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Overview

The Backtest - Strategy Builder has two operating modes:

Atlas Mode is the default and the recommended starting point for most users. It connects the AI-powered strategy search in Atlas directly to the backtester, letting you validate a strategy on your chart with a single copy-paste.

How to Use Atlas Mode

Step 1 — Find a strategy in Atlas

Open Atlas at app.algoalpha.io/atlas and run a strategy search. When Atlas returns results, each strategy card includes its entry and exit conditions formatted as a structured rule block, for example:

Long Entry:
Trigger: Smart Signals +▼/▼ Fires (SSA)
States: Trend Bias Is Weak Bearish (SSA), TRC Is Trending (SSA)

Short Entry:
Trigger: Smart Signals +▲/▲ Fires (SSA)
States: Trend Bias Is Weak Bullish (SSA), TRC Is Trending (SSA)

Copy the full rule block from the Atlas result card.

Step 2 — Open the Strategy Builder settings

Add the Backtest - Strategy Builder indicator to your TradingView chart (or open its settings if it is already on the chart).

Step 3 — Confirm Atlas Mode is active

In the "Atlas Strategy Conditions" settings group, make sure Use Atlas is checked (it is on by default).

Step 4 — Paste the rules

Click inside the "Add Atlas Rules Below" text area and paste the rule block you copied from Atlas. The backtester parses the text automatically — no extra configuration is required.

Step 5 — Review results

The strategy runs immediately. Use the on-chart dashboard and TradingView's Strategy Tester panel to review performance.

Rule Text Format

Atlas generates rules in a plain-text format. The backtester expects the following structure:

Long Entry:
Trigger: <signal name> (<indicator>)
States: <signal name> (<indicator>), <signal name> (<indicator>)

Short Entry:
Trigger: <signal name> (<indicator>)
States: <signal name> (<indicator>), <signal name> (<indicator>)

Exit Long:
Trigger: <signal name> (<indicator>)

Exit Short:
Trigger: <signal name> (<indicator>)

Notes:

• Trigger: accepts one signal name. It defines the event that initiates the entry or exit.
• States: accepts comma-separated signal names. All listed states must be true at the same time, so States: A, B, C is evaluated as A AND B AND C.
• States: is optional. If no states are supplied, the section is trigger-only.
• Exit Long: and Exit Short: are optional. If both long and short entries are present and no exit section is supplied, the opposing entry trigger is used as the exit.
• SSA, ILPAC, MC, and External Signal 1 through External Signal 6 can be used in Atlas Mode rule text.
• External signals use the same Source / Operator / Value configuration from Condition Setup. Configure the external signal slots first, then reference them in the text rule as External Signal 1, External Signal 2, etc.

Parser Warnings

The on-chart Strategy Table includes an Atlas Rules row. It shows:

Unknown signal names evaluate as false, so a typo can stop a strategy from trading. Check the Atlas Rules row after pasting or editing rules.

For the complete rule grammar, examples, and unsupported syntax, see Text Scripting Rules.

Switching to Manual Mode

To build a strategy by hand — or to use MC signals — uncheck Use Atlas in the "Atlas Strategy Conditions" group. This reveals the full Manual Mode settings:

• Master Settings — leverage, sizing, long/short toggles, alert rail
• Condition Setup — 6 external signal slots (source/operator/value)
• Trigger Groups — Long, Short, Exit Long, Exit Short, each with up to 5 conditions and invalidation controls

See the Settings Reference for full Manual Mode documentation and the MC Signal Reference for a list of all Momentum Concepts conditions available in Manual Mode.

Tips

• Edit the pasted rules — You can manually edit the text area to adjust a signal name or swap a state filter without going back to Atlas.
• Enable Alerts toggle — The alert rail and alertcondition() outputs now fire from actual position changes, not raw rule conditions. A long condition that remains true while a long trade is already open will not trigger another long-entry alert.
• TP / SL in Atlas Mode — TP and SL source inputs are not visible in Atlas Mode. To add dynamic TP/SL levels, switch to Manual Mode and link them to plots from SSA's Smart Exits.

Agent Instructions

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