Notifications

Testing Notifications

How to verify your Telegram and email notification channels are working correctly before going live.

Before you start live trading it is essential to confirm that your notification channels are delivering alerts as expected. TradingForge provides built-in test functions for both Telegram and email, and you can also trigger real alerts safely using paper trading mode.

Always test notifications before deploying with real funds. Silent failures in notifications mean you won't know about trade issues — a missed "Insufficient Balance" or "Engine Error" alert can leave your positions unmanaged.

Testing Telegram Notifications

Ensure your Telegram bot is fully configured

Go to Settings → Notifications → Telegram. Both the Bot Token and Chat ID fields must be filled in and saved. If you haven't set these up yet, see the Telegram Bot Setup article.

Click Send Test Message

Press the Send Test Message button. TradingForge will attempt to deliver a test notification to your bot immediately.

Check Telegram on your device

Open Telegram and navigate to your bot's chat. You should receive a test message within a few seconds. If you receive it, Telegram notifications are correctly configured.

If the Telegram Test Fails

›Verify the bot token: Make sure it was copied in full from BotFather with no leading or trailing spaces. The token format is 123456789:ABCdef-ghiJKL... — it contains a colon.
›Ensure you started the bot: Telegram blocks bots from sending messages to users who have never sent them a message first. Open your bot in Telegram and press Start if you haven't already.
›Verify the Chat ID: Your personal Chat ID is a positive number (e.g. 987654321). Group Chat IDs are negative (e.g. -1001234567890). Use @userinfobot to confirm your personal ID.
›Check for a bot block: If you previously blocked your bot, unblock it in Telegram settings and send /start again.

Testing Email Notifications

Ensure your SMTP settings are saved

Go to Settings → Notifications → Email. All fields (SMTP host, port, username, password, from address, and to address) must be correctly filled in and saved. If you haven't configured email yet, see the Email Notifications article.

Click Send Test Email

Press the Send Test Email button. TradingForge will attempt to send a test message to the configured To Address.

Check your inbox and spam folder

Open your email client and check your inbox. If the test email doesn't appear within a minute, check your spam or junk folder — automated emails are sometimes filtered. Mark the sender as safe to prevent future alerts from being filtered.

If the Email Test Fails

›Authentication error: Confirm your App Password (for Gmail) or account password was entered correctly. For Gmail, a regular password won't work — you must use an App Password generated from your Google Account security settings.
›SMTP host or port wrong: Double-check the SMTP host and port for your provider. Gmail uses smtp.gmail.com:587. An incorrect host will result in a connection timeout.
›Connection timed out: A firewall or antivirus may be blocking outbound SMTP traffic. Try temporarily disabling your firewall to isolate the issue.
›Emails going to spam: Add the From Address to your contacts. If using a custom SMTP server, ensure SPF and DKIM records are configured on your domain.

Testing Live Alerts with Paper Trading

The built-in test buttons verify connectivity, but they don't test the full alert pipeline that fires during actual trading events. To test real alerts without risking funds, use paper trading mode.

Enable paper trading mode

In TradingForge, go to Settings → Exchange and enable Paper Trading. No API key with trading permissions is required — read permissions are sufficient.

Configure a trading pair with a small base order

Set up TradeFuel with a pair known for volatility (such as a smaller-cap altcoin/USDT pair). Use a small base order size in paper mode since no real funds are spent.

Start the TradeFuel engine

Press Start Engine on the dashboard. You should immediately receive an "Engine Started" notification if that alert type is enabled.

Wait for a trade to open and a safety order to trigger

On a volatile pair, the base order may open quickly. If price drops enough, a safety order will trigger. Verify that you receive both the "Trade Opened" and "Safety Order Triggered" notifications on your configured channels.

Stop the engine and verify the Engine Stopped alert

Press Stop Engine. Confirm you receive the "Engine Stopped" notification. All major alert types have now been tested end-to-end.

Paper trading uses real market data from your connected exchange but places no real orders. It is the safest way to validate your full configuration, including notifications, before switching to live trading.

Alert Types Reference

Common Startup Issues