Frequently Asked Questions

First, open the Experts tab in MT4/MT5 to check for error messages — this usually points to the root cause.

Common causes & fixes:

• Clock icon missing on chart — If you don't see the clock icon on your TradingView chart next to the strategy name, the parameters currently loaded on the chart differ from the ones saved in your active alert. This mismatch causes the trades firing from the alert to differ from what you see on the chart. To fix it, delete the old alert entirely, refresh the TradingView page, verify all your strategy settings are correct on the chart, and then create a brand-new alert with the correct settings.
• Symbol mismatch — TradingView and your broker may use different names for the same instrument. For example, TradingView may show "GOLD" or "XAUUSD", while your broker may list it as "XAUUSD.pro", "GOLD.s", "XAUUSDm", or something else entirely. Open the EA inputs on your MT4/MT5 chart and use the Symbol Mapping field. Enter the mapping in the format GOLD=XAUUSD (TradingView symbol on the left, your broker symbol on the right). This tells the EA to execute trades on the correct broker symbol when it receives signals from TradingView.
• WebRequest not enabled — MT4/MT5 blocks external connections by default. You need to explicitly allow the bridge URL. Go to Tools → Options → Expert Advisors, tick "Allow WebRequest for listed URL", and add the bridge server URL exactly as shown in the setup document. Without this, the EA cannot communicate with the bridge server at all.
• Slippage filter blocking trades — The EA has a slippage tolerance input that compares the TradingView signal price with the current price on your broker. If the difference exceeds the tolerance, the trade is rejected to protect you from bad fills. However, if the tolerance is set too tight (e.g., 3 pips), normal market movement or slight delays can cause valid trades to be blocked. Check the Experts tab — if you see messages about slippage, increase the Slippage input on the EA (try 10–20 to start) and monitor whether trades come through. You can always tighten it later once you confirm everything is working.
• Using the wrong License ID — The bridge EA and the Chrome optimizer use separate license IDs. Make sure the License ID entered in the TradingView strategy alert message and in the EA inputs is your bridge license, not your optimizer license. This is a common mix-up that prevents all trade execution.

No, this message is completely normal and does not indicate a problem. The EA works by continuously polling the bridge server, asking "is there a new signal?" If no alert has fired from TradingView, the connection times out and MT4/MT5 logs it as "server unreachable." It is simply waiting for the next trade signal.

When a new trade does come through from TradingView, the counter resets and the trade executes. As long as your trades are being received when alerts fire, you can safely ignore this message. It will appear repeatedly during quiet periods when no trades are being generated — that is expected behaviour.

Duplicate trades are almost always caused by one of the following:

• Multiple alerts using the same License ID — If you have more than one alert active on TradingView that references the same bridge License ID, each alert will send its own trade signal to the EA, resulting in duplicates. Go to your TradingView alerts, sort by "Active", and make sure you only have one active alert per strategy per License ID. Delete any old or duplicate alerts.
• EA attached to multiple charts — If you have the same EA with the same License ID loaded on more than one chart in MT4/MT5, each instance will execute the incoming signal independently. Remove the EA from all charts except the one you intend to trade on.
• Old alerts left over after updates — When you update your strategy settings or the EA version, always delete old alerts before creating new ones. Stale alerts with outdated settings can fire alongside your current ones.

Yes. You can run multiple strategies going to the same demo account. Each strategy needs its own alert on TradingView with its own unique License ID, and each needs its own EA instance attached to a separate chart in MT4/MT5.

To run multiple MT4/MT5 terminals for different accounts on the same VPS or computer, copy the MT4/MT5 installation folder in your Program Files directory, rename the copy (e.g., "MetaTrader 4 - Strategy 2"), and open each one independently. Each terminal can log into a different account.

Keep in mind that running too many terminals on a low-spec VPS may cause performance issues. If you notice slowdowns, consider upgrading your VPS or reducing the number of simultaneous terminals.

This error means the VPS or computer you are using has an older CPU that does not support the AVX2 instruction set, which the compiled MT5 EA requires. This is a hardware limitation — not a bug in the EA.

