Troubleshooting

This guide helps you diagnose and resolve common issues with grid trading bots. Find solutions to problems quickly and get your bot back on track.

Common Issues

"Insufficient Balance" Error

Symptoms:

• Bot fails to start
• Error message: "Insufficient balance to create orders"
• Orders not being placed

Possible Causes:

1. Not enough funds in exchange account

Required: $10,000 total investment
Available: $8,500 in account

Solution: Fund your exchange account

2. Funds locked in other orders

Total balance: $10,000
Already in use: $7,000 (other bots/orders)
Available: $3,000
Trying to allocate: $5,000

Solution: 
- Stop other bots to free capital
- Reduce investment amount
- Cancel manual orders

3. Balance calculation mismatch

Issue: System shows different balance than exchange

Solution:
- Refresh exchange connection
- Sync balance (Settings → Exchange → Sync)
- Wait a few minutes and retry

4. Minimum order size not met

Grid order size: $9 per order
Exchange minimum: $10

Solution: 
- Reduce grid count
- Increase total investment
- Choose different trading pair

Solutions:

Immediate Fixes:

1. Check exchange balance directly on exchange website
2. Ensure no pending withdrawals or locked funds
3. Reduce investment amount in bot settings
4. Reduce grid count to create larger orders

Example Adjustment:

Original Config (Failed):
Investment: $10,000
Grid Count: 50
Order size: $200 each
Available balance: $8,000

Adjusted Config (Works):
Investment: $8,000
Grid Count: 40
Order size: $200 each
Available balance: $8,000 ✓

Quick Fix

Try reducing your investment amount by 10-20% to account for fees and exchange reserves.

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Orders Not Filling

Symptoms:

• Bot is running
• Orders placed successfully
• But no fills for extended period (12+ hours)
• Pending orders remain unchanged

Diagnosis Steps:

1. Check Current Price vs Grid Range

Grid Range: $40,000 - $60,000
Current Price: $35,000

Problem: Price is below entire grid range
→ No buy orders can fill (all above current price)
→ All sell orders already filled or no inventory

Solution: Price needs to return to range, or adjust range

2. Verify Order Placement

Check:
1. Bot status = "Running" (not paused)
2. Orders visible in Orders tab
3. Orders exist on exchange (check exchange directly)
4. Orders at correct price levels

3. Assess Market Liquidity

Low liquidity signs:
- Wide bid-ask spread (>0.5%)
- Low 24h volume
- Sporadic price updates
- Orders sit unfilled at market price

Solution: Choose more liquid pairs (BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT)

4. Check Price Movement

Grid levels: $48k, $49k, $50k, $51k, $52k
Current price stuck at: $50.5k (between levels)

Issue: Price oscillating between grids, not hitting levels

Solution: 
- Normal behavior, wait for larger price movement
- Or reduce grid count for wider spacing

Solutions:

Price Outside Range:

Original: $40k-$60k grid, price at $65k
All sells filled, no buys executing

Options:
1. Wait for price to drop back to range
2. Stop bot and take profit
3. Adjust range to $55k-$75k (restart needed)

Recommended: Option 2 (take profit)

Low Liquidity Pair:

Current: RARE/USDT (low volume)
24h volume: $500,000

Switch to: ETH/USDT (high volume)
24h volume: $2,000,000,000

Result: Much better fill rate

Grid Spacing Too Tight:

Range: $49,000-$51,000 ($2,000 range)
Grids: 50
Spacing: $40 per grid

Price needs to move only $40 to hit next level
In low volatility: Takes hours or days

Solution:
Range: $45,000-$55,000 ($10,000 range)
Grids: 20
Spacing: $500 per grid

Price hits levels more frequently

Normal Behavior

In stable market conditions, 30-50% fill rate is normal. Not every order will fill immediately. Patience is key.

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Bot Stops Unexpectedly

Symptoms:

• Bot was running
• Now shows "Stopped" status
• Didn't manually stop it
• May see error messages

Common Causes:

1. Take Profit Triggered

Check Performance Tab:
Take Profit Target: 20%
Current Profit: 21.5%

→ Bot automatically stopped (as configured)
→ This is normal behavior

Action: Review performance, restart if desired

2. Stop Loss Triggered

Check Performance Tab:
Stop Loss: -15%
Current Loss: -16.2%

→ Bot stopped to prevent further losses
→ Risk management working correctly

Action:
- Review why loss occurred
- Assess if market conditions changed
- Adjust strategy before restarting

3. API Connection Lost

Error Log Shows:
"API authentication failed"
"Connection timeout"
"Invalid API key"

