Starting and Stopping Bots

Updated Oct 12, 2026

Running a New Bot

A newly created bot will not start running right away. You can review any new bot you created for accuracy and enable once you are ready for it to start running. Once a bot is enabled, it will run using the schedule and criteria that you have supplied. Bots will only monitor new and existing trades during market hours but can make adjustments to orders after hours if you have configured your bot to do this.

Reasons a Bot Will Not Run

Bots that are enabled will continue running until one of the following happens:

You manually disable the bot

When you disable a bot, that bot will no longer enter new positions. It will continue to manage any existing positions if you choose to Disable on Close, which is recommended. If you forcefully disable a bot with open positions, that bot will no longer manage the open positions even if you re-enable the bot. Disable on Close, rather, will allow it to continue running while the current position is open, and then, once that position is closed, the bot will automatically disable and not enter any new positions until you re-enable.

You manually disable all bots

In addition to disabling individual bots, you can disable all bots with the trading switch at the top right of every page (on a phone, it is at the top of the Menu):

As discussed in the previous session about disabling bots, we recommend only disabling all bots if there are no open positions remaining. Disabling bots or your account while positions remain open can cause unexpected results.

Its broker connection expires or stops working

Schwab broker connections require periodic renewal to maintain connection to Whispertrades. If you fail to renew your broker connection within the required timeframe, it will disconnect from Whispertrades, and your bots will stop running. To resolve this, you can view the broker connection at Whispertrades and renew it.

In other instances, the broker connection can fail due to a systems outage or a password change at your broker. If you change your password at the broker, previous connections are typically invalidated. You will need to reconnect your broker connection at Whispertrades if you change your password with your broker.

Your Whispertrades balance reaches $0.00

Your bots will require a positive account balance to continue running. To learn more about when and how these charges accrue, refer to our section on Pricing. If your account balance reaches $0.00, all of your bots will stop running until your balance is replenished.

Your kill switch triggers

If you choose to utilize our automated kill switch, your bots can automatically disable if you do not log into your Whispertrades account within a timeframe of your choosing. This is in place to protect your account by disabling autotrading in the event that you are unable to access Whispertrades. Once your chosen timeframe passes, the disable happens at the next daily check, and these checks run on weekday mornings (US Eastern time). That means the actual shutoff can land up to a couple of days after your threshold over weekends and market holidays. Visit your settings to adjust your kill switch.

Deleting a Bot

To delete a bot, first disable it if it is not already disabled. Then, view the bot, open the actions menu at the top of the bot page, and choose "Delete".