Creating a Trading Bot

This guide walks you through creating your first Trading Bot using the TradeStaq wizard.

Prerequisites

Before creating a Trading Bot, ensure you have:

• At least one connected exchange (paper or live)
• Available bot slot for your subscription tier
• Sufficient balance on your exchange

Step 1: Navigate to Trading Bots

1. Log into your TradeStaq dashboard
2. Click Trading Bots in the sidebar
3. Click the Create Bot button

Note: If you've reached your bot limit, you'll need to upgrade your subscription or delete an existing bot.

Step 2: Select Strategy

The first step is choosing your trading strategy.

Strategy Selection

You'll see a grid of available strategies. Each card shows:

• Strategy Name - The strategy identifier
• Category - Trend, Momentum, Volatility, etc.
• Risk Level - Low, Medium, High
• Markets - Spot, Futures, or both
• Tier Required - Minimum subscription tier

Filtering Strategies

Use the filters to narrow down options:

• Category - Filter by strategy type
• Risk Level - Filter by risk tolerance
• Market Type - Spot or Futures
• Search - Search by name or description

Locked Strategies

Some strategies show a lock icon. These require a higher subscription tier. Click to see upgrade options.

Making Your Selection

1. Review strategy descriptions and parameters
2. Consider your trading goals and risk tolerance
3. Click on your chosen strategy
4. Click Next to proceed

Step 3: Choose Exchange

Select which exchange the bot will trade on.

Exchange Selection

You'll see your connected exchanges:

• Live Exchanges - Real money trading
• Paper Exchanges - Virtual funds for testing

Each exchange card shows:

• Exchange name and type
• Available balance
• Connection status

Recommendations

• New Strategies: Start with paper trading
• Proven Strategies: Use live exchange with small position sizes
• Testing: Always paper trade first

Selection

1. Click on your desired exchange
2. Review the balance and status
3. Click Next to proceed

Note: We strongly recommend testing on paper trading before using real funds.

Step 4: Configure Market

Set up the trading pair and timeframe.

Symbol Selection

Choose the trading pair for your bot:

1. Use the dropdown to select available pairs
2. Popular pairs are shown at the top
3. Use search to find specific pairs

Available pairs depend on:

• Your exchange type (spot/futures)
• Exchange's supported markets
• Strategy compatibility

Timeframe Selection

Select the chart timeframe for analysis:

Configuration

1. Select your trading symbol
2. Choose appropriate timeframe
3. Click Next to proceed

Step 5: Risk Settings

Configure position sizing and risk management.

Position Sizing

Percentage Mode (Recommended):

• Trade a percentage of available balance
• Automatically adjusts with balance changes
• Example: 50% of $10,000 = $5,000 per trade

Fixed Amount Mode:

• Trade a specific dollar amount
• Doesn't change with balance
• Example: Always trade $1,000

Leverage (Futures Only)

For futures trading, set your leverage:

Note: Higher leverage amplifies both gains AND losses. Use with caution.

Stop Loss

Protect against large losses:

• Percentage: Exit if loss exceeds X%
• Price: Exit at specific price level
• ATR-based: Dynamic based on volatility (see ATR Stop Loss Guide)

Take Profit

Lock in gains:

• Percentage: Exit if profit reaches X%
• Price: Exit at specific price level
• Trailing: Dynamic target that follows price

DCA / Position Scaling

If the selected strategy supports DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging):

• Enable DCA: Toggle to allow position scaling
• Max Levels: Maximum entries allowed (set by strategy)
• Stop-Loss Mode: How stop adjusts with entries (set by strategy)

Note: DCA settings are defined by the strategy author. You can only toggle DCA on/off. See DCA Guide for details.

Configuration

1. Choose position sizing mode and amount
2. Set leverage if trading futures
3. Configure stop loss (recommended)
4. Set take profit (optional)
5. Click Next to proceed

Step 6: Strategy Parameters

Fine-tune the strategy's specific settings.

Parameter Types

Number Parameters:

• Indicator periods
• Threshold values
• Percentage settings

Boolean Parameters:

• Enable/disable features
• Toggle filters

Select Parameters:

• Choose from predefined options

Example: RSI Strategy Parameters

Tips for Parameter Tuning

1. Start with defaults - They're optimized for general use
2. Change one at a time - Easier to identify impact
3. Use backtesting - Test changes before going live
4. Document changes - Track what works

Configuration

1. Review each parameter and its description
2. Adjust values as needed
3. Click Next to proceed

Step 7: Spin Settings

Configure how often the bot runs.

Spin Interval

How frequently the bot evaluates the market:

Matching Interval to Timeframe

Rule of thumb: Spin interval should be ≤ chart timeframe

Configuration

1. Select appropriate spin interval
2. Consider your tier's limitations
3. Click Next to proceed

Step 8: Review & Create

Final review before creating your bot.

Review Checklist

Verify all settings:

• Strategy selection
• Exchange and balance
• Trading pair and timeframe
• Position sizing and leverage
• Risk management (SL/TP)
• Strategy parameters
• Spin interval

Bot Name

Give your bot a descriptive name:

• Good: "BTC RSI 4H Paper"
• Bad: "Bot 1"

Create Bot

1. Review all settings
2. Enter a descriptive name
3. Click Create Bot

After Creation

Bot Status

Your new bot will start in Active status:

• Active - Running and executing spins
• Paused - Temporarily stopped
• Stopped - Fully disabled

First Spin

The bot will execute its first spin immediately. Check:

1. Logs - See strategy output
2. Status - Verify no errors
3. Signals - Any trade signals generated

Monitoring

Navigate to Monitoring to:

• View real-time performance
• Check spin history
• Review trade executions

Troubleshooting

"Bot limit reached"

You've hit your tier's maximum bots. Options:

• Upgrade subscription
• Delete an unused bot

"Exchange not active"

Your selected exchange has issues:

• Check API key validity
• Verify exchange connection
• Re-sync exchange

"Insufficient balance"

Not enough funds for trading:

• Deposit more funds
• Reduce position size
• Use paper exchange for testing

"Strategy not available"

Strategy requires higher tier:

• Upgrade subscription
• Choose different strategy

Next Steps

• Configure Parameters - Fine-tune your bot
• Monitor Performance - Track results
• Strategies Guide - Explore more strategies
• DCA Guide - Dollar Cost Averaging setup
• ATR Stop Loss - Volatility-based stops