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Before you start
Practice first. Tick them as you go.
Words you'll see. Evaluation and funded are the firm's account types. Follower is an account the copier copies onto.
Guide · NinjaTrader 8 · about 20 minutes
Copying on prop-firm accounts, safely.Your rules first, then a small start.
Prop firms have their own rules on copying and automation, and those rules change. Read your firm's current rules before you copy anything on a funded or evaluation account. This guide shows how to set the copier conservatively, and to stop it fast.
~20 minread and set up
6 stepstick each one off
Sim firstalways, before any firm account
Your rulescome before the copier
!
This guide doesn't tell you what your firm allows.
Many firms allow copying between your own accounts and ban copying anyone else's trades. Some don't allow automation at all. Your firm's current written rules decide. If they are unclear, ask the firm before you copy.
1
Read your firm's rules
Write down the answers. If you can't find one, ask the firm.
- Is copying between your own accounts allowed?
- Is copying anyone else's trades banned?
- Is automated trading or a trade copier allowed on this account type?
- What is the daily loss rule, and how is it measured?
If any answer is no or unclear, don't copy on that account. Ask the firm first.
Not seeing it?
The rules page is hard to find. Search the firm's help centre for copying, copier or automation.
The rules say something different from another source. The firm's written rules win. Ask support before you copy.
2
Copy only your own accounts
The copier only copies the accounts you list.
- Open
copier.txtinDocuments\NinjaTrader 8\PFX. - Check the
lead =and eachfollower =line. Each name must be an account you own. - Save the file. The copier reads it again within about 10 seconds.
Never add someone else's account. That is copying another trader, which many firms ban outright.
Not seeing it?
The Output window says an account is not found. The name doesn't match your Accounts tab. Copy it exactly from there.
3
Set a daily loss stop below the firm's
The copier's own safety line sits inside the firm's.
- On each follower line, set
loss=to an amount well below your firm's daily loss limit. - When a follower reaches that loss, the copier flattens it and it sits out until the next day.
- Write the number down next to your firm's rule, so you can see the gap.
Why leave room? The copier's stop only sees what the copier opened. Other trades, and the firm's own measure, can differ. A margin keeps you clear.
Not seeing it?
I don't know the firm's daily loss number. Read it in the rules from step 1. If you can't find it, don't copy yet.
4
Start with one small follower
One account, one contract, for about a week.
- Keep only one
follower =line, withx1so it matches the lead size. - Check the Output window each day for the messages in the copier guide's table.
- Only add a second follower after a clean week.
Small on purpose. A small start shows you how the copier behaves before size makes it matter.
Not seeing it?
A follower is skipped as too small. A size that rounds to zero is skipped. Use fixed=1 or a bigger lead size.
5
Know how to stop it
Practise both stops before the first real day.
- Mode Off: change
mode = Offand save. The copier stops doing anything. Open trades stay as they are. - Emergency stop: create an empty file called
copier.killin the PFX folder. Followers the copier opened are closed and copying stops until you delete the file.
Try both on Sim first. Know where the file goes and what the Output window says, before you need it.
Not seeing it?
I can't tell if it stopped. The Output window shows the mode. Check it after you save.
Your safety nets
Three ways to stay safe.Always available.
Stop first, then look. Nothing here asks you to trade.
1
Set the mode to Off
One line in copier.txt. It stops the copier, and open trades stay as they are.
2
Daily loss stop
The loss= on each follower sits out that follower until the next day.
3
Emergency stop
Create copier.kill. Followers are closed and copying stops until you delete it.
!
The firm's rules come first
A copier can break a firm's rules even when it works perfectly. Rules differ and change. Read the current ones, and ask the firm when unsure.
All done
Set up carefully.Nicely done.
Next: if anything shows an error, the troubleshooting guide lists each message.
Risk warning: Futures trading carries a high risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Prop firm accounts have their own rules, which PrecisionFX does not set. NinjaTrader is a registered trademark of NinjaTrader Group, LLC; PrecisionFX is not affiliated with or endorsed by NinjaTrader or any prop firm.