Causes:
- API key revoked or expired
- IP whitelist changed
- Exchange API maintenance
- Network issues

Solutions:
1. Verify API key still valid on exchange
2. Check API permissions (trade enabled)
3. Regenerate API key if needed
4. Update API key in platform settings
5. Check exchange status page

4. Exchange Error

Error Messages:
"Order rejected by exchange"
"Market not available"
"Trading suspended"

Causes:
- Exchange maintenance
- Trading pair delisted
- Market halted
- Exchange outage

Solutions:
1. Check exchange status/announcements
2. Wait for exchange to resume
3. Restart bot once resolved

5. Insufficient Balance (Runtime)

Scenario:
- Bot started successfully
- Ran for hours
- Then stopped

Cause: Balance became insufficient
- Withdrew funds while bot running
- Fees depleted balance
- Another bot consumed funds

Solution:
- Add funds to account
- Adjust allocation across bots
- Restart with lower investment

Diagnostic Process:

Step 1: Check Performance Tab

Look for:
→ Take profit/stop loss triggers
→ Error count and messages
→ Last successful trade timestamp
→ Current profit/loss

Step 2: Check Timeline

Review recent events:
→ When did it stop?
→ Any errors logged before stopping?
→ Last order fill time
→ System messages

Step 3: Verify External Factors

Check:
→ Exchange status (downtime?)
→ API connection (still valid?)
→ Account balance (sufficient?)
→ Trading pair (still listed?)

Step 4: Review Error Log

Common error patterns:
→ Multiple connection timeouts = Network issue
→ Authentication failures = API problem
→ Order rejections = Exchange or balance issue
→ Rate limit errors = Too many requests

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API Connection Failed

Symptoms:

• Cannot start bot in live mode
• Error: "Failed to connect to exchange"
• "Invalid API credentials"
• "Authentication failed"

Step-by-Step Resolution:

1. Verify API Key Configuration

Navigate to: Settings → Exchange Connections

Check:
□ API Key is entered correctly (no spaces)
□ Secret Key is entered correctly
□ Exchange selection matches key source
□ Status shows "Connected" (green checkmark)

2. Test API Permissions

Required permissions:
✓ Read account balance
✓ Place orders (trade)
✓ Cancel orders

NOT required (keep disabled for security):
✗ Withdraw funds
✗ Transfer funds
✗ Sub-account management

Action:
1. Go to exchange API settings
2. Verify "Trade" permission is enabled
3. Verify "Withdraw" is NOT enabled
4. Save any changes
5. Test connection in platform

3. Check IP Whitelist

If exchange has IP whitelist enabled:

Problem: Platform server IP not whitelisted

Solution:
1. Remove IP whitelist (less secure), OR
2. Contact support for platform IP addresses
3. Add platform IPs to whitelist
4. Test connection

4. Regenerate API Keys

If nothing else works:

Steps:
1. Delete old API key on exchange
2. Create new API key
3. Enable "Trade" permission only
4. Copy API Key and Secret
5. Update in platform Settings
6. Test connection
7. Retry bot creation

5. Common Exchange-Specific Issues

Binance:

Error: "Timestamp for this request is outside of the recvWindow"

Cause: Server time sync issue

Solution:
- Usually auto-resolves
- Retry after 5-10 minutes
- Check exchange status page

Coinbase Pro:

Error: "Invalid API Key"

Common issues:
- Copied key with spaces
- Used wrong passphrase
- API created but not activated

Solution:
- Regenerate key carefully
- Copy passphrase correctly
- Wait 1-2 minutes after creation

Kraken:

Error: "Permission denied"

Cause: Insufficient API permissions

Solution:
- Enable "Create & Modify Orders"
- Enable "Query Funds"
- Save changes
- Retry

Security First

Never share your API keys. If you suspect they're compromised, revoke immediately and create new ones.

