Guide
Guides and reference for trading with VolNinja.
Getting Started
- IntroductionWhat VolNinja is, who it is for, and how this guide is organized, from installing the app to automating your trades.
- How VolNinja WorksYour trading data and IBKR connection stay on your machine; the cloud serves the app and a private link back to it.
- Installing & Starting VolNinjaInstall VolNinja Desktop on a Mac or Windows PC, find your way around its status window, and connect it to your account.
- Advanced: Docker & VPS InstallRun VolNinja with Docker on Linux, an Intel Mac, Windows, or a VPS: install, pair from a terminal, and everyday commands.
- Connecting IBKRSet up IBKR Gateway or TWS, turn on its API, enter your ports and data budget in the setup wizard, and confirm the connection.
- Recommended IBKR SetupWatch your account on your phone while VolNinja trades, and run paper and live at once: a second username, a gateway, or two apps.
- Your First RunA first lap through the Dashboard, header, Market View, Automation, Risk Lab, Performance, and Settings before you trade.
- Updating VolNinjaHow VolNinja tells you an update is ready, recommended vs required updates, and applying one on Desktop or a Docker install.
- Backups & RestoreBack up and restore your trading data: automatic pre-update backups, Back Up Now, restoring, and undoing a restore safely.
Common Workflows
- Placing a TradeThe three ways a trade reaches your Dashboard: run a template, record a manual position, or let a strategy open one.
- Building a TemplateBuild a trade blueprint end to end: its legs, the entry algo that fills them, optional tranches, and the rules that manage it.
- Automating Exits & ManagementWrite one list of rules and let VolNinja place what it can at your broker, so exits fire whether the app is running or not.
- Running a StrategyBuild a strategy step by step: a counter variable, an entry rule, a Log only rehearsal in Paper, Paper trades, then going live.
- Checking Risk Before You CommitJudge a position or your whole book from the Risk Profile, the P&L cone, and what-if scenarios before you place a real order.
- Reviewing Your ResultsRead the Performance scorecard for any period, filter by what opened each trade, and drill into the positions behind a day.
- Paper vs Live — Trading SafelySwitch between paper and live deliberately: what the header switch controls, why each browser keeps its own mode, and safe habits.
Positions
- Positions OverviewThe Dashboard positions list: account and P&L, table vs cards, tranched trades, filters and sorting, and each row at a glance.
- Position DetailsThe details sheet tab by tab: legs and Greeks, editing a leg, its strategy and review flag, risk panels, rules, and activity.
- Opening & Closing PositionsAdd a position, close it whole or by leg, split, expire, or bulk-close, and what happens when a rule is already working on it.
- Rolling a LegRoll a single leg to a new strike, by hand from the Roll Leg dialog or automatically as a management rule on a template.
- Automating a PositionAdd or edit rules on a single open position, read their venue badges and execution counts, without touching its template.
Market View
- Options ChainRead the live 0DTE quote grid for SPX, XSP, SPY, or QQQ, the subscription status column, and the 100-line budget.
- IntradayA live second-by-second chart for SPX, XSP, SPY, or QQQ: price against the day's expected move, live or from a past day.
- Market Data & SubscriptionsHow VolNinja streams and snapshots quotes within your IBKR line budget, every coverage setting, and reading data health.
Automation Basics
- Rules & ConditionsHow every rule works: an action, a P&L target, and conditions built as simple rows or typed formulas, checked on a steady clock.
- Formulas & Steps TablesType formulas with autocomplete and a plain-words check, and build steps tables whose value changes as time or a field moves.
- Condition Field ReferenceEvery field a condition or formula can read, by category: position, leg, underlying, time, account, portfolio, strategy, filters.
- Execution AlgosHow VolNinja works an order into the market: the built-in algos, every setting, and saving your own for entries and exits.
Templates
- Templates OverviewWhat a template is, the Templates page and its cards, favorites and Quick Execute, running one, and how strategies use them.
- Template LegsDefine a template's legs — direction, type, ratio, expiration, and how each strike is chosen, from one option to a combo.
- Entry ExecutionChoosing the execution algo a template opens with, what each built-in entry algo does, and when it's worth tuning.
- Management RulesTemplate rules that manage an open position — take profit, close or roll a leg, and split the entry into tranches to scale out.
- Where Rules Run: Broker vs AppWhich rules rest as real orders at IBKR and which run in the app, how to read the badges, and what makes protection come and go.
Strategies
- Strategies OverviewWhat a strategy is, the Strategies page and cards, the one-sheet editor saved all at once, priority grades, and Paper vs Live.
- Strategy RulesHow a strategy's When → Then rules work: conditions, multi-step actions, sizing with the Multiplier, and gates that limit firing.
- Strategy VariablesGive a strategy memory: private, global, and aggregate variables, set by actions or calculated from a formula or a steps table.
- Monitoring a StrategyWatch a strategy work: the Dashboard's Strategies card, the live runtime view, and an event feed of every firing and its cause.
Risk Lab
Remote Access & Account
- Account & BillingCreate your account, walk through the Get started wizard, pick a monthly or annual plan, and manage or cancel your subscription.
- Pairing a DevicePair the machine running VolNinja with your account: approve it from the setup panel, pair a headless server, and what it grants.
- Remote AccessLog in to your trading app from anywhere while your connection stays private.
- Managing Your AccountThe account page section by section: billing, downloads, password and 2FA, paired devices, email, and profile.