bitmex-recipe-launch-grid-bot

name	bitmex-recipe-launch-grid-bot
description	Deploy a grid trading bot with testnet validation.

Grid Trading Bot

Place a ladder of limit orders above and below the current price. Buy orders fill on dips; sell orders fill on rallies. Each filled buy is replaced with a sell one grid level higher, and vice versa.

Always validate on testnet first: prefix commands with bitmex --testnet until the strategy behaves as expected.

Prerequisites

• BITMEX_API_KEY and BITMEX_API_SECRET set.
• jq and bc installed.
• Configure: SYMBOL, GRID_LEVELS (e.g. 5), GRID_SPACING_PCT (e.g. 0.5), QTY_PER_LEVEL.

Phase 1: Testnet Validation

MID=$(bitmex --testnet market instrument --symbol XBTUSD -o json | jq '.[0].lastPrice')

for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
  BUY_PRICE=$(echo "scale=0; $MID * (1 - $i * 0.005) / 1" | bc)
  SELL_PRICE=$(echo "scale=0; $MID * (1 + $i * 0.005) / 1" | bc)

  bitmex --testnet order buy XBTUSD 10 --order-type Limit --price $BUY_PRICE --yes -o json \
    | jq '{side: "Buy", price, orderID}'

  bitmex --testnet order sell XBTUSD 10 --order-type Limit --price $SELL_PRICE --yes -o json \
    | jq '{side: "Sell", price, orderID}'
done

Verify the full grid appears in:

bitmex --testnet order list -o json | jq '[.[] | {side, price, orderQty, ordStatus}]'

Also confirm the order book:

bitmex --testnet market orderbook XBTUSD --depth 10 -o json

Phase 2: Live Deployment

Replace --testnet with live credentials and repeat the loop above.

Phase 3: Monitor and Replace Filled Levels

bitmex ws --auth execution -o json | jq 'select(.data[].ordStatus == "Filled") | .data[]
  | {symbol, side, price, orderQty}'

When a buy fills at level N, place a new sell at level N+1. When a sell fills, place a new buy at level N-1.

Shutdown

Cancel the entire grid cleanly:

bitmex order cancel-all --yes -o json

Notes

• Grids perform best in ranging markets. In strong trends, one side fills completely while the other side sits idle.
• Start with QTY_PER_LEVEL equal to 1% of available margin per level.