Emergency Controls
Claxton has two emergency mechanisms: the Kill Switch and Emergency Close. These are your safety nets for when things go wrong.
Kill Switch
What It Does
The kill switch halts all trading. When active:
- The bot cannot be started
- No new positions can be opened
- No automated exits are processed
- A red KILL: ACTIVE badge appears in the Status Ribbon
When the Kill Switch Activates
The kill switch can be triggered:
- Manually — You click the KILL button
- Automatically — The bot detects a dangerous condition (e.g., daily loss limit exceeded, too many consecutive failures)
When triggered automatically, the Kill Switch Reason box in the Risk Limits section shows why. For example: “Daily loss limit exceeded” or “Max consecutive rejections reached.”
How to Use It
To engage:
- Click the KILL button (lock icon 🔒) in the Controls section
- The button changes to UNLOCK with a red background
- All trading stops immediately
To disengage:
- Click the UNLOCK button (unlock icon 🔓)
- The kill switch is released
- You can now start the bot again
💡 Tip: Use the kill switch when you want to pause everything while you investigate an issue. It’s less dramatic than Emergency Close because it doesn’t close any positions.
Emergency Close
What It Does
Emergency Close immediately closes ALL open positions at market price. This is the nuclear option.
⚠️ WARNING: Emergency Close will close EVERY open position in your account at the current market price. This cannot be undone. You may receive unfavorable fills if the market is moving quickly or spreads are wide.
When to Use Emergency Close
Use this only when:
- You need to exit everything right now (e.g., major unexpected market event)
- A position has gone catastrophically wrong and you need to stop the bleeding
- You’re closing the account or stopping all trading permanently
- The bot is behaving erratically and you need a clean slate
How to Use It
Emergency Close requires a two-step confirmation to prevent accidents:
- Check the confirmation box — At the bottom of the Controls Panel, check the box labeled “Confirm Close All”
- Click EMERGENCY CLOSE — The red button becomes clickable only after you check the box
- All positions are submitted for immediate market-price closing
What Happens After
- All positions are closed (or close orders are submitted)
- Your P&L is finalized based on actual fill prices
- The bot is stopped
- You start fresh — no open positions
⚠️ Emergency Close sends market orders. During volatile markets or after hours, this could result in significant slippage. Only use this when getting out immediately is more important than getting a good price.
Kill Switch vs Emergency Close: Which One?
| Situation | Use This |
|---|---|
| ”I want to pause and think” | Kill Switch |
| ”Something weird is happening, let me investigate” | Kill Switch |
| ”I need to change my strategy settings” | Stop (not even kill switch needed) |
| “The market is crashing and I need out NOW” | Emergency Close |
| ”My positions are spiraling and I can’t wait for exit rules” | Emergency Close |
| ”I’m done trading today” | Stop the bot (positions stay open if within rules) |
💡 Tip: In 99% of situations, the Kill Switch is sufficient. Emergency Close is for true emergencies. If you’re unsure, start with the Kill Switch.
Close Debug (Advanced)
Below the main controls, there’s a Close Debug section with:
- Dry Run checkbox — Simulate closes without actually placing orders
- Debug checkbox — Enable verbose logging for close operations
- Test Edge button — Ping the trading API to verify connectivity
- Copy Debug JSON — Copy the last close operation’s debug data
This is primarily for troubleshooting close failures and is not needed during normal operation.