See exactly how the software works

Sometimes you'll be in a trade on a ticker and then get an alert pointing the other direction on that same ticker — you're holding SPY calls, and a SPY puts alert comes in. Normally the bot just takes the new trade and you're now in both at once: the calls and the puts, each running until it hits its own target or stop.

Side Swapping is a per-strategy switch that changes that. When it's on and an alert arrives for the opposite side of a ticker you already hold, the bot closes the position you're holding first — win or loss — and then takes the new side. You "swap" from one direction to the other instead of sitting in both.

You'll find it on the Strategies page, in a strategy's Risk & Orders tab under Side Swapping. Like every other strategy setting, it's saved per strategy and takes effect right away — no restart needed.

Only the ticker matters — not the strike

The bot looks at the root ticker only. The exact strike and expiration don't matter, and neither does which one is "calls" and which is "puts" — just whether it's the opposite side of the same underlying.

• SPY call → SPY put (any strikes) → same ticker, opposite side → the call is closed.
• SPY call → NVDA put → different tickers → nothing happens; both trades stay open.

Example

Your strategy is holding a SPY 760 call that's up a little. A SPY 755 put alert comes in. With Side Swapping on, the bot market-sells the 760 call right then — locking in wherever it is, win or loss — and opens the put. With the switch off, you'd simply be holding the call and the put at the same time.

When the close happens

The close fires as soon as the opposite-side alert arrives — it isn't waiting for your profit target or stop. If the held position is green, you keep that gain; if it's red, you take that loss. The point of the switch is to not be caught holding both directions of the same ticker at once.

It only ever touches that strategy's own positions on that one ticker. Other strategies, and your positions on other tickers, are left completely alone.

Note

Because the close fires on any opposite-side alert, it works best on a strategy that trades both calls and puts. If you've restricted a strategy to calls only (or puts only) under Trade Direction, an opposite-side alert will still close your held side — but the new trade is then rejected by that direction filter, so you'd end up flat. If you use a direction filter, you probably don't want Side Swapping on.

Testing it first

The same switch is on the Backtest page, so you can see the difference before turning it on for real money. Run your strategy with it off and again with it on over a window where the same ticker flips direction during the day — swapped exits show up as a Side Swap exit reason, and you can compare the results. See Backtest.

Tip

Side Swapping decides what happens when you flip direction on a ticker; your Profit Target & Stop-Loss still govern a position that isn't swapped out. The two work together.