How to fix it:

• Switch VPS providers — Some budget VPS providers use older server hardware. ForexVPS and providers with modern CPUs (typically Intel Haswell generation from 2013 or later) will work. Hyonix HS2 has also been confirmed to work.
• Try MT4 instead — The MT4 version of the EA does not have this CPU requirement. If your broker supports both MT4 and MT5, switching to MT4 is the quickest fix.
• Contact your VPS provider — Ask if they can migrate you to a server with AVX2-capable hardware.

A delay of 1–5 seconds is typical and acceptable. The signal travels from TradingView to the bridge server, then from the bridge server to your MT4/MT5 terminal, and then from your terminal to your broker's trade server.

If you are seeing delays of 10+ seconds, the issue is likely on the broker side. Some brokers (particularly on MT5) take longer to process trade requests. IC Markets MT5, for example, has been observed to have longer execution times compared to MT4 on the same broker.

Tips to reduce latency:

• Use a VPS geographically close to both the bridge server and your broker's trade server.
• Try MT4 instead of MT5 — MT4 tends to execute faster on some brokers.
• Test with a different broker to compare execution speeds.
• Check your VPS ping to your broker (shown in the bottom-right corner of MT4/MT5). Under 50ms is good; over 100ms may cause issues.

The news filter prevents the EA from opening new trades within a configurable time window before and after high-impact (red folder) economic news events. By default this is set to 2 minutes before and after, but you can change this in the EA inputs.

On MT5: The EA can use either the built-in MQL5 economic calendar or the Forex Factory calendar. You can select your preferred source in the EA inputs.

On MT4: MQL4 does not have a built-in economic calendar, so the EA fetches news data from Forex Factory via a web request. Make sure the Forex Factory URL is included in your allowed WebRequest URLs (Tools → Options → Expert Advisors).

What the news filter does:

• Blocks new trade entries during the news window.
• Optionally removes the Take Profit order before news and reattaches it after the window ends, to prevent TP from being triggered during volatile news spikes (which some prop firms prohibit).
• If the price has moved beyond the original TP level after news, the EA will execute a market close instead of placing a limit order that cannot be filled.
• The Stop Loss is not removed during news, because blocking a stop loss during high volatility would expose you to larger losses.

The news filter only applies on the MT4/MT5 EA side. It cannot be applied on TradingView because PineScript has no access to economic calendar data.

One License ID is tied to one active alert on TradingView. If you use a single alert, that same License ID can send trades to multiple MT4/MT5 terminals simultaneously — for example, a demo account and a prop firm account at the same time, as long as both EAs are using the same License ID and are connected to the same bridge.

However, if you want to run two different strategies (two separate alerts), each alert needs its own unique License ID. Using the same License ID on two different alerts will cause conflicts and unpredictable behaviour.

If you need additional licenses, contact the support team.

When creating the alert on TradingView, set the alert condition to your strategy, and in the alert message box, use exactly:

{{strategy.order.alert_message}}

This placeholder automatically inserts the correct trade details (entry, stop loss, take profit, license ID, etc.) from the strategy's code each time an alert fires. Do not type custom text — the EA expects a specific format that is generated by the strategy internally.

Make sure this text is placed in the Message box of the alert settings, not the alert Name.

Yes. Once an alert is created and active, it is independent of what you do on the chart. You can change settings, run optimizations, and test on different timeframes without affecting the active alert. The alert uses the parameters that were saved at the time it was created.

However, if you want your live trades to reflect new settings, you must delete the old alert and create a new one with the updated parameters. Remember to verify the clock icon appears on the chart after recreating the alert, confirming the chart settings match the alert.

If you see a caution message about backtesting on non-standard charts producing unrealistic results, it means your chart is set to a non-standard candlestick type such as Heikin Ashi, Renko, or similar. These chart types modify price data in ways that make backtesting results appear significantly better than they actually are — the equity curves can look unrealistically smooth and profitable.

Always backtest on standard (normal) candlestick charts. Leave the "Using standard OHLC" option unticked in the strategy settings. If you were getting unusually good results and are now getting worse results after switching to standard candles, the standard candle results are the accurate ones.

