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Help — Auto Trading

Step-by-step walkthrough for setting up Auto Trade from scratch — first time. Connect an API, pick a signal source, set risk defaults, dry-run, then enable live execution.

This page is the first-time setup walkthrough for Auto Trading. If you've never used the autotrade engine before, follow these steps in order. The full reference for each piece lives in Auto Trade overview and its sub-pages — this page exists to get you from zero to a working autotrade configuration in 20 minutes without context-switching between five docs.

Auto trading setup walkthrough

Prerequisites

Before you start:

  1. Account on a supported exchange with Futures enabled. Binance Futures (USDⓈ-M) is the most-tested.
  2. Funded balance for paper testing — even $50-$100 is enough for low-leverage XAUUSD / BTCUSDT validation.
  3. mrD plan = Master or higher. Premium / Ultimate gate access to more signal sources.
  4. Verified email on your mrD account (so we can send autotrade confirmations and outage notices).
  5. 20-30 minutes focused — don't rush this setup; misconfiguration costs money.

Step 1 — Connect your API key

Follow API Connect → Binance Futures end-to-end. Critical points:

  • Enable Futures trading on the key.
  • Disable withdrawal (we never need it).
  • Whitelist the IPs from IP whitelist.
  • Test the connection — the green status chip on the API page must show.

If the chip is anything other than green, do not proceed. Fix the key first.

Step 2 — Pick a signal source

Open the Auto Trade panel (sidebar → Auto Trade) and navigate to Signal config. Pick ONE signal source for your first run. Recommended for first-timers:

  • mrD-RSI Pullback (5m, 15m) — high-frequency, clear win/loss outcomes. Good for fast iteration.
  • mrDAlgo Premium (1h) — slower frequency but very high-conviction setups. Good if you can't monitor frequently.

Avoid combining multiple sources on day one — you'll struggle to attribute "is this autotrade rule working?" if there are three signal generators firing.

Step 3 — Set conservative defaults

In Defaults:

SettingRecommended (first-time)Why
Leverage3xSurvives gap moves. Once you trust the system, increase.
Risk per trade1% of equityIndustry-standard starting point.
Max concurrent positions2Limits damage from correlated losses (e.g. several alts dumping together).
Default SLSignal-recommended or 2× ATRDon't override unless you have a specific reason.
Default TPSignal-recommendedSame.
Hedge modeOFFSimpler P&L accounting. Turn ON later if needed. See Hedge mode.

Step 4 — Dry-run (paper mode)

The Auto Trade engine has a paper-trading mode that simulates execution against live prices without sending any real orders.

  1. In Auto Trade settings, set Execution mode = PAPER.
  2. Save.
  3. Watch the Monitor tab for the next 1-3 days. It logs simulated trades exactly as if they'd been live — entries, exits, P&L.
  4. Verify: are the signals firing? Are the simulated fills reasonable? Is the P&L curve heading the right direction?

If the simulated curve trends down for a week, fix the strategy before going live. Either pick a different signal source, tighten the filter (e.g. signal-strength threshold), or wait for a different market regime.

Step 5 — Go live with a tiny risk

When the paper P&L curve looks good:

  1. Set Execution mode = LIVE.
  2. Reduce Risk per trade to 0.25% for the first week.
  3. Save.
  4. Watch the next 5-10 live trades closely. Verify each one against the corresponding signal — is the entry where you expected? SL/TP set correctly? Did the close logic execute?

Treat the first week as ongoing validation, not "set and forget".

Step 6 — Scale up

If the first week looks healthy:

  • Increase Risk per trade to 0.5%, then 1%, in two-week steps.
  • Add a second signal source if you've identified a complementary regime (e.g. add mrDAlgo Premium 1h on top of RSI Pullback 5m).
  • Increase Max concurrent positions to 3-4.
  • Increase Leverage if and only if the win rate AND average win:loss ratio support it.

Common first-time mistakes

MistakeWhy it's badFix
Going live on day 1 with no paper trading.Strategy may have a bug you've never seen on this exchange's microstructure.Always paper-trade ≥ 3 days first.
Starting at 5% risk per trade.One bad correlated day wipes 25%+ of equity.Start at 1%; scale in months, not days.
Disabling SL because "the signal will reverse anyway".One news spike obliterates the account.NEVER disable SL on autotrade. The engine refuses if you try.
Enabling Hedge mode on day 1.Long/short P&L is reconciled separately; confusing to debug.Linear (no-hedge) until you trust the system.
Connecting an exchange API with withdrawal enabled.A leaked key drains funds.Always disable withdrawal on the autotrade key.
Whitelisting nothing (any IP).If the key leaks, anyone can use it.Always whitelist our IPs.
Setting Risk per trade as $-amount instead of %.If you fund 10x more, position size doesn't scale.Use % of equity.
Watching every trade obsessively.Negative-expectancy stress.Define a daily review window, walk away outside it.

Killswitch — for when something feels wrong

If at ANY point you suspect the system is misbehaving:

  1. Open the Auto Trade panel.
  2. Top-right of the page: PAUSE AUTO TRADE button.
  3. Pausing stops the engine from opening new trades. Existing positions stay open under their original SL/TP — you can close them manually from the Positions panel.

To kill ALL open autotrade positions immediately, use CLOSE ALL POSITIONS in the same header. Confirms with the confirm dialog. Closes everything at market.

You can resume normally afterward — your config is preserved.

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