| <p align="center"><img src="docs/images/logo.png" alt="Signal Trader logo" width="120"></p>
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| # Signal Trader (MetaTrader 5)
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| A free Expert Advisor that automates the **closed-bar signals** of UT Bot, SuperTrend or Range Filter: one source at a time, an
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| ATR stop, a fixed 0.01 lot. It trades live on **one validated combination only**: XAUUSD H4 with SuperTrend. Source, a Python
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| statement of the three engines and of the trade rule, tests, and the honest result of the screen it came from: **one pass in 444
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| tests, which is about what chance alone gives**.
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| **MetaTrader 5 only.** The MT4 port reproduced the EA exactly but **failed its publish gate** (t 1.74 against a required 2.0), so
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| there is no MT4 edition and no MT4 code here. See [The MT4 gate](#the-mt4-gate-failed).
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| **Website:** [allanninal.dev/mql5 (Expert Advisors)](https://www.allanninal.dev/mql5/#eas) · [allanninal.dev](https://www.allanninal.dev)
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| · **Contact:** message me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanninal/).
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| 
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| > This EA promises no profit. It automates signals and is not a strategy with a proven edge. Every number here is a backtest.
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| ## Get it on the MQL5 Market
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| | Edition | Platform | Price | Link |
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| |---|---|---|---|
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| | Signal Trader | MT5 | free | <https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/201967> |
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| | Signal Trader Pro | MT5 | paid | <https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/201969> |
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| | MT4 editions | MT4 | n/a | none: the MT4 port failed its publish gate |
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| The Market build lists a fourth signal source whose calculation is not part of this repository; the validated preset uses
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| SuperTrend. The Pro edition is a separate, paid product that is **not** part of this repository (see [Free vs Pro](#free-vs-pro)).
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|
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| ## Contents
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| 1. [What it is and who it is for](#what-it-is-and-who-it-is-for)
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| 2. [Why it was built](#why-it-was-built)
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| 3. [How it works](#how-it-works)
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| 4. [What the screen does and does not show](#what-the-screen-does-and-does-not-show)
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| 5. [The MT4 gate failed](#the-mt4-gate-failed)
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| 6. [How it was tested](#how-it-was-tested)
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| 7. [Architecture](#architecture)
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| 8. [Inputs, the preset, install and compile](#inputs-the-preset-install-and-compile)
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| 9. [Run the Python reference and the tests](#run-the-python-reference-and-the-tests)
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| 10. [Honest limits](#honest-limits)
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| 11. [Free vs Pro](#free-vs-pro)
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| 12. [Licence and credits](#licence-and-credits)
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|
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| ## What it is and who it is for
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| **What:** the EA reads one signal per closed bar from an embedded engine (UT Bot, SuperTrend or Range Filter), and acts on it at
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| the next bar's open. An opposite position is closed and reversed, a same-side signal is ignored, otherwise a market order goes out
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| with a stop of `stop x ATR(14)` of the signal bar and no target by default. The lot is 0.01, or the broker's minimum when that is
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| larger. One position per symbol and magic number; no grid, martingale or averaging. A panel shows the source, the chart, the preset
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| state, the last signal and the position.
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| **Live safety gate:** live, the EA opens orders only on the one **validated preset**: XAUUSD, H4, SuperTrend. On any other symbol,
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| timeframe or source the panel says "not validated", the EA raises one alert and sends no new orders. The Strategy Tester accepts
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| any combination so the MQL5 Market validator and you can try it; a result outside the preset is not validated.
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| **For:** traders who want these standard signals executed by rule on gold H4 and who read the evidence first; developers who want a
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| small, tested EA with Python statements of its engines.
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| **Not for:** anyone expecting a proven edge.
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| 
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| Image notes: both images are drawn by a script from the Python simulation of the Strategy Tester run on broker history; they are
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| illustrations, not terminal captures.
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| ## Why it was built
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| The motivations, stated with the evidence we actually have:
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| - **A screen, run honestly.** Instead of picking a favourite indicator, 444 combinations of symbol, timeframe and signal source were
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| tested out of sample with settings frozen in-sample, and the EA ships only for what passed both the Python backtest and the
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| MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester. One combination did.
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| - **Weak demand, stated plainly.** Our October 2026 market research found that named classic indicators are requested only rarely
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| by name, and signal-execution EAs are plentiful. This is a free reference implementation of three standard signals with an
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| unusually strict "trade only what passed" rule, not a claim of an unmet need.
