Time stop

A time stop closes a position after a set number of candles of the main timeframe, whatever the price. Without one, a position stays open until another exit closes it.

Set it in the strategy builder (Create or Edit), under Exit: turn on Time stop and fill in Exit after (candles). It is on the Standard Exit and the Indicator-Based Exit. Buy and Hold has no exit, so it has no time stop.

How the candles are counted

It counts candles, not clock time, so the backtest and live trading close on the same candle. The candle the position was entered on is candle 1. When the last counted candle closes, the position is sold at the start of the next candle with a market order.

• On candle close: you enter at a candle's open, so the position is held exactly the number you set. With 1-hour candles and 10 candles, that is 10 hours.
• On candle touch: you usually enter partway through a candle, and that candle still counts as candle 1. A setting of 10 holds between 9 and 10 candles.
• It counts time slots of the candle size, not only candles received. A missing candle still counts. The close is at the first candle at or after the due time.

The builder shows the length under the field, for example "≈ 10 hours on 1h candles".

Settings

Setting	Default	What it does
Time stop	off	Close positions after a number of candles. Off: time does not close them.
Exit after (candles)	empty (gray 10)	Most candles of the main timeframe a position is held. A whole number from 1 to 1000.

Together with the other exits

• Stops, take-profit, a trailing stop, and the other loss controls can still close a position earlier, including inside the last counted candle.
• If exit conditions are met at the same candle close, and Minimum profit % is reached when you set one, the position closes once, with the reason exit conditions.
• Minimum profit % does not hold the time stop back: it closes even at a loss. Minimum profit % applies only to the Indicator-Based Exit.
• With Multiple positions, each position counts its own candles.
• Trading hours do not hold the time stop back. Exits run around the clock.
• If a session-end exit is due at the same candle close, the position closes once, with the reason session end.
• If the trade was paused or the app was not running when a time stop was due, the position closes as soon as the trade runs again. The log says "Time stop was overdue; closed at the first price after the due time." The overdue note appears only when the close is at least one full candle late, and not when exit conditions closed the trade.

Warnings

Shown under the time stop. Saving is still allowed.

• "The time stop (3 candles ≈ 3 hours) is shorter than one candle of RSI > 70's 4h timeframe, so the exit condition may never get a chance." That is 3 candles on 1h with an exit condition on 4h. Use more candles, or exit conditions on a shorter timeframe. Indicator-Based Exit only.
• "Touch trigger: the time stop counts the entry candle, so a position is held between 9 and 10 candles." With On candle touch and 10 candles, the entry candle counts as candle 1. On candle close holds exactly the number shown.

These block Save until fixed:

• "Time stop is on: set the number of candles (or turn it off)."
• "Time stop: the number of candles must be a whole number from 1 to 1000"