Trading bots you can read, test and run
A trading bot is a program that buys and sells for you by following set rules. On Tactfolio, a bot is a strategy you can read in full and test on decades of real prices. You then run it on paper or in your own Alpaca account. Each template below is built from a published strategy, so you can see every rule before it trades.
Key points#
- Every Tactfolio bot is a set of written rules, shown as a tree of blocks.
- You see each bot’s backtest, with its worst drawdown, before you run it.
- Stock and ETF bots run once a day on daily prices. Every bot is long only.
- You run your own copy, on a paper account or in your own Alpaca account.
- Everything is free while we build. Nothing here can promise a profit.
How does a Tactfolio trading bot work?#
A Tactfolio bot is a saved strategy that Trade runs for you on a daily schedule. Each day it reads its rules and works out what it should hold. If the target changed, it trades to match it. If not, it does nothing.
- Pick a template or build your own. Start from a bot below, a classic strategy, or a blank strategy in the builder.
- Read the rules and the backtest. A backtest replays the rules on past prices, with a 0.05% cost on every trade. Learn how to read a backtest.
- Run it on paper. A paper account uses pretend money at real market prices and emails you a summary after each close.
- Connect Alpaca when you are ready. Use your own Alpaca account, paper or live, with your own API keys. The bot trades only the starting balance you give it.
What Tactfolio bots do, and what they do not#
| Tactfolio bots | Tactfolio bots do not |
|---|---|
| Trade US-listed stocks and ETFs through your own Alpaca account | Trade options or work with other stock brokers |
| Run once a day on daily prices | Day trade stocks |
| Hold, switch and rebalance, long only | Sell short or borrow on margin |
| Show every rule and the full backtest | Hide how they decide |
Tactfolio can also test and paper trade Hyperliquid perpetual futures, such as the BTC perp, on hourly or daily bars. Those run on paper or the Hyperliquid testnet only. Real money on Hyperliquid is off.
A drawdown is how far a portfolio falls from its last high point. Every bot page shows it, because it is the number that tells you how hard a bot is to live with.
Can an AI build a trading bot for me?#
Yes. An AI assistant connected through MCP can build, backtest and save a bot from one sentence. You still check the rules and start it yourself. The AI trading bot page walks through it step by step.
Common questions#
What is the best trading bot?#
No bot is best for everyone, and past results do not promise future ones. Look for rules you understand, a worst drawdown you could sit through, and costs included in the test. Each bot page here shows all three.
Are trading bots free on Tactfolio?#
Yes. Everything is free while we build, including backtests, paper trading and running a bot in your own Alpaca account. Pricing comes with live trading.
Do trading bots make money?#
Some rules have made money on past prices and some have lost it. A backtest is hypothetical, and a rule that worked before can stop working. Start on paper and size real money so a bad year would not hurt you.
Can I change a bot template?#
Yes. Copy any bot’s strategy to your account and change a fund, a lookback or a rule. Then backtest your version before you run it.
Is a trading bot the same as copy trading?#
No. Copy trading usually means mirroring another person’s trades. A Tactfolio bot follows rules you can read, and you run your own copy in your own account.
AI trading bot: build one by asking an AI assistant
Describe a rule to an AI assistant and it builds and backtests the bot in Tactfolio. You check it, then run it on paper or with Alpaca.
Stock trading bot: rules for US stocks and ETFs
Build a stock trading bot from rules you can read, backtest it on decades of US prices, and run it daily on paper or in your own Alpaca account.
Rebalancing bot: keep your portfolio at its target mix
Run a 60/40 or Golden Butterfly rebalancing bot. See the rules and backtests, then run it on paper or in your own Alpaca account.
Dual momentum bot: run Antonacci’s GEM automatically
Run Gary Antonacci’s dual momentum rules as a bot: SPY, VEU or AGG, checked once a month. See the backtest, then run it on paper or with Alpaca.
Trend following bot: Faber’s 10-month moving average
A trend following bot that holds SPY above its 10-month moving average and Treasury bills below. See the backtest, then run it on paper or with Alpaca.