Prop Firm & Pine Script FAQ

A prop firm (proprietary trading firm) provides traders with a funded account to trade in exchange for a share of the profits. You pay a one-time or monthly evaluation fee, pass a simulated trading challenge under their rules, and then receive a funded account backed by real capital.

You keep 80–90% of the profits. The prop firm absorbs losses up to a defined drawdown limit — beyond that limit, the account is closed. Popular futures prop firms include Apex, Topstep, FTMO, MyFundedFutures, Bulenox, TradeDay, Goat Funded Trader, and Funded Next.

No firm requires proof of prior experience — there is no interview or credential check. You simply purchase an evaluation account and begin trading. That said, the evaluation rules are strict enough that traders without a tested strategy (discretionary or automated) typically fail during the challenge phase.

If you are new to futures trading, it is strongly recommended to paper trade on TradingView's replay feature and understand the specific drawdown rules of your chosen firm before spending money on an evaluation.

The instruments available vary by firm and broker, but most major futures prop firms allow trading on:

• Equity index futures: ES, MES, NQ, MNQ, YM, MYM, RTY, M2K
• Metals: GC (gold), MGC (micro gold), SI (silver), HG (copper)
• Energy: CL (crude oil), MCL (micro crude), NG (natural gas)
• Currencies: 6E (Euro FX), 6J (Yen), 6B (British Pound)
• Agricultural: ZC (corn), ZW (wheat), ZS (soybeans)

Micro contracts (MES, MNQ, MGC, MCL) are essential for most prop firm account sizes because they let you size positions without risking too large a percentage of your drawdown on a single trade.

An evaluation (also called a challenge or combine) is a simulated trading test. You trade a paper account with real market data under a set of rules — typically a profit target, a maximum drawdown, and sometimes a daily loss limit. You must hit the profit target without breaching any of the limits.

Once you pass, you receive a funded account — either a simulated account backed by the firm's capital, or in some cases access to real live accounts. You can then request withdrawals of profits (usually after a minimum number of trading days and a minimum profit threshold).

Some firms (like Apex) have a single-phase evaluation. Others (like FTMO) have two phases — a Challenge and a Verification — before funding. Multi-phase evaluations typically have lower monthly costs but take longer to pass.

With a tested automated strategy, evaluations can be passed in as few as 5–15 trading days if the strategy hits the profit target efficiently. Most automated traders target a 15–30 day timeline to avoid overtrading and remain within any consistency requirements.

Discretionary traders often take 30–60+ days. There is rarely a maximum time limit on evaluations — you can take as long as you need, though monthly-subscription firms (like Topstep) cost more the longer you take. Apex's one-time fee model means time pressure is minimal.

Yes — all major futures prop firms explicitly allow automated trading. The standard pipeline is: TradingView Pine Script strategy fires an alert → TradersPost receives the webhook → TradersPost places the order at Tradovate or Rithmic → the order executes on your prop firm account.

This is a fully automated, hands-off workflow. Once configured, the strategy runs 24/5 (or within your defined session hours) without any manual intervention required.

TradersPost is a trade automation middleware service. It provides a webhook URL that accepts alert messages from TradingView and translates them into actual broker orders. Without TradersPost (or a similar service), TradingView alerts cannot place live trades — TradingView itself has no direct broker order routing capability for futures.

TradersPost costs approximately $49–$119/month depending on the plan. It supports Tradovate, Rithmic, and several other brokers. Most major futures prop firms provide accounts through Tradovate or Rithmic, so TradersPost is the most common integration path.

TradersPost expects your TradingView alert message to contain a JSON object specifying the action. A basic alert message looks like:

{"ticker":"MES1!","action":"buy","quantity":1}

You configure this in TradingView's alert dialog under "Message". Your Pine Script strategy generates the alert condition (e.g., when a moving average crosses), and the static message tells TradersPost what to do when that alert fires. TradersPost handles the position tracking and sends the order to your broker.

Our strategies include pre-formatted alert message templates for both entry and exit signals, so you can copy and paste directly into TradingView without writing JSON manually.

The automation pipeline (TradingView → TradersPost → Tradovate/Rithmic) works identically regardless of which prop firm you choose, because the prop firm account simply lives inside Tradovate or Rithmic — TradersPost connects to the broker, not the prop firm directly.