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| - **Provable behaviour.** The three engines and the trade rule are stated in [`tests/reference.py`](tests/reference.py) and compared
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| with the research simulation, trade for trade.
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| ```mermaid
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| mindmap
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| root((Signal Trader))
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| Origin
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| 444 tests of symbol, timeframe and source
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| Settings frozen in-sample first
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| One pass, chance expects 2.55
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| Design rules
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| Closed bars only, no repaint
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| Next open, ATR stop, fixed lot
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| Live only on the validated preset
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| Proof
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| Python statement of the engines and the rule
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| Same trades as the research simulation
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| MT4 gate failed and said so
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| ```
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| ## How it works
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| ### The three signal engines
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| Each engine is fed one **closed** bar at a time and reports a signal for that bar; the last bar of an array is never signalled.
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| `ATR_n` is Wilder's RMA of the true range, seeded with the simple average of the first `n` values.
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| 1. **UT Bot** (key `k`, ATR period `n`): `nLoss = k x ATR_n`; the line `T` on the close rises with price and falls with price, never
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| against it; buy when `C > T` and `C[1] <= T[1]`, sell on the mirror. Optional: only with the EMA(200) trend.
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| 2. **SuperTrend** (ATR period `n`, multiplier `m`): bands `hl2 -/+ m x ATR_n` that only tighten while the close respects them; the
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| trend flips when the close passes the opposite band; a signal is a flip. Optional: only with the EMA(200) trend.
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| 3. **Range Filter** (period `p`, multiplier `m`): `range = EMA(EMA(|C - C[1]|, p), 2p - 1) x m`; the filter moves only when price travels
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| more than `range` from it; a signal is the first buy setup after a sell setup (and the reverse).
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| ### The trade rule
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| 1. **Signal** on closed bar `i`. It is acted on at the open of bar `i+1` (or the first tradable tick if the market is closed).
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| 2. **Position.** Opposite: close it at that open and reverse. Same side: ignore. None: open.
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| 3. **Order.** A buy at the ask, a sell at the bid; stop `= fill -/+ stop x ATR(14)` of bar `i` (never closer than the broker's stop and
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| freeze levels plus the spread); optional target `= x times the stop distance` (off by default).
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| 4. **Checks.** Refused if the stop would lose more than 50% of equity at 0.01 lot, if free margin is short, if Algo Trading is off,
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| or if the market is closed or the preset is not validated (live).
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| ### Per-bar algorithm
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| ```mermaid
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| flowchart TD
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| A[New bar] --> B[Feed the bars that closed since the last call to the engine]
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| B --> C{Signal on the newest closed bar?}
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| C -- no --> Z[Nothing]
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| C -- yes --> D{Market open?}
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| D -- no --> P[Keep the signal for this bar and retry on the next ticks]
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| D -- yes --> E{Position open?}
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| E -- same side --> Z
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| E -- opposite --> F[Close it at the open, then continue as flat]
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| E -- none --> G
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| F --> G{Algo Trading on, preset validated, margin ok?}
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| G -- no --> Y[Skipped, reason on the panel]
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| G -- yes --> H[Market order, stop = stop x ATR 14 of the signal bar]
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| ```
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| ### Position states
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| ```mermaid
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| stateDiagram-v2
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| [*] --> Flat
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| Flat --> Long: buy signal, order at the next open
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| Flat --> Short: sell signal, order at the next open
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| Long --> Short: sell signal, close and reverse at the open
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| Short --> Long: buy signal, close and reverse at the open
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| Long --> Long: same-side signal ignored
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| Short --> Short: same-side signal ignored
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| Long --> Flat: stop hit
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| Short --> Flat: stop hit
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| ```
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| ### From signal to order
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| ```mermaid
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| sequenceDiagram
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| participant T as Terminal
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| participant E as EA
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| participant G as Engine
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| participant B as Broker
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| T->>E: first tick of a new bar
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| E->>T: closed bars since the last call
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| E->>G: Feed(open, high, low, close) per bar
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| G-->>E: signal for the newest closed bar
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| alt validated preset and checks pass
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| E->>B: market order with the ATR stop
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| B-->>E: filled
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| else not validated or blocked
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| E->>E: no order, reason on the panel
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| end
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| ```
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| ## What the screen does and does not show
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| Source: [`tests/results/screen-and-tester.md`](tests/results/screen-and-tester.md). Protocol written before any out-of-sample number was
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| looked at; settings frozen from in-sample data (2020-01 to 2023-06) per test; judged out of sample (2023-07 to 2026-09) on pass
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| criteria: at least 40 trades, mean R > 0 and t >= 2.0, profit factor >= 1.20, both halves positive, news-pause run still positive; the
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| Strategy Tester must meet them too.
