screening or Minervini-style setups
  • User wants to find tight base / volatility contraction patterns
  • User requests Stage 2 momentum stock scanning
  • User asks for breakout candidates with defined risk
  • User asks "find every historical VCP in <TICKER>" or wants to study one ticker's

past VCP setups with forward outcomes (--history --ticker SYM)

Prerequisites

  • FMP API key (set FMP_API_KEY environment variable or pass --api-key)
  • Free tier (250 calls/day) is sufficient for default screening (top 100 candidates)
  • Paid tier recommended for full S&P 500 screening (--full-sp500)

Workflow

Step 1: Prepare and Execute Screening

Run the VCP screener script:

# Default: S&P 500, top 100 candidates
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py --output-dir skills/vcp-screener/scripts

# Custom universe
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py --universe AAPL NVDA MSFT AMZN META --output-dir skills/vcp-screener/scripts

# Full S&P 500 (paid API tier)
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py --full-sp500 --output-dir skills/vcp-screener/scripts

Strict Mode (Minervini pure setup)

Only return stocks with valid_vcp=True AND execution_state in (Pre-breakout, Breakout):

python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py --strict --output-dir reports/

Historical single-ticker mode

Walk one ticker's multi-year history, detect every VCP that ever formed, and attach forward-outcome stats (breakout / stop-hit / timeout, days-to-outcome, max gain, max loss) per detection. Useful for pattern study and backtesting context — not a real-time screener.

# Default: scan ~5 years (1260 trading days), 5-day stride, 60-day outcome window
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py \
  --history --ticker FIX --output-dir reports/

# Custom scan length: 750 trading days (~3 years), 90-day outcome window
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py \
  --history 750 --ticker TSLA \
  --stride-days 5 --outcome-days 90 \
  --output-dir reports/

# Long scan: 10 years (2520 trading days)
python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py \
  --history 2520 --ticker NVDA --output-dir reports/

Outputs (timestamped):

  • vcp_history_<SYM>_<YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS>.json — timeline of detections with full

analyzer payload + forward_outcome per detection + summary stats.

  • vcp_history_<SYM>_<YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS>.md — human-readable timeline.

Mode-specific flags:

ParameterDefaultRangeEffect
--history [DAYS](off) / 1260 if bare100-5040Enable historical mode; optionally specify trading-day scan window (requires --ticker)
--ticker SYMTicker to scan
--stride-days51-60Trading-day step between as-of cursor positions
--outcome-days605-252Forward window evaluated per detection

Notes:

  • Two FMP API calls per scan (ticker + SPY history), not 100+ like the

cross-sectional pipeline.

  • marketCap and absolute RS percentile reflect the ticker in isolation,

not against the live screening universe — use this report for pattern study, not portfolio sizing.

  • Detections are deduplicated by (T1_high_date, last_low_date, pivot) so

the same VCP isn't reported repeatedly as the cursor ages.

Advanced Tuning (for backtesting)

Adjust VCP detection parameters for research and backtesting:

python3 skills/vcp-screener/scripts/screen_vcp.py \
  --min-contractions 3 \
  --t1-depth-min 12.0 \
  --breakout-volume-ratio 2.0 \
  --trend-min-score 90 \
  --atr-multiplier 1.5 \
  --output-dir reports/
ParameterDefaultRangeEffect
--min-contractions22-4Higher = fewer but higher-quality patterns
--t1-depth-min10.0%1-50Higher = excludes shallow first corrections
--breakout-volume-ratio1.5x0.5-10Higher = stricter volume confirmation
--trend-min-score850-100Higher = stricter Stage 2 filter
--atr-multiplier1.50.5-5Lower = more sensitive swing detection
--contraction-ratio0.700.1-1Lower = requires tighter contractions
--min-contraction-days51-30Higher = longer minimum contraction
--lookback-days12030-365Longer = finds older patterns
--max-sma200-extension50.0%SMA200 distance threshold for Overextended state and penalty
--wide-and-loose-threshold15.0%Final contraction depth above which wide-and-loose flag triggers
--strictoffMinervini strict mode: only Pre-breakout or Breakout with valid VCP

Step 2: Review Results

1. Read the generated JSON and Markdown reports 2. Load references/vcp_methodology.md for pattern interpretation context 3. Load references/scoring_system.md for score threshold guidance

Step 3: Present Analysis

For each top candidate, present:

  • Quality (composite_score / rating) — how well-formed is the VCP pattern?
  • Execution State (execution_state) — is it buyable now? (Pre-breakout / Breakout = actionable)
  • Pattern Type (pattern_type) — Textbook VCP / VCP-adjacent / Post-breakout / Extended Leader / Damaged
  • marker if a State Cap was applied (raw score was downgraded)
  • Contraction details (T1/T2/T3 depths and ratios)
  • Trade setup: pivot price, stop-loss, risk percentage
  • Volume dry-up ratio and breakout_volume_score
  • Relative strength rank

Step 4: Provide Actionable Guidance

By Execution State (primary filter):

  • Pre-breakout / Breakout: Pattern is in the active entry window — apply rating-based sizing
  • Early-post-breakout: Breakout underway but above ideal entry — reduced size or wait for pullback
  • Extended / Overextended: Trade missed — add to watchlist for next base
  • Damaged / Invalid: Setup invalidated — do not enter

By Rating (secondary, after state confirms actionability):

  • Textbook VCP (90+): Buy at pivot with aggressive sizing (1.5-2x)
  • Strong VCP (80-89): Buy at pivot with standard sizing (1x)
  • Good VCP (70-79): Buy on volume confirmation above pivot (0.75x)
  • Developing (60-69): Add to watchlist, wait for tighter contraction
  • Weak/No VCP (<60): Monitor only or skip

3-Phase Pipeline

1. Pre-Filter - Quote-based screening (price, volume, 52w position) ~101 API calls 2. Trend Template - 7-point Stage 2 filter with 260-day histories ~100 API calls 3. VCP Detection - Pattern analysis, scoring, report generation (no additional API calls)

Output

  • vcp_screener_YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS.json - Structured results
  • vcp_screener_YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS.md - Human-readable report

Resources

  • references/vcp_methodology.md - VCP theory and Trend Template explanation
  • references/scoring_system.md - Scoring thresholds and component weights
  • references/fmp_api_endpoints.md - API endpoints and rate limits

Related skills

How it compares

Use vcp-screener for live VCP pattern scans via FMP; use finviz-screener for conversational FinViz filter URL generation.

FAQ

Which FMP endpoints does vcp-screener call?

vcp-screener uses FMP /api/v3/sp500_constituent, batch /api/v3/quote requests with five symbols each, and /api/v3/historical-price-full with timeseries=260 for price history on SPY and candidates.

How large is the vcp-screener stock universe?

vcp-screener defines its universe from S&P 500 constituents, about 503 stocks. It issues roughly 101 batch quote calls and evaluates up to 100 finalists with 260-day historical series.

Is Vcp Screener safe to install?

skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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