Troubleshooting
If your automated trades are not working as expected, use this guide to diagnose and resolve common issues.
Alerts Not Being Received
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| No webhook entries in the activity log | TradingView alert not firing or webhook URL incorrect | Verify the webhook URL in your TradingView alert settings matches the URL shown on your Settings page. Ensure the alert condition is set to the vyn premium strategy. |
| No webhook entries in the activity log | TradingView alert expired | TradingView alerts have expiration dates. Check that your alert is still active and set to "Open-ended" if available. |
| No webhook entries in the activity log | Alert message format incorrect | The message field must be exactly {{strategy.order.alert_message}}. Any other text will cause the payload to be malformed. |
Alerts Received but Orders Not Placed
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Log shows "Signal skipped -- no subscription" | No active SignalPipe or vyn premium subscription | Subscribe at app.blockresearch.ai to enable automated execution. |
| Log shows "Signal skipped -- automation disabled" | Automation is toggled off | Go to Settings and enable Automation. |
| Log shows "Signal skipped -- max deals reached" | All deal slots are occupied | Wait for an existing deal to close, or increase your Max Active Deals limit in Settings. |
| Log shows "Signal skipped -- market closed" | US stock market is closed and you are in live mode | Stock orders can only be placed during extended hours (Mon-Fri 4:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET). If you need to test outside these hours, switch to paper mode. Crypto pairs trade 24/7. |
| Log shows "Buy signal skipped -- new deals paused" | Accept New Deals is toggled off | Go to Settings and enable Accept New Deals. |
| Log shows "Unauthorized" | Pointer mismatch | Verify the pointer in your Pine Script settings matches the SignalPipe Secret shown on your Settings page. |
Orders Failing
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Log shows "Order too small" | Order value below Alpaca's $10 minimum | Increase the Base Order Size in your vyn premium settings so the dollar amount per order is at least $10. |
| Log shows "Asset not found" | Ticker not available on Alpaca | Not all tickers are tradable on Alpaca. Check alpaca.markets/docs for supported assets. For crypto, make sure the Quote Currency setting matches the expected format (e.g. BTCUSD, not BTCUSDT). |
| Log shows "Order not filled" | Market order timed out or was rejected | This can happen with very low-liquidity stocks or during unusual market conditions. Check the Alpaca dashboard for the order status. |
| Log shows "Insufficient buying power" | Not enough cash to place the order | Deposit more funds or reduce your position sizes. |
| Log shows "Invalid quantity" | Quantity is 0 or not a valid number | Check your Pine Script settings. The dollar amount and share calculation must produce a quantity greater than 0. |
Take-Profit Issues
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Log shows "Take-profit order failed" | TP limit sell could not be placed | This can happen if the calculated TP price is invalid (e.g., $0). The position is open but unprotected. Consider placing a manual sell order on Alpaca or using the "Edit TP" action on the deal card. |
| Log shows "Take-profit update failed" | New TP could not be placed after a safety order | The old TP was cancelled but the new one failed. The position has no active TP protection. |
| TP never fills | TP price set too high | Lower your Take-Profit Percentage in Settings. A lower TP% means the target is closer to your entry price and more likely to be reached. |
Dashboard Issues
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Dashboard shows "not connected" | Credentials invalid or expired | Regenerate API keys on Alpaca and reconnect in Settings. |
| Active deal shows but no position on Alpaca | TP was filled or position was manually closed | Reload the dashboard to trigger a sync. The real-time listener should also detect this automatically. |
| P&L shows as $0 or incorrect | Live position data could not be fetched | Check your internet connection and Alpaca API status. |
| Wrong account shown | Paper/Live toggle is on the wrong mode | Use the Paper/Live toggle in the SignalPipe header to switch accounts. |
General Tips
- Always check the Log tab first. Every action SignalPipe takes is logged with a descriptive message.
- Use the Test tab. Send manual test orders to verify your setup without waiting for a real signal.
- Start with paper mode. Verify everything works with simulated money before switching to live trading.
- One alert per chart. Having multiple alerts for the same strategy on the same chart can cause duplicate signals.
- Keep your TradingView session active. Alerts only fire while your TradingView session is running. A paid TradingView plan ensures server-side alert execution.