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| | Stage | Tests | Passes in Python | Expected by chance |
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| |---|---:|---:|---:|
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| | First screen: 8 symbols x H1, H4, D1 x 4 sources | 96 | 1 | 0.76 |
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| | Extension: 29 more symbols, same rules | 348 | 0 | 1.78 |
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| | All | 444 | 1 | 2.55 |
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| ```mermaid
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| xychart-beta
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| title "Passes observed vs expected by chance (backtest screen)"
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| x-axis ["First 96 tests", "All 444 tests"]
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| y-axis "passes" 0 --> 3
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| bar [1, 1]
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| bar [0.76, 2.55]
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| ```
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| (First series observed, second expected by chance.) The Holm-adjusted p of the best result is 1.0.
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| The one pass: **XAUUSD H4, SuperTrend (ATR 10, multiplier 2.0), stop 3 ATR, no target.**
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| | | trades | mean R | t | PF |
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| |---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
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| | In-sample 2020-01 to 2023-06 | | | 0.51 | 1.11 |
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| | Python, out of sample | 212 | +0.179 | 2.05 | 1.52 |
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| | MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester, out of sample | 211 | +0.180 | 2.06 | 1.52 |
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| Read it with care:
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| - **About what chance gives.** 444 tests make about 2.55 chance passes; one was observed.
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| - **Weak in-sample.** The same rule had t 0.51 and PF 1.11 in the setting period.
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| - **All buys, in a gold rally.** Out of sample: 106 buys earned +0.40 R each, 106 sells -0.04 R each.
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| - **Fragile neighbours.** ATR 7 gives t 1.57; doubling the spread gives t 2.00.
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| - **Not evidence of a lasting edge.** It passes the gate that was written down; the listing claims none.
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| ```mermaid
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| xychart-beta
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| title "Mean R per trade by side, out of sample (106 trades each, backtest)"
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| x-axis ["Buys", "Sells"]
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| y-axis "R per trade" -0.1 --> 0.5
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| bar [0.40, -0.04]
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| ```
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| ## The MT4 gate failed
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| The MT4 port reproduced the EA exactly in the MT4 tester (XAUUSD H4, every tick): 212 of 212 signals and 211 of 211 trades identical
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| to Python, entries 100%, exits 98.6%. But the publish gate judges the MT4 trade list, and it missed criterion 2:
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| | Run | trades | mean R | t | PF |
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| |---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
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| | Python | 211 | +0.184 | 2.09 | 1.53 |
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| | MetaTrader 5 tester (real per-bar spreads) | 211 | +0.180 | 2.06 | 1.52 |
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| | MetaTrader 4 tester, two spread chunks (170 then 20 points) | 211 | +0.152 | 1.74 | 1.42 |
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| | MetaTrader 4 tester, one fixed 170-point spread | 211 | +0.149 | 1.70 | 1.41 |
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| ```mermaid
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| xychart-beta
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| title "t-statistic of the mean R against the gate of 2.0"
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| x-axis ["Python", "MT5 tester", "MT4 two chunks", "MT4 fixed spread"]
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| y-axis "t" 0 --> 2.5
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| bar [2.09, 2.06, 1.74, 1.70]
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| ```
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| MT4 cannot model real per-bar spreads. By the rule that an EA is published only if it passes both backtests, there is no MT4
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| edition, and this repository holds no MT4 code.
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| ## How it was tested
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| | Check | Result |
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| |---|---|
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| | Rule invariants on synthetic data, 20 seeds, 3 sources, 11,851 trades ([`tests/check_reference.py`](tests/check_reference.py)) | PASS, 0 violations |
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| | Reference vs the research simulation, XAUUSD H4 SuperTrend preset, 2023-07 to 2026-10 | 213 of 213 entries identical (bar and side); same exit bar 212 of 213 |
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| | EA in the MT5 Strategy Tester vs the simulation, preset | 212 / 212 signals, 211 / 211 trades identical, entries 100%, exit bar 100% |
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| | Same comparison on default settings (EURUSD H1, 2025-26) | UT Bot 548 / 548 signals, SuperTrend 270 / 270, Range Filter 330 / 330; exit bar 98.9 to 99.4% |
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| | MT5 release check (memory, speed, non-repainting, validator-style runs) | PASS |
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| | MT5 edition compiled with MetaEditor (clean scratch folder, only this repository's files) | 0 errors, 0 warnings |
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| | MT5 Market build | passed the MQL5 Market's automated product validation before publication (the Market's own check) |
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| Sources: [`tests/results/`](tests/results). The EA-in-tester comparisons come from scripts that need the author's private research
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| environment and broker history, so they are not published; the numbers are as recorded there. Only the reference-vs-simulation
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| comparison and the synthetic check are reproducible from this repository's code (with your own data for the first).
