Troubleshooting

Trade Execution Issues

Diagnose and fix problems with orders not being placed, safety orders not triggering, take profit not closing, and size-related errors.

Trade execution issues typically fall into one of two categories: orders not being placed when expected, or orders placed but not behaving as configured. This article covers the most common scenarios and the step-by-step approach to diagnosing each one.

Issue 1: Orders Are Not Being Placed

Symptom

The engine is running but no new base orders are opening on pairs you have configured. Time passes and no trade appears on the dashboard or on your exchange account.

Possible Causes and Fix Flow

Check that the engine is actually running

On the TradingForge dashboard, look at the engine status indicator. It should show Running. If it shows Stopped, Idle, or Error, start the engine from the dashboard controls first.

Check your free balance on the exchange

TradingForge will not place an order if your free (available) balance is insufficient to cover the base order size. Log in to your exchange directly and check your free USDT (or your configured quote currency) balance.

Check whether all configured pairs are on cooldown

After a trade closes, TradingForge applies a configurable cooldown period before opening a new trade on the same pair. If all your configured pairs are in cooldown simultaneously, no new orders will be placed. Wait for the cooldown to expire or reduce the cooldown duration in your strategy settings.

Check TradeSmith conditions (if TradeSmith filtering is enabled)

If you have TradeSmith enabled as a filter for TradeFuel entry signals, it may be actively blocking new trades because current market conditions don't meet your configured criteria. Open the TradeSmith panel and review its current analysis output and logs.

Check the maximum active trades limit

TradingForge has a configurable maximum number of simultaneously active trades. If you have reached this limit, no new base orders will be placed until an existing trade closes. Review the limit in your TradeFuel settings.

The Activity log on the dashboard records every decision the engine makes, including reasons why a trade was skipped. Reviewing recent Activity log entries is usually the fastest way to identify why orders are not being placed.

Issue 2: Safety Orders Not Triggering

Symptom

A trade is open, the price has dropped, but the safety orders have not been filled.

Possible Causes

›Price hasn't dropped enough yet: Safety orders are placed at specific percentage deviations below your entry price. Check your configured SO deviation percentages and compare them to the actual current price drop. The price may simply not have fallen far enough yet.
›Safety order was rejected by the exchange: Open the Activity log and look for order error entries on the affected pair. The exchange may have rejected the order due to a minimum size violation, price precision issue, or API error.
›Insufficient balance to place the safety order: If your free balance dropped below the required safety order size, the order was skipped. Check your balance and check the Activity log for an "Insufficient Balance" event.

Issue 3: Trade Not Closing at Take Profit

Symptom

The market price appears to have reached or exceeded your expected take profit level, but TradingForge has not closed the trade.

Possible Causes

›Price has not actually reached the calculated TP: Take profit is calculated from your average entry price, not your initial entry. If safety orders have fired and averaged down your entry, the TP target price is lower than the original entry — but it may still be above the current market price.
›Trailing take profit is active: If trailing TP is enabled, the trade will not close exactly at the TP percentage. Instead, TradingForge waits for the price to exceed the TP target and then tracks the price upward. The trade closes only when the price pulls back by the trailing deviation amount from its peak. This is normal behavior — the trade will close above your base TP target.
›Exchange order got stuck: Log in to your exchange directly and check whether there is an open limit sell order for the affected pair. If the order is there, TradingForge is waiting for it to fill. If no order exists, check the Activity log for errors related to that trade.

Issue 4: "Insufficient Balance" Error

Symptom

You see an "Insufficient Balance" error in the Activity log or receive an Insufficient Balance notification. Orders are being skipped.

Fix

›Add funds to your exchange account. Your free USDT (or quote currency) balance needs to be large enough to cover the order sizes you have configured.
›Reduce base order or safety order sizes. If you have many active trades simultaneously, the total capital required can be substantial. Each active trade may have multiple safety orders waiting to fire.
›Plan for worst-case capital allocation. In a market downturn, all active trades may trigger all their safety orders simultaneously. Your free balance should be large enough to cover the full safety order stack across all active pairs at once. This is an important consideration when sizing your strategy.

Running too many active pairs with large safety order multipliers relative to your account balance is the most common cause of insufficient balance errors. Review your maximum active trades setting and safety order configuration if this occurs frequently.

Issue 5: Orders Placed in the Wrong Size

Symptom

Orders are being placed but the size on the exchange is slightly different from what you configured, or you see an order size error in the Activity log.

Cause

Every exchange enforces minimum order sizes and quantity precision rules (called lot size filters). For example, an exchange may require orders to be in multiples of 0.001 BTC, and will reject anything that doesn't conform. TradingForge automatically adjusts for these precision rules, but in edge cases a configured size may need minor adjustment.

Fix

›If an order is being rejected for size, try adjusting your base order or safety order size slightly — for example, changing from exactly 50 USDT to 50.5 USDT.
›Check the exchange's minimum order size requirements for the specific trading pair you are using. Some pairs (especially lower-priced altcoins) have higher minimum order values.
›If the issue persists, check the Activity log for the specific exchange error message and contact support at tfcontact@tradingforge.net with the details.

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Error Message Reference