Launching your bot

Before you begin, please follow these steps to ensure that your trading bot runs smoothly: 

1. Download and Locate the Executable: After your subscription is confirmed, you will receive access to download an executable file named autolootbot.exe. Save this file in an empty new folder on your computer where you want the bot to run. 
2. Connect to Interactive Brokers TWS
3. Install and Run TWS: If you haven’t already, install Interactive Brokers’ Trader Workstation (TWS) from interactivebrokers.com. Launch TWS and log in.
    

1. Go to File > Global Configuration > API > Settings. Check “Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients”. 
2. Under “Socket Port”, choose: 7496 if you are trading live with your account.
   7497 if you want to trade in a paper trading environment. 
3. At the bottom of the page add "127.0.0.1" to the Trusted IPs list. Make sure “Read-Only API” is unchecked if you want the bot to place trades. 
4. Apply and Save these settings.
   
   **Important: Confirm that you are logged in to the correct TWS session (live or paper) corresponding to the port you choose. 

1. Double-click autolootbot.exe to start the program. 
2. The bot will prompt you for your email and password, which must match the credentials you used on the subscription website. 
3. After entering your credentials, the bot will check your subscription status. Please wait while it verifies your active subscription. 

Once subscription verification is complete, the bot will prompt you to enter custom parameters.

> Tickers to Trade: Enter a comma-separated list of stock tickers or press Enter for the defaults.

> A verification prompt will appear; type y if correct or n to re-enter.

> Position Size: Specify how many option contracts to buy per trade or press Enter to use the default (10).

> Again, verify your input.

> Take Profit & Stop Loss Percentages: Enter a percentage (e.g., 0.2 for 20%) or press Enter to let the GA decide.

> Verify each input after entering.

> Double-check each entry carefully before confirming.

**Typos or incorrect values could affect your trading results. 

• best_strategy.npy: Stores the currently best-evolved strategy parameters. You do not need to open or modify this file. 
• no_trade_reasons.json: Logs why the bot skipped trades. Used by the bot’s learning process, no need to edit. 
• trade_log.csv: Records performance and results of each trade. You can review this for analysis if you wish. 
• tradingbot.log: A log file where the bot records its activities, decisions, and behaviors. Useful for debugging or understanding the bot’s actions. 

After confirming your parameters, the bot connects to TWS and starts running.

If the market is closed, the bot will wait until it detects the market is open. If the market is open, the bot will begin processing each ticker and placing trades according to its strategy and your inputs.

The bot will continuously evolve and learn over time, driven by its genetic algorithm (GA) and trade logs.  While this is technically a hands-off bot, it is still HIGHLY ENCOURAGED that you monitor the bot to ensure Autoloot trades catering to your personal strategies (i.e. you may see Autoloot has more gains or losses than you are comfortable with for one day). 

You may press Ctrl+C in the command prompt at any time to stop the bot.
Re-launch the autolootbot.exe file to start the bot again.  

Let the bot run as long as you maintain a subscription. 

You can view the tradingbot.log for detailed behavior and check the trade_log.csv for trade outcomes. 

Every so often, the genetic algorithm may run and update strategies based on new trade data. The changes are automatic.
***Remember: Always ensure you are connected to TWS, your subscription is active, and that you’ve entered your parameters correctly.
With this setup, you can confidently run the trading bot and let it work on your behalf. AGAIN, it is highly recommended that you monitor the bot to ensure it trades catering to your personal strategies. Enjoy and trade responsibly!