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| ```mermaid
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| flowchart LR
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| M[Bars: open, high, low, close, spread] --> R[reference.py<br/>engines and trade rule in Python]
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| SIM[Research simulation<br/>not published] --> C{Same entries and exits?}
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| R --> C
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| C -- 213 of 213 entries --> P[PASS]
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| SY[Synthetic random walks] --> K[check_reference.py<br/>rule invariants]
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| R --> K
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| K --> P2[PASS]
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| EA[SignalTrader.mq5] --> MC[MetaEditor 0 errors, 0 warnings]
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| EA --> TST[MT5 Strategy Tester<br/>debug log with signals and trades]
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| TST --> PAR[Parity with the simulation]
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| ```
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| **Not covered:** forward (live) trading, commission and slippage, tick-level fills (the tests use 1-minute OHLC); the three engines
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| other than SuperTrend have only the default-settings parity runs above and no validated preset.
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| ## Architecture
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| ```mermaid
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| flowchart TB
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| subgraph MT5["mql5/Experts/SignalTrader"]
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| E[SignalTrader.mq5<br/>the program]
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| C[SignalTrader.mqh<br/>inputs, rule, orders, panel, events]
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| G[StEngines.mqh<br/>CEng, CUtBot, CSuperTrend, CRangeFilter]
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| RF[RF.mqh<br/>Range Filter step]
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| P[StPanel.mqh<br/>cached labels, boxes, rows]
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| PR[StPresets.mqh<br/>the validated preset]
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| E --> C
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| C --> G
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| G --> RF
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| C --> P
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| C --> PR
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| end
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| subgraph TESTS[tests]
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| R[reference.py]
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| K[check_reference.py]
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| K --> R
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| end
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| R -. same engines and rule .-> G
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| ```
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| ```mermaid
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| classDiagram
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| class SignalTrader {
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| +InpSource ENUM_ST_SOURCE
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| +InpStopATR double
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| +InpTpR double
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| +InpMagic long
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| +OnInit()
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| +OnTick()
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| +HandleSignal()
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| +OpenTrade()
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| }
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| class CEng {
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| +Feed()
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| +Step()
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| +Describe()
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| +atr double[]
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| }
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| class CUtBot
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| class CSuperTrend
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| class CRangeFilter
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| class StPresets {
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| +StPresetValidated()
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| }
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| class reference {
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| +signals()
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| +run()
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| }
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| CEng <|-- CUtBot
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| CEng <|-- CSuperTrend
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| CEng <|-- CRangeFilter
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| SignalTrader --> CEng
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| SignalTrader --> StPresets
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| reference ..> CEng : same engines, compared trade by trade
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| ```
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| ## Inputs, the preset, install and compile
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| | Input | Default | Meaning |
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| |---|---|---|
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| | Signal source | UT Bot | UT Bot, SuperTrend or Range Filter |
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| | UT Bot: key value, ATR period, EMA(200) trend | 2.0, 10, off | engine settings |
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| | SuperTrend: ATR period, multiplier, EMA(200) trend | 10, 3.0, off | engine settings |
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| | Range Filter: sampling period, range multiplier | 100, 3.0 | engine settings |
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| | Stop loss, x ATR(14) of the signal bar | 2.0 | the stop distance |
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| | Take profit, x the stop distance | 0 (none) | optional target |
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| | Magic number; maximum slippage, points | 26101701; 30 | order identity and deviation |
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| | Show the panel; log every signal and trade | true; false | display and debug (`TRD` and `DBG` lines) |
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| **The defaults are not the preset.** Load [`presets/SignalTrader_SuperTrend_XAUUSD_H4.set`](presets/SignalTrader_SuperTrend_XAUUSD_H4.set) on an
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| XAUUSD H4 chart: source SuperTrend, ATR period 10, multiplier 2.0, stop loss 3.0 x ATR. The Preset row on the panel then reads
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| "validated".
