Starting and Stopping the Bot
The most basic controls: turning the bot on and off.
Starting the Bot
- Look for the START button (green, with a play icon ▶️) in the Controls section
- Click it
- The button changes to STOP (with a square icon ■)
- The Status Ribbon updates to show BOT: RUNNING (green)
Once started, the bot will:
- Begin scanning the market based on your enabled strategies
- Open trades when conditions match your entry rules
- Monitor existing positions for exit conditions
- Log all activity to the Activity Log
💡 Tip: The bot only trades on enabled strategies. Starting the bot does nothing if all strategies are disabled.
Stopping the Bot
- Click the STOP button in the Controls section
- The button changes back to START
- The Status Ribbon shows BOT: STOPPED (gray)
When stopped, the bot will:
- Stop scanning for new trade opportunities
- Stop opening new positions
- Continue monitoring existing positions for exit conditions (exit monitoring runs independently)
- Not close any existing positions (they stay open)
⚠️ Stopping the bot does NOT close your positions. Your open positions remain active. The bot just stops looking for new opportunities.
When to Stop the Bot
- Before editing strategies — You can’t edit while the bot is running
- Before adjusting risk settings — Stop first, then change settings
- During unusual market conditions — If you want full manual control
- After hours — The bot won’t trade when the market is closed anyway, but stopping it prevents any unexpected behavior
When NOT to Stop the Bot
- During normal operation — If your strategies are working, let them run
- When you see a losing position — The bot’s exit rules are designed to handle this. Trust the system.
- Just because you’re going to sleep — 0DTE positions expire at end of day, and the bot has time-based stops
Restarting
If you need to restart (after editing a strategy, for example):
- Stop the bot
- Make your changes
- Start the bot again
The bot picks up right where it left off — existing positions are still tracked, and it immediately begins a new scan cycle.
What if the Kill Switch is Active?
You cannot start the bot while the kill switch is active. The START button is disabled and grayed out. You’ll see a warning: “Kill switch blocks start.”
To start the bot:
- Click UNLOCK to disengage the kill switch
- Then click START