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Incorrect Profit Calculations

Symptoms:

• Profit shown doesn't match expectations
• Realized profit seems wrong
• ROI calculation appears off

Common Misunderstandings:

1. Fees Not Accounted For

Expected Calculation (Wrong):
Bought: 0.1 BTC at $50,000 = $5,000
Sold: 0.1 BTC at $51,000 = $5,100
Expected Profit: $100

Actual Calculation (Correct):
Buy: $5,000 + $5 fee (0.1%) = $5,005
Sell: $5,100 - $5.10 fee (0.1%) = $5,094.90
Actual Profit: $89.90

Difference: Fees reduced profit by ~10%

2. Unrealized vs Realized Profit

Confusion:
"I see $500 profit but can't withdraw it"

Explanation:
Realized Profit: $200 (from completed trades)
→ This is withdrawable

Unrealized P&L: $300 (from open positions)
→ This is paper profit, changes with price
→ Only becomes real when you sell

Total Shown: $500, but only $200 is real

3. Average Buy Price Calculation

Position built over time:
Buy 1: 0.05 BTC at $48,000 = $2,400
Buy 2: 0.05 BTC at $49,000 = $2,450
Buy 3: 0.05 BTC at $51,000 = $2,550

Total: 0.15 BTC for $7,400
Average: $7,400 / 0.15 = $49,333 per BTC

Current Price: $50,000
Unrealized P&L: ($50,000 - $49,333) × 0.15 = $100

Not: ($50,000 - $48,000) × 0.15 = $300 ✗

4. Partial Fills Impact

Order: Sell 0.1 BTC at $51,000
Filled: 0.06 BTC (partial)

Profit shown: For 0.06 BTC only
Expected: For full 0.1 BTC
Difference: Remaining 0.04 BTC still in position

Solution: Wait for order to fill completely

Verification Steps:

1. Manual Calculation

From Orders Tab:
1. Note all filled buy orders (price × amount)
2. Note all filled sell orders (price × amount)
3. Note all fees paid
4. Calculate: Σ(Sells) - Σ(Buys) - Σ(Fees)
5. Compare with platform's realized profit

2. Check Exchange History

1. Log into exchange directly
2. View order history for time period
3. Export to CSV if available
4. Sum up profits manually
5. Should match platform calculation

3. Understand the Metrics

Total Profit = Realized + Unrealized

Realized Profit:
- Locked in from completed cycles
- Buy → Sell completed
- Withdrawable

Unrealized P&L:
- Open position value
- Changes with price
- Not withdrawable

ROI = Realized Profit / Initial Investment × 100
APR = ROI / Days × 365

tips

If numbers still don't match after verification, contact support with specific order IDs and timestamps for investigation.

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Performance Issues

Symptoms:

• Bot seems slow
• Order placement delays
• UI lag or timeouts
• Data not updating

Possible Causes & Solutions:

1. Exchange API Rate Limiting

Symptom: Orders delayed, "Rate limit" errors

Cause: Too many API requests

Solutions:
- Reduce number of active bots
- Increase retry intervals
- Spread out bot start times
- Usually auto-resolves (system backs off)

2. Network Connectivity

Symptom: Intermittent connection errors

Check:
- Your internet connection
- Exchange status page
- Platform status page

Solutions:
- Switch networks if possible
- Wait for exchange issues to resolve
- Contact ISP if persistent

3. High Market Volatility

Symptom: Many orders, rapid changes, UI slow

Cause: Normal during volatile markets

What's happening:
- Bot placing many orders quickly
- Frequent fills and replacements
- System working as designed

Action: This is normal, not a bug

4. Browser Performance

Symptom: Slow UI, delayed updates

Solutions:
- Clear browser cache
- Close other tabs
- Use Chrome or Firefox (recommended)
- Disable browser extensions
- Refresh the page

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Error Messages Explained

Order-Related Errors

"Order size below minimum"

Meaning: Individual order too small for exchange

Fix:
- Reduce grid count (larger orders)
- Increase total investment
- Check exchange minimum order size

"Order rejected - insufficient balance"

Meaning: Not enough funds when order placed

Fix:
- Check if funds withdrawn
- Verify other bots didn't consume balance
- Reduce total investment
- Add funds to exchange

"Order price outside allowed range"

Meaning: Price too far from market (exchange limits)

Cause: Grid range too wide for exchange rules

Fix:
- Narrow price range
- Move range closer to current price
- Check exchange price deviation limits

"Order timeout"

Meaning: Order not placed within time limit

Causes:
- Network latency
- Exchange overload
- System retries automatically

Action: Usually resolves itself, monitor

Authentication Errors

"Invalid signature"

Meaning: API authentication failed

Causes:
- API secret incorrect
- Time sync issue
- Key revoked

Fix:
- Regenerate API key
- Update credentials
- Check system time is synced

"API key not found"

Meaning: API key doesn't exist on exchange

Causes:
- Key deleted on exchange
- Wrong exchange selected
- Typo in API key

Fix:
- Verify on exchange
- Create new key
- Double-check exchange selection

"Permission denied"

Meaning: API key lacks required permissions

Fix:
- Enable "Trade" permission on exchange
- Regenerate key with correct permissions
- Update in platform settings