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| **Install from source.** Copy the `mql5/Experts/SignalTrader` folder into `<terminal data folder>/MQL5/Experts/`, open
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| `SignalTrader.mq5` in MetaEditor and press Compile (F7): 0 errors, 0 warnings. Keep the files together.
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| **Account.** Minimum balance suggested by the Market listing: 1,500 USD at 0.01 lot (recommended 3,000 USD). In the out-of-sample
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| backtest at 0.01 lot the largest drawdown was 638 USD, the largest single loss 272 USD and the widest stop about 450 USD. These are
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| backtest figures, not a limit on future losses. Test on a demo account first.
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| ## Run the Python reference and the tests
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| ```bash
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| python3 -m venv .venv && . .venv/bin/activate && pip install -r requirements.txt
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| python3 tests/check_reference.py # synthetic data, no broker history needed; prints PASS or FAIL
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| ```
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| ```python
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| import sys; sys.path.insert(0, "tests")
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| from reference import signals, run
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| # bars: DataFrame indexed by bar open time with open, high, low, close and spread (price units)
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| sig = signals("st", dict(atr=10, mult=2.0), bars.open, bars.high, bars.low, bars.close) # +1 / -1 / 0 per closed bar
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| trades = run(bars, sig, stop_atr=3.0) # one row per closed trade, gross of swap
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| ```
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| ## Honest limits
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| - **No edge is shown.** One pass in 444 tests, where about 2.55 were expected by chance, with a weak in-sample result and all of
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| the profit from buys in a gold rally. The EA is unproven automation.
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| - **One validated combination.** Live, nothing else trades; the other sources and symbols have not passed anything.
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| - **Costs and fills:** the backtests include spread and swap, not commission or slippage; the tester used 1-minute OHLC.
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| - **MetaTrader 5 only.** The MT4 port exists but failed its gate and is not published.
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| - **Server clock and symbols:** the validated name may carry a broker prefix or suffix; check that your broker lists XAUUSD.
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| - No profit or accuracy claim is made.
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|
|
| ## Free vs Pro
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|
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| | | Free: Signal Trader | Paid: Signal Trader Pro |
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| |---|---|---|
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| | Platforms | MT5 [201967](https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/201967) | MT5 [201969](https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/201969) |
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| | Price | free | paid (see the Market page) |
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| | What you get | the signals above, fixed 0.01 lot, ATR stop, the validated preset | the same engines and preset with sizing, confirmation, position management, filters and a news filter, as described on its Market listing |
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| | Source | this repository | not published |
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| No need to buy the paid product to use the free one: the free EA is complete on its own.
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| Website: [allanninal.dev/mql5](https://www.allanninal.dev/mql5/#eas).
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|
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| ## Licence and credits
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|
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| **Origin of the maths.** The UT Bot idea, an ATR trailing stop on the close, is by **Yo_adriiiiaan** ("UT Bot Strategy" on TradingView),
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| from an original idea by **HPotter**; the TradingView script **"UT Bot Alerts"** (8 February 2020) is by **QuantNomad**. The SuperTrend
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| engine follows the widely published TradingView ATR-band script. Range Filter is an own implementation of the published
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| range-filter method. Thank you to all of them.
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| **What this means for the licence.** TradingView publishes open-source scripts under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 unless the author
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| states another licence. I could not retrieve the original scripts' headers to confirm that, so I took the conservative route: the
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| files that implement the signal maths are licensed **MPL-2.0**:
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| - `mql5/Experts/SignalTrader/StEngines.mqh`
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| - `mql5/Experts/SignalTrader/RF.mqh`
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| - `tests/reference.py`
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|
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| They are independent implementations in other languages plus additions, but treating them as derived from an MPL-2.0 work is the safe
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| reading. MPL-2.0 is file-level: changes to those files must stay MPL-2.0 and be shared.
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| Everything else (the program, the rule and order code, the panel, the preset, tests, docs, images) is © 2026 Allan Niñal under the
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| [PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0](LICENSES/PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0.md): source-available, free for personal and other
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| noncommercial use, not for commercial use. Each source file has an `SPDX-License-Identifier` line. Texts: [`LICENSE`](LICENSE),
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| [`LICENSES/MPL-2.0.txt`](LICENSES/MPL-2.0.txt). The licence applies to this source, not to anything you build or trade with the EA.
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| Trading involves risk; the software is provided as is.
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|
|
| ---
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|
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| **Website:** [allanninal.dev/mql5](https://www.allanninal.dev/mql5/#eas) · [allanninal.dev](https://www.allanninal.dev)
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| · Questions: message me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanninal/).
|
