pax-trade-loop

name	pax-trade-loop
description	Use when the operator asks to run, resume, continue, or check the live pax_algo_v1 sim trading loop on NQ (ETH or RTH session), or when picking a trading session back up after a reboot / fresh Claude session. Triggers include "trade ETH", "run the loop", "start trading the sim", "what's the loop doing", "pick up where we left off", "you trade this".

pax-trade-loop — run/resume the pax_algo_v1 sim trading loop

Core principle

Read the documented rules, then REACT — never reinvent. A reboot wipes the live session context; do not guess to fill the gap. The Pax OR strategy is already specified and the dashboard already computes the decision. You execute it; you do not re-derive thresholds. "We get paid to react, not analyze." Sim (paper) only.

STEP 0 — On a fresh/rebooted session, READ THESE FIRST (do not skip)

1. skills/pax-or/SKILL.md — the authoritative Pax OR ruleset (entries at OR-H/OR-L only, confirmation, stretch gate, rungs, stops, scale-out).
2. Memory: eth_sim_loop_operating_model, feedback_read_records_dont_reinvent.
3. _session_snapshots/eth_trade_loop_spec.md — the active loop spec.
4. _session_snapshots/eth_loop_tick.py — the pure-function tick executor.

If the rule's exact logic is unclear, recover it from the prior session transcript (C:\Users\autop\.claude\projects\C--Bookmap-addons-MCP-Bookmap\*.jsonl) — do NOT fabricate a substitute.

The rule (pax_algo_v1, v3 — documented)

REACT to snap.or_levels (the dashboard already resolved FOLLOW/FADE + confirmation into a per-level decision):

Field	Use
middleLock	true -> SIT (inside OR, no position)
inProximity	false -> SIT (not within ~50 ticks of a level = stretch gate s2.4)
levels[].decision	ENTER_LONG_* / ENTER_SHORT_* / WAIT
levels[].confidence	must be >= floor
levels[].proximity	only the proximate level is actionable

• Entry only at OR-H / OR-L boundary, FOLLOW only, confidence >= floor, rotation not against (ps_rot). Place a RESTING order AT the level and let price come to it — never chase (operator rule 2026-05-28):
  • LONG (OR-H break): buy STOP-LIMIT, trigger = orHigh, limit = orHigh+2tk.
  • SHORT (OR-L break): sell STOP-LIMIT, trigger = orLow, limit = orLow-2tk.
  • FADE + rung (+N/-N) entries are DEFERRED (v4 marks ARMED).
• Stop = OR midpoint +/- breathing room (3pt testing value): a break that fails back through the OR middle is stopped ("middle forbidden"). TP1 = level +/- 10pt, TP2 = level +/- 65pt rung. Order = 2 units via pax_manual ... --entry-stop <trigger>.
• Governor (v4): verify the place subprocess succeeded before claiming a fill; never stack a 2nd entry while one is WORKING (HOLD it, cancel only on invalidation); 5-min post-trade cooldown; daily stop from sim losers_today; in-position management runs before the entry gates.
• In position: resting entry triggers -> brackets manage TP/stop; flatten if price falls back inside the OR (failed break, s2.3 "middle forbidden").
• Daily stop: 2 losers -> stand down (s5.4), wired to sim losers_today.
• Testing: python eth_loop_tick.py --dry-run reads live data + logs the decision but places NO order. decide() is a pure function pinned by _session_snapshots/test_eth_loop_tick.py.

ETH vs RTH (they differ — do not forget)

Same OR mechanics; tuning is keyed to or_day_ledger.session_type. Confidence floor: ETH 0.35, RTH 0.50. The full ETH threshold/weight profile is still being calibrated — treat ETH floor as tunable and confirm with operator before changing it (do not invent thresholds).

Running stack (all local; sim/paper only)

• Dashboard :18888 (snapshot source), overview :18890, tick-only daemon (pax_daemon --no-auto-decide — fills orders + journals, does NOT auto-trade), watcher loop 60s -> D:\BookmapLogs\watcher_ps_log.jsonl.
• Sim CLI: python -m bookmap_mcp.pax_manual {long|short|flatten|status} with BOOKMAP_ALLOW_TRADING= cleared. Sim DB D:\BookmapLogs\pax-daemon-trades.db.

Start / run / stop the loop

• Loop = CronCreate */1 * * * * firing a prompt that runs python _session_snapshots\eth_loop_tick.py each minute and logs one JSON line to D:\BookmapLogs\eth_claude_loop.jsonl. Session-local: dies if the Claude session closes; the daemon/dashboard/watcher keep running.
• Each tick reply = ONE line: state | action | mid/levels | reason.
• Stop: CronDelete <id>, then pax_manual flatten if a position is open.
• Auto session-stop is OFF by default (STOP_CT_HOUR=None) — operator stops manually. The old ct_h >= 24.0 branch was dead code (hour never reaches 24). OPEN RULE: does ETH trade right up to the RTH 08:30 open, or stop at midnight? Set STOP_CT_HOUR once decided. Until then, operator "stop trading" is the cut.

Resume-after-reboot checklist

1. Read STEP 0 files. 2. Verify processes: dashboard owns :18888 (/api/snapshot returns health:ok), one tick-only daemon, watcher running.
2. pax_manual status -> note position / realized / losers. 4. CronList -> is the loop already scheduled? 5. Resume or re-create the cron. Do not flip the daemon between auto-decide/tick-only repeatedly — tick-only is correct when Claude drives.

Known issues (carry forward, fix deliberately)

• Sim fills at NQ $20/pt, not MNQ — qty 2 = 2 NQ (~10x intended MNQ risk). Confirm multiplier before sizing.
• Thin ETH tape -> low confidence + DEAD lt; eligibility-style gates over-block (v3 bypasses lt/eligibility, gates on or_levels decision instead).
• Tiny ETH ORs (~14pt) are fakeout-prone; the break may not hold (live-observed 2026-05-28: OR-L FOLLOW short conf 0.48 was a fakeout, scratched -1 unit).

Communication

Terse one-line ticks. Talk like a person, own mistakes plainly, surface real findings instead of burying them. Don't over-explain routine SIT/ARMED ticks.

What NOT to do

• Don't invent entry rules or thresholds — read pax-or + or_levels.
• Don't chase a break already past proximity (stretch gate).
• Don't trade inside the OR. Don't flip mid-trade without a fresh confirmed break.
• Don't place live orders — sim only; live routing stays gated in server.py.
• Don't reinvent the setup each session — this skill + the memory ARE the setup.