Balance Errors

"Insufficient funds"

Already covered above - see "Insufficient Balance" section

"Balance fetch failed"

Meaning: Cannot retrieve balance from exchange

Causes:
- API connection issue
- Exchange API down
- Permission issue

Fix:
- Check API connection
- Verify API permissions include "Read"
- Check exchange status
- Retry in a few minutes

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Advanced Troubleshooting

Logs and Diagnostics

Accessing Error Logs:

1. Navigate to bot detail page
2. Go to Performance tab
3. Scroll to Error Tracking section
4. Review error messages and timestamps

What to Look For:

Patterns:
- Same error repeating → Persistent issue
- Errors at specific times → Exchange maintenance
- Authentication errors → API problem
- Rate limit errors → Too many requests

Recording Issues:

For support tickets, include:
1. Bot ID
2. Error message (exact text)
3. Timestamp when occurred
4. Steps that led to error
5. Screenshots if helpful
6. Exchange and trading pair

Testing Connectivity

API Connection Test:

1. Settings → Exchange Connections
2. Click "Test Connection"
3. Should show green checkmark
4. Display current balance

If fails:
→ API key issue
→ Exchange connectivity problem
→ Permission problem

Demo Mode Testing:

If issues in live mode:

1. Switch to demo mode
2. Create identical bot
3. Test if works in demo

If demo works but live doesn't:
→ Problem is with exchange API
→ Not platform issue
→ Check API configuration

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When to Contact Support

Contact support if:

• ✉️ Issue persists after troubleshooting
• ✉️ Error messages unclear
• ✉️ Suspect platform bug
• ✉️ Lost funds or incorrect calculations
• ✉️ API issues after following all steps
• ✉️ Bot behaving unexpectedly

Before contacting support:

1. ✓ Try solutions in this guide
2. ✓ Check exchange status pages
3. ✓ Verify your API configuration
4. ✓ Test in demo mode if possible
5. ✓ Collect error messages and logs
6. ✓ Note exact steps to reproduce

Information to provide:

Subject: [Grid Bot] Brief description of issue

Include:
- Bot ID: #12345
- Exchange: Binance
- Trading Pair: BTC/USDT
- Issue started: Jan 15, 2025 at 3:30 PM
- Error message: [Exact text]
- What you tried: [List troubleshooting steps]
- Screenshots: [Attach if helpful]
- Expected behavior: [What should happen]
- Actual behavior: [What actually happened]

tips

The more detailed information you provide, the faster support can help resolve your issue.

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Preventive Measures

Regular Maintenance

Weekly:

• Review bot performance
• Check error logs
• Verify API connections active
• Update strategies if needed

Monthly:

• Regenerate API keys (security best practice)
• Review and optimize parameters
• Check for platform updates
• Test bots in demo mode before changes

Before Long Absences:

• Set appropriate stop losses
• Enable auto-restart cautiously
• Set up alerts/notifications
• Document current state
• Reduce position sizes

Best Practices

Configuration:

• ✓ Always set stop loss
• ✓ Test in demo first
• ✓ Start with conservative parameters
• ✓ Document your strategy

Monitoring:

• ✓ Check bots daily
• ✓ Set up alerts for critical events
• ✓ Keep exchange app installed
• ✓ Monitor exchange announcements

Security:

• ✓ Use API keys with trade-only permission
• ✓ Never enable withdraw permission
• ✓ Rotate API keys regularly
• ✓ Use strong, unique passwords
• ✓ Enable 2FA on exchange

Risk Management:

• ✓ Diversify across pairs
• ✓ Don't overallocate to single bot
• ✓ Keep reserves for opportunities
• ✓ Accept losses as part of strategy

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Quick Reference

Problem Diagnosis Flowchart

Issue: Bot not working

↓
Is bot status "Running"?
├─ No → Start the bot
└─ Yes → Continue

↓
Are orders placed on exchange?
├─ No → Check API connection
└─ Yes → Continue

↓
Are orders filling?
├─ No → Check price vs range
└─ Yes → Continue

↓
Is profit as expected?
├─ No → Review fee calculations
└─ Yes → Working normally!

Common Solutions Summary

Problem	Quick Fix
Insufficient balance	Reduce investment or add funds
Orders not filling	Check price is in range
Bot stopped	Check take profit/stop loss/errors
API failed	Regenerate API key
Incorrect profit	Account for fees and unrealized P&L
Slow performance	Clear cache, reduce active bots

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Next Steps

Learn answers to frequently asked questions:

→ FAQ