Bots
Troubleshooting

No New Positions

TIP: Can't figure out what your bot is (or is not) doing? Check the bot log for more information. This includes a detailed history of what the bot is doing. You can acess this by viewing the bot and then selecting the "Log" tab from the bot's screens.

There are many different reasons that a bot may not enter a new position when you expect it to. Some of the common reasons, and their solutions, are listed below.

Bot Currently Has an Open Position

A very common misconception when running Whispertrades bots is, when you specify a time of day for entry, the bot will enter a new position every day at that time of day. This is not true if the bot still has a position open from a previous entry.

Each bot only manages one open position by default, and the bot will not enter another position until the current one closes. There is one way around this, and that is to add an Enter Second Position adjustment, in which case the bot will go ahead and open a new position despite the prior position still being open as well. For more on this, reference our page on Adjustments

Account Trading is Disabled

Check the top right corner of all of your account pages (or user dropdown if on mobile). There is a global toggle to enable or disable bots for your entire account. That must be enabled before any individual bot can run.

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Bot is Disabled

Verify that your bot is Enabled. Bots will only enter new positions when enabled.

Account Balance at $0.00

Your Whispertrades account balance needs to be positive for a bot to run. You can see your balance at the top of your account pages and go here to deposit more funds.

Insufficient Buying Power

Verify the Bot Entry Condition settings for allocation and ensure your brokerage account has enough buying power for that position.

Before Earliest Entry Time

If your bot is configured to have an 'Earliest Entry Time' and you are before that time of the day, the bot will not enter a new position until we pass beyond your earliest entry time.

Beyond Latest Entry Time

If your bot is configured to have a 'Latest Entry Time' and you are beyond that time of the day, the bot will not enter a new position until the next market session.

Opposite Position Exists

If your bot wants to enter a position but your account is currently holding the opposite position, the bot will not enter that position. For example, let's say your bot is scheduled to sell a 100 strike call. If your account is currently long that same call, the bot will not enter the new position. It would need to sell a call which would alter your current holding. Whispertrades bots are designed to not alter other positions.

No Strike Within Min/Max Delta

If you have minimum and maximum deltas configured, your bot will not enter a new position until there is a strike that falls within your acceptable delta range.

No Strike Within Min/Max DTE

If you have minimum and maximum days to expiration configured, your bot will not enter a new position until there is a strike that falls within your acceptable DTE range.

No Strike Within Min/Max Premium

If you have minimum and maximum premiums configured, your bot will not enter a new position until there is a trade that falls within your acceptable premium range. This premium range is only enforced for the very first order attempt and not for subsequent attempts as part of the entry process.

"Invalid order quantity to enter new position"

This is a message that you might see in your bot logs that indicates that the bot is unable to open 1 contract based on the portfolio size and/or allocation settings that you specified for the bot. Review your bot's allocation setting and risk per position and assure that your portfolio is large enough to take on that risk.

"No trades are currently allowed"

If you receive this message as a Schwab customer, the likely cause is your Schwab account settings. Follow these steps to enable thinkorswim for your account. This should resolve this error for you.