Creating a Trading Strategy¶

Step-by-step guide to creating a new trading strategy with TradAI.

Quick Start¶

Create a new strategy with a single command:

tradai strategy new MyMomentumStrategy

This creates a complete strategy package in the current directory with: - Strategy implementation (src/my_momentum_strategy/strategy.py) - Configuration files (configs/backtest.json, tradai.yaml) - Tests (tests/) - Dockerfile for deployment

Strategy Creation Options¶

Basic Options¶

# Create strategy with specific timeframe and category
tradai strategy new MyStrategy --timeframe 4h --category momentum

# Create scalping strategy with short positions
tradai strategy new ScalpBot --category scalping --timeframe 5m --can-short

# Create ML-powered strategy
tradai strategy new MLStrategy --ml freqai

# Skip test generation
tradai strategy new QuickTest --no-tests

Configuration Options¶

Customize initial configuration during creation:

tradai strategy new MyStrategy \
  --exchange bybit \
  --trading-mode futures \
  --stake-currency USDT \
  --symbols "BTC/USDT:USDT,ETH/USDT:USDT" \
  --max-trades 5 \
  --stake-amount 1000 \
  --stoploss -0.05 \
  --trailing-stop

Non-Interactive Mode¶

Skip all prompts with -y:

tradai strategy new MyStrategy -y --category trend-following

Interactive Wizard¶

For guided strategy creation with recommendations:

tradai strategy wizard

The wizard walks you through: 1. Strategy Name - Your strategy identifier 2. Category Selection - Trading style with descriptions 3. Timeframe - Candle interval with category-based recommendations 4. Exchange - Target exchange (Binance, Bybit, OKX, etc.) 5. Trading Mode - Spot or futures 6. Risk Settings - Stoploss, stake amount 7. Summary - Review before creation

Strategy Categories¶

Generated Strategy Structure¶

my_momentum_strategy/
├── src/
│   └── my_momentum_strategy/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── strategy.py      # Main strategy logic
│       └── py.typed
├── tests/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   └── test_strategy.py     # Unit tests
├── configs/
│   ├── backtest.json        # Backtest configuration
│   └── tradai.yaml          # TradAI settings
├── Dockerfile               # Container build
├── pyproject.toml           # Package definition
└── README.md                # Strategy documentation

Implementing Your Strategy¶

Edit src/my_momentum_strategy/strategy.py:

from freqtrade.strategy import IStrategy
import talib as ta

class MyMomentumStrategy(IStrategy):
    # Strategy parameters
    timeframe = "1h"
    startup_candle_count = 50  # Required for indicator warmup

    def populate_indicators(self, dataframe, metadata):
        """Add indicators to the dataframe."""
        dataframe["rsi"] = ta.RSI(dataframe["close"], timeperiod=14)
        dataframe["ema_fast"] = ta.EMA(dataframe["close"], timeperiod=12)
        dataframe["ema_slow"] = ta.EMA(dataframe["close"], timeperiod=26)
        return dataframe

    def populate_entry_trend(self, dataframe, metadata):
        """Define entry conditions."""
        dataframe.loc[
            (dataframe["rsi"] < 30) &
            (dataframe["ema_fast"] > dataframe["ema_slow"]),
            "enter_long"
        ] = 1
        return dataframe

    def populate_exit_trend(self, dataframe, metadata):
        """Define exit conditions."""
        dataframe.loc[
            (dataframe["rsi"] > 70),
            "exit_long"
        ] = 1
        return dataframe

Testing Your Strategy¶

Lint for Common Issues¶

tradai strategy lint MyMomentumStrategy

Checks for: - Look-ahead bias (using future data) - Missing startup_candle_count - Repainting indicators - Invalid parameter combinations

Run Unit Tests¶

just test-package strategies/my_momentum_strategy

Test Indicator Logic¶

Before backtesting, validate your indicators work:

tradai indicator test "ta.RSI(df['close'], 14)" --symbol BTC/USDT:USDT

Next Steps¶

After creating your strategy:

1. Edit Strategy Logic - Implement your trading rules
2. Test Indicators - Validate with tradai indicator test
3. Lint Strategy - Check for issues with tradai strategy lint
4. Run Backtest - Test with historical data (see Backtesting Guide)

Listing Strategies¶

View all available strategies:

tradai strategy list

Get detailed info about a specific strategy:

tradai strategy info MyMomentumStrategy

Quick Reference¶