The difference between firms is in their rules, which affect how you configure your strategy:

• Firms with a daily loss limit (Topstep, MyFundedFutures) require a session circuit breaker in your script
• Firms without a daily loss limit during eval (Apex, Bulenox) have simpler automation requirements
• Firms with a consistency rule (Apex funded accounts) require monitoring daily profit vs. total profit ratio

Whether an algo passes depends entirely on its edge and how well it respects the firm's rules. The strategy needs a positive expectancy over the evaluation period and must not violate the drawdown limits — both are achievable with a well-backtested script that includes proper risk controls.

The most common reasons automated strategies fail evaluations are: oversizing (too many contracts relative to the drawdown buffer), no session filter (trading illiquid overnight sessions), and missing a daily circuit breaker on firms that require one. Our strategies are designed with all three safeguards built in.

The 15-minute and 30-minute timeframes are the most common for prop-firm-compatible automated strategies because they produce enough signals to hit profit targets within a reasonable timeframe while still being robust enough to avoid false signals from noise.

Very short timeframes (1–5 minutes) can work but are more susceptible to spread costs and slippage, and generate more trades that are harder to review. Longer timeframes (1 hour, 4 hour) generate fewer signals and can take months to hit a profit target on a single account.

Yes. TradersPost supports multiple broker connections, and you can configure a single TradingView alert to route to multiple accounts simultaneously. This is a common setup among professional prop traders who run 5–10 evaluation accounts at once to maximize capital allocation efficiency.

The key constraint is TradingView's plan level — the Premium or higher plan is required for multiple simultaneous alerts and webhook support. Make sure each prop firm account is on a broker that TradersPost supports (Tradovate and Rithmic both qualify).

If your internet goes down, TradingView cannot fire new alerts — but any open position remains open at the broker until manually closed or until a stop order is hit. This is why every prop-firm-compatible strategy must use hard stop-loss orders placed directly at the broker (native stops), not just Pine Script-side logic that requires a new alert to fire.

TradersPost can be configured to place bracket orders (entry + stop + target as a single order group) so that even if TradingView goes offline, the broker holds the stop and target orders independently. Always test this behavior in paper trading before going live.

Trailing drawdown means your maximum loss floor moves upward as your account equity increases. Example: 50k account, $2,500 trailing drawdown. Your starting floor is $47,500. If you grow to $56,000, your floor moves to $53,500. If you then drop back to $53,500 you are liquidated — even though you are still up $3,500 from the start.

The floor trails up but never down. This means the longer you are profitable, the less cushion you have between your current balance and the floor — unless you are consistently growing. Algos that trade trailing-drawdown accounts must account for this dynamic when calculating max contracts.

Most firms use end-of-day (EOD) trailing — the floor only moves based on your closing balance each day, not intraday peaks. This is important: a huge intraday spike in equity does not raise the floor, but your daily close does.

Static drawdown means the maximum loss floor is fixed from day one and never moves — regardless of how much profit you make. On a 50k account with a $3,000 static drawdown, the floor is always $47,000. If you grow to $60,000, you can still drop all the way back to $47,000 before hitting the limit.

This is significantly more forgiving for algo traders because the cushion between your account balance and the floor grows as you profit. FTMO and Bulenox use static drawdown. For an automated strategy with some variance, static drawdown gives far more room to weather losing streaks.

A daily loss limit (also called a daily drawdown or daily stop) is a cap on how much you can lose in a single trading session. Topstep's 50k account has a $1,000 daily loss limit — if your account drops by $1,000 from its highest point that day, all positions are liquidated and no new trades are permitted until the next session.

In Pine Script, you code around this by tracking a var float dailyStart = na variable that resets each session, comparing current equity to that starting point, and disabling new entries once the difference exceeds the limit. The strategy should also place a hard stop at the broker to protect against rapid moves that exceed the daily limit before a new alert can fire.

A consistency rule limits how much of your total profit target can come from a single trading day. Apex's funded accounts (Apex One) enforce a consistency rule where no single day can account for more than 30% of your total profits.

For example, if your profit target is $3,000, no single day can contribute more than $900 to that total. If your algo has a massive winning day of $1,500 early in the eval, subsequent days must collectively generate at least $3,500 more before you can withdraw — otherwise the single large day exceeds 30%.

The consistency rule applies to funded accounts at Apex, not the evaluation. Most other firms on this list have no consistency rule at all.

No — Apex has no daily loss limit during the evaluation phase. This is one of their most popular features for automated traders. Your script only needs to respect the overall trailing drawdown floor, not track a per-session maximum loss.