Different brokers on TradingView provide slightly different price data feeds, which means your backtest results will vary between brokers. This is normal — small differences in price data, spreads, and how the broker handles candle formation lead to different trade entries, exits, and therefore different equity curves.

Recommendation:

• Test your strategy on at least 3–5 brokers to get a realistic range of expected performance.
• Use a broker whose data is close to the broker you plan to trade live with.
• Do not chase the single best broker result — if your strategy only works well on one broker's data, it may be overfitted to that specific data feed.
• Forex.com and Oanda are commonly used. Oanda can have more decimal points in pricing which is fine for accuracy.

When you increase the risk percentage, profits and drawdowns both increase, but they do not scale linearly. This is because the strategy compounds — as your account equity grows from winning trades, subsequent position sizes increase, which amplifies both profits and drawdowns. The compounding effect means that higher risk percentages produce disproportionately larger swings in equity, which changes the ratio between total profit and maximum drawdown.

This is expected behaviour for any strategy using percentage-based position sizing with compounding equity.

Over a 365-day backtest period, aim for:

• 400+ trades — Enough sample size for statistical significance.
• Profit / Max DD ratio of 20+ — The higher the better. Some members have achieved 30–40+.
• Profit Factor of 1.5+ — Aim for closer to 2.0 if possible.
• Sharpe Ratio of 1+ — Indicates a favourable risk-adjusted return.

For 90-day or 30-day periods, a Profit/Max DD of 10+ is acceptable, as shorter timeframes naturally have less data and more sensitivity to recent market conditions.

Use the 365-day backtest to set your core parameters (for robustness), then use 30/90-day windows as forward validation to ensure the strategy is performing in current market conditions.

This was caused by the strategy only being able to close trades on the formation of a new candle (candle close). If the price moved sharply against a position within a single candle, the stop loss was only executed at the next candle's open, which could be significantly worse than the intended stop level.

This has been fixed in the latest update. The strategy now processes exits more efficiently so that stops are respected more accurately. Re-run your backtests with the latest version of the strategy to see improved results with tighter loss control.

If you still notice occasional oversized losses, they are likely caused by gap events (e.g., over weekends or during major news releases) where the market opens past your stop level. This is a market reality that cannot be eliminated by any strategy.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Make sure the TradingView strategy is loaded on the chart and the Strategy Tester panel is visible and open at the bottom of the screen before launching the optimizer.
2. Go to chrome://extensions/ in your browser, find the LTI Optimizer, and click the refresh/reload icon to reload the extension.
3. Reload the TradingView tab completely (hard refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R).
4. Close the optimizer side panel, then reopen it.
5. Make sure you are using the latest version of the extension (check the version number at chrome://extensions/).

If the optimizer opens but shows step 3 instead of step 1, or shows 0 trades and incorrect dates, it is likely reading stale data from a previous session. Close and reopen the side panel, reload the TradingView page, and try again.

Several things can cause the optimizer to stop mid-run:

• Screen lock or sleep mode — If you are running on your own computer (not a VPS), the optimizer requires the browser tab to remain active. If your screen locks, the computer sleeps, or you switch away from the tab for too long, the browser throttles or suspends the tab, and the optimizer pauses or stops. Use a VPS or adjust your power settings to prevent sleep.
• High iteration counts — Very large optimizations (5,000–10,000+ iterations) consume significant memory over time and can cause the browser tab to become unstable. Break your optimization into smaller batches of 1,000–2,000 iterations at a time.
• TradingView strategy report loading slowly — If TradingView's strategy tester takes too long to recalculate and display results between iterations, the optimizer may skip or timeout on certain iterations. This is more likely if your chart has many indicators plotted or is on a very data-heavy timeframe. Reduce chart clutter by removing unnecessary indicators and overlays during optimization.
• Plotting on the chart — Disable visual plotting of trades and indicators on the chart while optimizing. This significantly speeds up TradingView's strategy recalculation and reduces the chance of iterations being skipped.

Yes, this is normal. The estimated time is calculated based on the average duration of completed iterations. Early in the optimization, the estimate is based on very few data points and can fluctuate significantly. As more iterations complete, the average stabilises and the estimate becomes more accurate.

