Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is SignalPipe? SignalPipe is the webhook execution engine that connects TradingView trading alerts to your Alpaca brokerage account. It automates the entire process of receiving signals, placing orders, managing positions with DCA, and tracking profit and loss.

Do I need to be online for SignalPipe to work? No. Once your TradingView alert is created and active, the entire chain runs in the cloud. TradingView sends the webhook, SignalPipe processes it on Blockresearch's servers, and Alpaca executes the order. You do not need to be logged in or have any browser open.

Is SignalPipe free? SignalPipe is included with your vyn premium subscription. It is also available as a standalone subscription. There are no additional fees for using it. Alpaca is commission-free for US stock trading.

Can I use SignalPipe for crypto trading? Yes. SignalPipe supports crypto symbols that trade on Alpaca (e.g., BTCUSD, ETHUSD). Crypto symbols trade 24/7 and are not subject to market hours restrictions. Use the Quote Currency setting to automatically convert ticker suffixes from your Pine Script (e.g. BTCUSDT to BTCUSD).

What happens if the Blockresearch server is down? If the SignalPipe endpoint is unreachable, TradingView will attempt to retry the webhook delivery. However, SignalPipe always returns HTTP 200 once a request is received (even on internal errors) to prevent retries that could cause duplicate orders.

Trading

How fast are orders executed? Orders are typically placed within 1-3 seconds of the webhook being received. Actual fill times depend on market conditions and Alpaca's execution speed.

What order types does SignalPipe use? Buy orders are placed as market orders for immediate execution. Take-profit sell orders are placed as limit orders that sit on the order book until the price reaches the target.

Can I have different take-profit percentages for different stocks? Yes. You can edit the take-profit percentage on any individual deal card using the "Edit TP" action. Changes to the global TP% in settings only affect new deals -- existing deals retain their original TP% unless you explicitly edit them.

What happens if I receive a buy signal while the market is closed? In live mode, stock buy signals received outside of extended trading hours (Mon-Fri 4:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET) are silently skipped and logged. Crypto symbols trade 24/7 and are not affected. In paper mode, market hours are not enforced.

Can I manually close a position? Yes. You can close a position using the "Close Deal" button on the deal card, or directly on the Alpaca website or app. The dashboard will detect the change in real time.

Can I manually add more shares to a position? Yes. Use the "Add Funds" button on the deal card to place a market or limit buy order that adds to an existing position. The average entry and take-profit will be recalculated automatically.

What happens if a safety order arrives right as the TP is filling? SignalPipe checks the TP order status before processing a safety order. If the TP was already filled, the deal is marked as completed and the safety order is handled accordingly. This race condition protection prevents placing buys for positions that have already been sold.

Account & Security

Are my Alpaca API keys stored securely? Yes. API keys are encrypted with AES-256-CBC encryption using a 256-bit key before being stored. Each encryption uses a unique random initialization vector (IV). The raw keys are never stored in the database.

What is the SignalPipe Secret? The SignalPipe Secret is a unique cryptographic identifier assigned to your account. It is included in every webhook alert sent from TradingView and is used by SignalPipe to authenticate the alert and identify which Alpaca account to execute on. Never share your secret publicly. The same secret is used for both your Alpaca and Capital.com connections.

Can someone else use my secret to place trades? If someone has your webhook URL and secret, they could send webhook requests that would trigger trades on your Alpaca account. Treat your secret like a password. If you suspect it has been compromised, contact support to have it regenerated.

Can I use both paper and live Alpaca accounts? Yes. You can connect both a paper and a live Alpaca account simultaneously. Use the Paper/Live toggle in the SignalPipe header to switch between them. Each account has its own separate deals, settings, and activity log.

Limits & Restrictions

Is there a limit on the number of active deals? Yes. The Max Active Deals setting controls how many open positions you can have simultaneously. The default is 3. You can increase this in Settings, but be mindful of your account balance and risk exposure.

Is there a limit on safety orders per deal? There is no hard limit on the number of safety orders per deal within SignalPipe. Each new buy signal for an existing position adds another safety order to the ladder. The practical limit is your available capital and the safety order settings in your Pine Script.

What is the minimum order size? Alpaca requires a minimum order value of approximately $10. If your Pine Script calculates a share quantity that results in an order below this threshold, the order will be rejected.

Does SignalPipe support fractional shares? Yes. Alpaca supports fractional shares for eligible US stocks, and SignalPipe passes the exact quantity from your Pine Script to Alpaca.

Pattern Day Trader (PDT) Rule — Important for Alpaca

What is the PDT rule? The Pattern Day Trader (PDT) rule is a US regulation enforced by FINRA. It states that any margin account with less than $25,000 in equity is limited to a maximum of 3 day trades within a rolling 5 business day period. A day trade is defined as buying and selling (or selling and buying) the same security on the same day.

How does the PDT rule affect SignalPipe on Alpaca? SignalPipe opens a position (buy) and immediately places a take-profit limit sell order. If the TP fills on the same day, Alpaca counts this as a day trade. After 3 such day trades in 5 business days, Alpaca may block further sell orders, leaving your positions open without automatic take-profit protection.

Does the PDT rule apply to my account? The PDT rule applies to all Alpaca margin accounts with less than $25,000 in equity. Alpaca does not currently offer cash accounts, so there is no workaround on their side.

What are my options?

1. Fund your Alpaca account to $25,000 or more — The PDT rule no longer applies and SignalPipe works without any restrictions.
2. Switch to Capital.com — Capital.com is a CFD broker with no PDT restrictions and no minimum balance requirement. It is fully supported in SignalPipe (Settings → Broker → Capital.com). Sign up for Capital.com here.
3. Use Alpaca for swing trades only — Avoid closing positions on the same day they were opened. As long as you stay under 3 day trades per 5 business days, the PDT rule will not restrict you.

Will SignalPipe warn me about PDT? We are working on a server-side PDT check that will detect this situation before opening new trades and warn you proactively. This feature is coming soon.