TradeBotPro Help Center

Getting Started

Five simple steps to automate your trading with Alpaca.

1

Create Your Alpaca Account

TradeBotPro connects to Alpaca Markets — a free, commission-free brokerage API. You must have an account there to trade.

No deposit required for Paper Trading (practice mode).

2

Complete Identity Verification

Sign up and complete Alpaca's identity verification (KYC). This is required by federal law for all financial trading accounts. Takes about 5 minutes.

3

Generate API Keys

In your Alpaca dashboard, find "API Keys" and click "Generate New Key."

Important: You'll see a Key ID and a Secret Key. Copy and save both immediately — the Secret Key is only shown once.
4

Configure TradeBotPro

Open the bot, go to the Settings tab, and paste your keys:

  • Paste your API Key ID
  • Paste your Secret Key
  • Select Paper Trading to start safely (recommended)
  • Choose Stocks or Crypto as your asset type
5

Enter Your License Key & Start

Click Start Bot on the Dashboard. The first time, a popup will ask for your license key — enter the key emailed to you after purchase. The bot will verify it and begin scanning immediately.

Bot Settings: Explained Simply

Every setting, in plain English — no jargon.

💡 Pro Tip: Use AI to Set Your Numbers

Not sure what values to use? Take a screenshot of your Settings tab and ask any AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini):

"Here is a screenshot of my TradeBotPro settings. I have $500 to invest and want to be conservative. What numbers should I use?"

Trading Timeframe

The "Pulse" of the Bot

Controls the candle size for all strategies. 5 Minute = Day Trading (fast). 30 Minute = Swing Trading (reliable, fewer false signals).

Risk per Trade ($)

The "Bet Size"

This is NOT how much you buy. It's how much you're willing to lose if a trade goes wrong. The bot uses ATR to calculate share size automatically from this number.

Live Strategies (Checkboxes)

The "Playbook"

Check multiple boxes and the bot scans for all of them simultaneously. Mix Trend Pullback + RSI Divergence for powerful combined coverage.

ATR Stop Multiplier

The "Safety Net"

Sets your stop-loss width. Higher = more room to breathe. Lower = cuts losses faster. A value of 1.0 is standard; use 1.5–2.0 for swing trades.

ATR Profit Multiplier

The "Goal Line"

Sets your take-profit target. Best practice: set this to 2× your Stop Multiplier (e.g., Stop = 1.0, Profit = 2.0 gives you a 2:1 risk-reward ratio).

Trade Mode

Day vs. Swing

Day Trade: Sells all stock positions before market close (3:50 PM ET). Swing Trade: Holds overnight — only exits on stop-loss or take-profit.

Enable Trailing Stop NEW

Locks In Profits Automatically

When enabled, the bot moves your stop-loss upward as a trade becomes profitable — protecting gains without cutting winners short.

Trailing Stop % NEW

How Tight the Trail Is

e.g., 1.5 = the stop trails 1.5% below the rolling high price. Tighter = more profit locked in but easier to get stopped out early.

Breakeven Trigger % NEW

Move Stop to Entry Price

When a trade moves up by this %, the stop automatically moves to your entry price. You literally can no longer lose on that trade.

Min ATR % Filter NEW

Volatility Guard

Skips trades when a stock is moving too slowly. e.g., 0.3 = skip the trade if ATR is less than 0.3% of price. Avoids choppy, low-opportunity conditions.

Signal Score Threshold NEW

Confirmation Required

Set to 2 or 3 to require more independent signals before a trade is entered. Reduces false signals — but also reduces trade frequency. Start with 1 or 2.

Daily Profit / Stop-Loss Limits

Your Daily Guardrails

If your realized P/L hits either limit, the bot pauses new trades for the day. Hit the "Resume (Override P/L)" button to continue if needed.

All 15 Trading Strategies

The bot analyzes candles from your chosen timeframe (5m, 15m, or 30m) to find signals. Mix and match with checkboxes.

Stock Strategies

Trend Pullback (BB+Stoch)

Uptrend confirmed by MACD. Waits for price to dip to the Bollinger Band midline, then buys the bounce. The most reliable stock strategy.

Pattern + Confirm (TA-Lib)

Strict. Finds bullish candlestick patterns (Hammer, Engulfing, Morning Star) confirmed by Volume surge, RSI < 70, and MACD crossover.

Pattern + Volume (TA-Lib)

Looser version of the above — requires only a bullish pattern plus a volume surge. More signals, slightly less selective.

Mean Reversion (BB+RSI)

Buys when RSI is oversold (< 30) AND price is below the lower Bollinger Band simultaneously — the "double confirmation" oversold signal.

Momentum Cross (MACD+Stoch)

Buys when MACD just crossed up from below its signal line AND Stochastic is also rising. Chases clean momentum moves.

Golden Cross (SMA 50/200)

The classic long-term bullish signal. Triggers when the 50-period SMA crosses above the 200-period SMA — works best on 30-min timeframe.

VWAP Reversion (Intraday)

Buys when price is more than 2% below VWAP (statistically "cheap") while the 50-SMA is still above the 200-SMA (uptrend intact).

RSI Divergence (Bullish) NEW v20

Detects when price makes a lower low but RSI makes a higher low — a divergence that signals weakening selling pressure and an incoming reversal.