If the estimate keeps increasing as the optimization progresses, it usually means later iterations are taking longer than earlier ones. This can happen because certain parameter combinations produce more trades, which takes TradingView longer to calculate. The estimate will settle as the optimizer collects more timing data.

Presets, saved parameters, and reports are stored locally in the Chrome extension's storage. If you uninstall and reinstall the extension (or remove and re-download it), all locally stored data is lost. Simply reloading or refreshing the extension does not delete data.

To avoid losing data in the future:

• Regularly download your optimization reports and parameter files. The optimizer has a download/export function for this.
• Store downloaded files in a Google Drive folder so they are backed up and accessible from any device.
• You can recover most settings from your active TradingView alerts — the alert message contains your strategy parameters. You can also check the Reports tab in the optimizer for previously completed optimizations, if the extension was not reinstalled.

This usually comes down to one of these causes:

• Date range mismatch — Check that the backtest date range in TradingView's Strategy Tester matches exactly what was used during optimization. Even one day of difference can change the result.
• Broker data mismatch — If you switched the data provider (broker) on TradingView between the optimization run and your manual check, the price data is different, which leads to different results.
• Heikin Ashi or non-standard candles — If your chart was accidentally set to Heikin Ashi during optimization, the results will appear much better than they really are. Switch back to standard candlesticks.
• TradingView stale cache — Occasionally TradingView caches old strategy tester data. Refresh the page completely, then re-enter the settings.
• Strategy not refreshed after an update — If the strategy script was updated on TradingView but you didn't detach and reattach it, the chart may be running an older version. Remove the strategy from the chart and add it again.

Yes, you can run optimizations on different machines using the same TradingView account, but there is a chance that results may get mixed. This happens because both optimizations are pulling from the same strategy tester data on TradingView's servers.

When results get mixed, the parameters you get from the optimization may produce different backtest results when you apply them directly to the TradingView strategy. In other words, the reported performance during optimization may not match what you see when you run the strategy normally.

Running two optimizations simultaneously on the same device using the same account is not advisable, as this will almost certainly result in mixed outputs.

If you want to safely run optimizations in parallel, it's best to use separate TradingView accounts for each machine. This ensures each optimizer works with independent data and avoids any risk of result contamination.

Running one optimization (e.g., on a VPS) while doing manual testing on another device is generally fine, as long as both are not running optimizations at the same time.

The latest version of the optimizer automatically reads the current parameter values from your TradingView strategy and pre-fills the Start, End, and Step fields. The Start value is set to the current parameter value, the End value is set to roughly double the start value, and the Step is calculated based on the magnitude of the value — for example, values over 100 use a step of 10, values over 1000 use a step of 100, and decimal values use appropriately small decimal steps.

If the fields appear empty or incorrect, make sure you are running the latest version of the extension and that the strategy is fully loaded on the chart before opening the optimizer.

You do not strictly need a VPS, but it is strongly recommended for two reasons:

1. Your MT4/MT5 terminal must remain open 24/5 to receive trades. If your computer sleeps, shuts down, or loses internet, trades will be missed. A VPS runs continuously without interruption.
2. Long optimizations require the browser to stay active. If your screen locks or your laptop sleeps, the optimization stops. On a VPS, you can start an optimization, disconnect, and come back later to check results.

Recommended VPS providers:

• ForexVPS — More expensive (~€53/month) but specifically designed for trading with excellent support and reliability. Use promo code Nico20 for 20% off.
• Hyonix HS2 — Budget option (~$12/month), confirmed working well. The HS2 (2 cores) is recommended over HS1 (1 core), as the single-core version can be slow when running both Chrome and MT4/MT5 simultaneously.
• Contabo — Another budget option with decent specs.

Make sure your VPS runs Windows and has a modern CPU that supports AVX2 if you plan to use the MT5 EA.

Yes. The VPS should ideally be located close to both the bridge server and your broker's trade server to minimise latency. If your VPS, the bridge, and your broker are all in different continents, you will experience higher delays on trade execution.

For most users trading with UK/EU brokers, a European VPS location (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam) is a good choice. If trading with an Australian broker like IC Markets, consider an Australian or Singapore-based VPS.

