Autonomous Trading v6
Give your agent a budget, a target, and a deadline — then let it trade. The agent creates a strategy wallet, scans for opportunities, opens positions, protects profits with DSL, and enforces risk controls.
Prerequisites
Install these companion skills first:
- dsl-dynamic-stop-loss — trailing stops, auto-closing, per-tier retrace
- opportunity-scanner — market scanning, scoring, hourly trend gate
- emerging-movers — SM rotation detection, IMMEDIATE_MOVER signals
Minimum budget: $500 (recommend $1k+)
Known Bugs & Gotchas
See
references/bugs-and-gotchas.md — critical issues from live trading including the
bug, phantom closes, XYZ DEX margin type, Tier 1 lock misconception, and scanner leverage vs actual max.
The Flow
Step 1: Ask the User
Collect: budget, target, deadline, risk tolerance (conservative/moderate/aggressive), asset preferences.
Step 2: Calculate the Playbook
See references/risk-rules.md for complete risk rules by profile.
v6 Core Rules:
The #1 Rule — Hourly Trend Alignment. ALL trades must confirm with hourly candle structure. Counter-trend = hard skip, no exceptions. This single rule prevents the majority of losing trades.
Max Leverage Check. Always check
before entering. Scanner leverage is conservative, not actual max.
Concentration Over Diversification. At small account sizes ($500-$10k), 2-4 high-conviction positions beat 6 mediocre ones. Cross-margin math: 4 positions → 80.6% margin buffer, 2 positions → 89.7%.
Every Slot Must Maximize ROI. Empty slot > mediocre position. If a position isn't working, cut it and free the slot.
Speed Filter. Best moves happen FAST (XRP hit Tier 3 in 19 min, XMR Tier 2 in 37 min). Slow movers are suspects.
Directional Exposure Guard
Before opening, check total LONG vs SHORT notional. Cap at 70% in one direction.
Position Sizing by Score
| Scanner Score | Position Size |
|---|
| 250+ | Up to max per-position |
| 200-250 | 75% of max |
| 175-200 | 50% of max |
| < 175 | Skip |
Step 3: Create the Strategy
strategy_create_strategy(budgetUsd, leverageType, riskLabel)
Returns
+
. Fund the wallet.
Step 4: Create the Playbook File
JSON config tracking: risk profile, position limits, score thresholds, active positions, trade journal. See references/playbook-schema.md.
Step 5: Set Up Cron Jobs
Race Condition Prevention (v6 — CRITICAL)
Multiple cron jobs (scanner, SM flip, DSL) can all try to close the same position. When ANY job closes a position:
python
# 1. Close the position
result = close_position(wallet, asset)
# 2. Immediately deactivate DSL state file
state["active"] = False
save_state(state)
# 3. Disable DSL cron for this asset
disable_cron(f"dsl-{asset}")
All three steps MUST happen in the same action. This prevents phantom closes.
Cron Schedule:
| Job | Interval | Purpose |
|---|
| Opportunity Scanner | 10-30 min (time-aware) | Find setups |
| DSL Monitor | 2-3 min per position | Trailing stops |
| SM Flip Detector | 5 min | Conviction changes |
| Portfolio Update | 15 min | Reporting |
See references/cron-setup.md for detailed cron configuration, time-aware scheduling, and SM flip detection logic.
Step 6: The Trading Loop
SCAN → EVALUATE → TRADE → PROTECT → REPEAT
For each scan result:
1. Check hourly trend alignment (HARD REQUIREMENT)
2. Check directional exposure guard
3. Check max leverage via max-leverage.json
4. Score ≥ 175? → Size by score tier
5. Open position → Create DSL state → Start DSL cron
6. Journal the trade (scanner snapshot at entry)
v6: Dead Weight Cutting
| Condition | Action |
|---|
| SM conviction drops 4→1 (e.g., 220→24 traders in 10 min) | Cut immediately |
| Dead weight at conviction 0 | Cut immediately — free the slot |
| Position stagnant, better opportunity available | Rotate |
Step 7: Safety Rails
Hard Stops (automatic):
- Daily loss limit hit → stop trading for the day
- Total drawdown hard stop → close all positions, alert user
- DSL breach → auto-close (handled by script)
What the Agent Should NEVER Do:
- Trade counter-trend on hourly
- Exceed position size limits
- Override DSL
- Average down on a losing position
- Ignore the directional exposure guard
Step 8: Lessons from the Field
See references/lessons.md for what works, what doesn't, retrace tuning, and fee awareness from live trading.
API Reference
See references/api-tools.md for the key Senpi tools used by this recipe.