Crypto Strategies

Trend Follow (EMA 50/200)

Buys when the EMA 50 crosses above EMA 200 AND MACD confirms momentum. The crypto "Golden Cross" — powerful on 15m/30m timeframes.

Mean Reversion (BB+RSI)

The classic crypto oversold signal. Buys when RSI < 30 AND price is below the lower Bollinger Band — BTC bounces strongly from this signal.

Breakout (BB+Volume)

Buys when price breaks ABOVE the upper Bollinger Band with volume 3× above average. High risk, high reward — great for volatile crypto moves.

MA Cross (SMA 20/50)

A simpler trend signal. Buys the moment the 20-SMA crosses above the 50-SMA — catches early trend changes before the crowd.

Momentum (EMA 20 + MACD)

Buys when price crosses above the 20-EMA AND MACD simultaneously crosses from negative to positive territory. Catches early momentum shifts.

MA Cross + RSI Oversold

The 20-SMA crosses above 50-SMA while RSI is simultaneously oversold (< 30). A double-confirmation reversal signal.

RSI Divergence (Bullish) NEW v20

Same powerful divergence signal applied to crypto. Price lower low + RSI higher low = selling exhaustion. Often catches BTC bounces early.

New in v20.0

Major upgrades that make the bot more powerful and easier to evaluate.

📊 Stats & Performance Tab

A dedicated dashboard that reads from your trade history and shows:

  • ✅ Total trades and Win Rate (%)
  • ✅ Sharpe Ratio (annualised) — >1.0 is good, >2.0 is excellent
  • ✅ Max Drawdown — largest peak-to-trough equity loss
  • ✅ Average Gain & Average Loss per trade
  • ✅ Color-coded trade history (green = win, red = loss)
  • ✅ CSV export button for your full trade journal

🔒 Trailing Stop Loss

Enable in Settings → Advanced Risk. Two phases:

  • Phase 1 — Breakeven: When a trade rises by your "Breakeven Trigger %" (e.g., 1%), the stop automatically moves to your entry price. You cannot lose.
  • Phase 2 — Trail: The stop then trails below the rolling high by your "Trailing Stop %" (e.g., 1.5%). As price rises, the stop follows — locking in more and more profit.

📉 RSI Divergence Strategy

A professional reversal signal now built in for both stocks and crypto. When price makes a lower low but RSI makes a higher low, it means sellers are losing power even as price drops. This divergence often precedes sharp rallies and is missed by most retail traders.

🔬 Enhanced Backtest Report

The backtest now outputs five new metrics after every run: Win Rate (%), Average Gain, Average Loss, Sharpe Ratio, and Max Drawdown — alongside the equity curve chart. Use these to decide whether a strategy is worth trading live.

🔇 Volatility Filter

Set a "Min ATR %" in Advanced Risk settings. The bot will automatically skip any trade where the market is too quiet (ATR is too small relative to price). This avoids entering choppy, directionless markets where strategies have low edge.

🔔 Sound Alerts

The bot now plays a brief audio beep on Windows when a trade executes. A high beep (880 Hz) signals a buy entry. A lower beep (440 Hz) signals a sell. No configuration needed — works on any Windows 10/11 PC.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we get most often — answered clearly.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. TradeBotPro is a downloadable Windows application. You install it like any program, enter your API keys, and click Start. Zero coding at any step.

What is Alpaca? Do I need an account?

Alpaca is a free, commission-free brokerage API. You sign up at alpaca.markets (free), complete identity verification, generate your API keys, and paste them into the bot. You can start with Paper Trading (fake money) — no deposit required.

Is my money at risk?

Paper Trading mode uses completely fake money. Nothing is at risk. Live Trading uses real money only if you explicitly select it in Settings and confirm a warning dialog. We strongly recommend starting in Paper Trading to understand how the bot behaves before going live.

What if the bot makes bad trades?

You set a Daily Stop-Loss Limit. If the bot's realized losses exceed that amount in one day, it stops placing new trades automatically. Every individual trade also has a stop-loss based on ATR. The "Force Sell All" button on the dashboard lets you instantly exit all positions if needed.

Does it work on Mac?

Currently Windows 10 and Windows 11 only. Mac support is planned. For 24/7 operation (especially crypto), consider running the bot on a Windows VPS.

Do I need to keep my computer on?

Yes — the bot runs locally on your machine. If you close the app, it stops. All open trades and P/L are saved to a local SQLite database, so everything is restored perfectly when you restart. For 24/7 crypto trading, a Windows VPS is recommended.

What is the Sharpe Ratio shown in the Stats tab?

The Sharpe Ratio measures your return relative to the risk you're taking. A Sharpe above 1.0 is considered good; above 2.0 is excellent. If your Sharpe is below 0.5, the strategy may not have a strong enough edge. Use backtesting to tune your settings until the Sharpe improves before going live.

Does this bot trade Options or Futures?

No. TradeBotPro is designed exclusively for Stocks (Equities) and Cryptocurrencies through the Alpaca API. It does not support options, futures, or forex trading.

⚠ Risk Disclosure

Trading in financial markets carries a high level of risk. TradeBotPro is a software tool provided "as is" without warranties. We do not guarantee profits. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You acknowledge that you can lose some or all of your invested capital. The developers are not financial advisors.