Yes. When you install a fresh MT4/MT5 on a new VPS, it is a completely separate installation with its own files. You need to:

1. Download the latest EA file from the Google Drive folder.
2. Open MT4/MT5 on the VPS, go to File → Open Data Folder.
3. Navigate to MQL4/Experts (for MT4) or MQL5/Experts (for MT5).
4. Copy the EA file into that folder.
5. Restart MT4/MT5 or right-click in the Navigator panel and select "Refresh."
6. The EA should now appear in the Navigator under Expert Advisors. Drag it onto your chart.
7. Go to Tools → Options → Expert Advisors, enable "Allow automated trading" and "Allow WebRequest for listed URL", and add the bridge URL.

The VPS itself does not stop. It continues running even when you disconnect. However, your Remote Desktop (RDP) session may end depending on your settings:

• For EA trading: The EA will continue to run and receive trades even if your RDP session disconnects, as long as MT4/MT5 is open on the VPS.
• For optimization: The browser and optimizer should continue running on the VPS even after you disconnect from RDP. If the optimization stops when you disconnect, check that you are not accidentally running TradingView on your local machine instead of on the VPS. Also check your VPS power settings — ensure it is set to "Never sleep."

Yes, but you must carefully read and follow your prop firm's rules. Key things to check:

• EA/bot usage — Confirm that the prop firm allows automated trading / Expert Advisors. Most do, but some have restrictions.
• News trading rules — Many prop firms prohibit opening trades within a certain time window around high-impact news events. Use the news filter on the EA to comply. Some firms also prohibit having a Take Profit triggered during news — the EA supports removing TP before news and reattaching it after.
• Weekend holding — Some firms do not allow holding trades over the weekend. Plan your strategy accordingly or consider using an earlier session close.
• Copy trading / same strategies — Some firms do not allow multiple accounts running identical strategies. This is why it is important to optimise your own unique parameters rather than copying someone else's settings exactly.

Recommended firms from the community:

• FTMO — Use the Swing account for EA trading. Note that discount codes typically do not apply to swing accounts.
• FundedNext — Generally allows EAs but always confirm current rules with their support.

Start with a small account size first to verify that payouts are processed correctly before committing larger capital.

You can run multiple MT4/MT5 terminals on the same VPS by duplicating the installation folder:

1. Go to your Program Files directory on the VPS.
2. Copy the entire MT4 or MT5 folder.
3. Paste it and rename it (e.g., "MetaTrader 4 - FTMO", "MetaTrader 4 - FundedNext").
4. Open each copy separately and log into a different broker/account in each.
5. Attach the EA with the appropriate License ID to each terminal.

Each terminal operates independently. Just make sure your VPS has enough RAM and CPU to handle multiple terminals without slowdowns.

Run through this checklist in order:

1. Experts tab — Check the MT4/MT5 Experts tab for any error messages.
2. Alert is active — On TradingView, confirm your alert shows a green "Active" status.
3. Clock icon — Verify the clock icon is visible next to your strategy name on the TradingView chart.
4. Correct License ID — Confirm you are using the bridge License ID (not the optimizer one) in both the strategy alert and the EA inputs.
5. WebRequest enabled — Tools → Options → Expert Advisors → the bridge URL is listed and allowed.
6. AutoTrading enabled — The "AutoTrading" button in the MT4/MT5 toolbar should be green/enabled.
7. Alert message — The alert message box should contain exactly {{strategy.order.alert_message}} — no extra text, no missing characters.
8. One alert per license — Only one active alert should reference each License ID.
9. One EA per chart — Only one EA instance with that License ID should be attached in MT4/MT5.
10. Try a lower timeframe — Switch to a 1-minute chart temporarily to generate signals quickly and confirm the bridge is working before switching back to your intended timeframe.
11. Try a different broker — If nothing else works, install a different broker's MT4/MT5 and test with their demo account. Some broker versions have compatibility issues that others do not.

If the issue persists after all of the above, submit a support ticket with screenshots of your Experts tab, TradingView alert settings, EA inputs, and your VPS details if applicable.