On funded Apex accounts (Apex One), there is a consistency rule (no single day > 30% of total profits), but no daily dollar loss cap. Compare this to Topstep, which applies a $1,000 daily loss limit on the 50k account during both the evaluation and funded phases. For algos that can have volatile sessions, Apex's structure is considerably more forgiving.

Our strategies cover the instruments most commonly traded on prop firm accounts:

• MES / ES — S&P 500 micro and full-size e-mini futures
• MNQ / NQ — Nasdaq 100 micro and full-size futures
• MGC / GC — micro and full-size gold futures
• MCL / CL — micro and full-size crude oil futures

Each strategy specifies which instruments it is designed for and tested on. Most include input parameters to adapt the risk settings for different account sizes.

The core strategy logic (entries, exits, ATR-based stops) works on any prop firm that supports futures trading. The risk settings — daily circuit breaker, max daily loss threshold, position sizing — need to be configured to match your specific firm's rules.

Each strategy includes preset configurations for Apex (no daily limit), Topstep ($1,000 daily limit), and FTMO ($2,500 daily limit on the 50k challenge). You select the appropriate preset in the strategy's input settings — no code editing required.

Yes — all strategies are delivered as plain .pine source files. You receive the full, unprotected source code and can modify any aspect of the strategy: entries, exits, filters, position sizing logic, or alert message format. There are no locked or obfuscated sections.

You are licensed to use the script on your own TradingView accounts. The license does not permit redistribution or resale of the source code to other traders.

Win rate varies by strategy and instrument. Most of our strategies target a 45–60% win rate with a reward-to-risk ratio of 1.5:1 to 2.5:1, producing a positive expectancy that can consistently hit prop firm profit targets when properly sized.

Past backtest performance is not a guarantee of future results. Backtests are run on historical data and will not perfectly replicate live trading due to slippage, commission, and varying market conditions. Each strategy page includes a backtest equity curve and key metrics (net profit, max drawdown, profit factor, Sharpe ratio) so you can evaluate fit before purchasing.

All strategies are designed for full automation via TradersPost. When properly configured, you set up the alerts once and the strategy runs without any manual interaction — entries and exits are placed automatically.

If you prefer a semi-automated approach (alerts notify you of signals but you decide whether to take each trade), you can simply not connect TradersPost and instead use TradingView's native notifications to your phone or email. The Pine Script strategy works identically in either mode.

After completing checkout via Stripe, you receive an email with a secure download link. The download includes: the .pine source file, a PDF setup guide, and TradersPost alert message JSON templates. Delivery is instant and automated — no manual fulfillment delay.

If your email does not arrive within 5 minutes, check your spam/junk folder. The sender address is support@propfirmpinescripts.com. If you still cannot find it, email us and we will resend manually within a few hours.

Files are plain .pine text files written in Pine Script v5 (the current version as of 2026). To use them, open TradingView's Pine Editor (bottom of any chart), paste or open the file, click "Add to chart", and the strategy will load with its input settings panel.

No special software is required — TradingView's built-in Pine Editor runs entirely in your browser. A TradingView account (free or paid) is sufficient to load and view the strategy. To set live alerts for automation, you need at least a TradingView Essential plan.

Yes. Every purchase includes a written setup guide covering:

• How to add the script to TradingView and configure the input parameters
• Which parameters to adjust for your specific prop firm and account size
• How to create TradingView alerts with the correct webhook URL and JSON message
• How to connect TradersPost to your Tradovate or Rithmic account
• How to verify the full automation pipeline is working in paper trading before going live
• Common errors and how to fix them

Email support is included for 30 days after purchase at support@propfirmpinescripts.com. We typically respond within 24 hours on business days. For setup help, please include: your TradingView screenshot showing the strategy loaded on chart, your TradersPost configuration screenshot (hide your API keys), and a description of the specific issue.

We can help with: TradingView alert configuration, TradersPost webhook setup, parameter tuning for your prop firm's specific rules, and verifying that test alerts are being received and executed correctly.

Because Pine Script strategies are digital products delivered instantly, we do not offer refunds once the download link has been accessed. Before purchasing, you can review the backtest metrics, equity curve, and strategy description on each product page to assess fit.

If you experience a technical issue that prevents the script from loading or functioning as described, contact support within 14 days of purchase and we will resolve it or provide a replacement. Our goal is for every customer to have a working, correctly configured strategy — not to sell a file and disappear.