Write your first strategy
Go from a plain-English idea to a scored backtest.
This guide takes you from a blank terminal to a graded backtest. You can build a strategy three ways: they all compile to the same engine, and you can switch between them at any time.
1. Describe the idea#
In the terminal, write the strategy the way you'd say it: direction, asset, entry, exit, timeframe, window. The parser fills in sensible defaults and marks them with amber chips so you can confirm or change them.
Prefer no syntax? The visual builder is point and click condition trees: add indicator, price and pattern conditions, group them with AND / OR or run them in sequence, and set stops, sizing and direction. Every visual strategy reads back as text and runs on the same engine.
The AI copilot is a chat panel in the builder. Ask for a change, "add a 2% stop", "take profit at 2R", "switch to 4h", and it proposes a reviewable card you apply or dismiss. Nothing changes without your click.
Buy BTC when RSI(14) crosses above 30, exit at 3R or a 2% stop, on the 4h for the last 90 daysRun in terminal2. Check what was parsed#
Open the parsed strategy card and confirm the pieces before you spend a run: asset, timeframe, direction, entry/exit conditions, stops and sizing. Edit anything inline: periods, thresholds, SL/TP, direction, then save.
A query needs an asset, an entry, an exit, a timeframe and a window to run well. The completeness hints and the Rephrase tool nudge you toward a full query before you spend a backtest.
3. Run and read#
Hit run. In a few seconds you get summary metrics, an annotated chart, the trade ledger, robustness checks and a letter grade.
Next: learn to read the report, then validate the idea before you trust it.