Ready to go further
Next: test the EA against the rule types
See which bot designs clash with which prop firm rules, then enter your own numbers.
What is included
- What it is, in plain words
- The formula or mechanism, with exact arithmetic
- How it hits grid, martingale and DCA bots
- A check you can run before you switch a bot on
Who it is for
- People who run or plan to run a trading bot
- Anyone reading a backtest or a bot sales page
- Readers who want the numbers, not the pitch
- Not advice, and not a signal service
Key facts
- An expert advisor (EA) is a trading program for the MetaTrader platform. It follows its own rules, not the firm's, so it breaks a firm rule unless the rule was built into it.
- This page says nothing about whether any firm allows EAs, copying or any trading style. That is written in the firm's own current terms, and you must read it.
- Seven checks cover most of the ground: news, martingale, grid, hedging, latency, one trade winning the day and the daily and total loss limits.
- In a made-up EA that doubles after each loss from 0.5 percent risk, step 3 brings the day to 3.5 percent lost and step 4 to 7.5 percent, past a made-up 5 percent daily limit (calculated by us on 31 Oct 2026, exact).
- Test the EA on a demo account first, with the firm's rules written as a list beside the results.
The question behind the search
People who search for a name together with "EA" usually want to know one thing: will this robot get me thrown out? The honest answer depends on two documents. One is the rules of the EA, which you can test. The other is the rules of the firm, which only the firm can state, and which can change. This page helps with the first and tells you where to look for the second. We do not say what any firm allows. If a seller of an EA says it is "approved" or "safe" for a firm, ask for the date and the wording in the firm's own terms.
The general background is in the guides on expert advisors and whether prop firms allow bots. The map of rule types against bot designs is on rules versus bot types.
The checklist: what to verify in the firm's rules
| Check | The question to answer from the rules | Why an EA is exposed |
|---|---|---|
| News | Is trading around scheduled news limited, and how is the window defined? | An EA with no calendar trades straight through events. |
| Martingale | Is increasing size after a loss limited or banned? | Doubling after losses is the design of the strategy. |
| Grid | Are many open positions in one direction limited, or does floating loss count? | A grid carries a growing open loss until price returns. |
| Hedging | Is holding opposite positions on one symbol or across accounts allowed? | Some EAs hedge by design to cap a loss. |
| Latency | Are fast, tiny or high-frequency trades limited? | A scalping EA depends on speed and tight fills. |
| One trade wins the day | Is there a cap on how much of the profit one trade or one day may supply? | An EA that waits for rare large wins fails a consistency cap. |
| Loss limits | How are the daily and total limits measured, and do open trades count? | An EA has no idea of the limit unless coded. |
For each row, find the sentence in the current rules, copy it into a note with the date, and write next to it what your EA does. If the rules do not answer the question, ask the firm in writing and keep the reply. A blank is a risk, not a permission.
Worked example: martingale against a daily limit
Take a made-up EA on a $10,000 account that risks 0.5 percent, then doubles the risk after each loss in a row, and a made-up firm with a 5 percent daily limit. The losses add up like this.
| Losing step | Risk on this step | Lost so far in the day | In money | Past the made-up daily limit? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.5% | 0.5% | $50 | No |
| 2 | 1% | 1.5% | $150 | No |
| 3 | 2% | 3.5% | $350 | No |
| 4 | 4% | 7.5% | $750 | Yes |
| 5 | 8% | 15.5% | $1,550 | Yes |
The fourth loss of the day, if the EA keeps doubling, takes the account to 7.5 percent lost, which is $750. Four losses in a row is not rare for a bot that takes many trades. It was not the size of the first trade that broke the rule, but the doubling. The martingale calculator lets you try your own base size and multiplier.
Latency and slippage
In a made-up trade, an EA plans to lose $100 with a 10 pip stop. Price gaps and the stop is filled 3 pips worse. The loss is $100 x 13 / 10 = $130. A bot that risks the full daily allowance across a few trades has no room for this. See slippage for why it happens most around news.
One trade wins the day
In a made-up day an EA makes $300, of which one trade is $270. That one trade is 90 percent of the day. If a firm has a consistency rule, a share like this is what it looks at. The consistency rule guide shows how the share is worked out and how a low-frequency EA can fail it while winning overall.
Copying and several accounts
Some people run one EA on many accounts, or copy trades from a master account. Whether that is permitted is a rule to read, not to assume. The background is in copy trading and trade copiers.
How to test before any real attempt
- Write the firm's current rules as a numbered list with the date.
- Run the EA on a demo account, with the same account size and leverage the rules give.
- Record the worst day, the deepest drawdown, the most trades open at once, the biggest share of a day from one trade and the number of trading days.
- Put each beside its rule using the drawdown calculator and the challenge simulator.
- Set a hard stop in the EA below each limit, so the EA stops before the firm does.
What this page does not tell you
It does not say that any EA is allowed or banned by any firm, and it does not rate any EA. It cannot say whether your EA has an edge. Passing a checklist means the EA does not obviously clash with the rules. It does not mean it will make money.
Keep Going
Related Tools and Guides
Keep exploring
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use an EA with FTMO?
This site does not say. Whether EAs are allowed, and under what conditions, is in the firm's own current terms. Read them and keep a dated copy.
Which EA is approved for a prop firm?
We do not rate or approve any EA. If a seller says one is approved, ask for the date and the wording in the firm's own terms.
Why is martingale a problem for prop firm rules?
Because each loss increases the next bet, a short run of losses can use the daily limit. In our made-up example four doubling steps reached 7.5 percent lost against a 5 percent limit.
Does a hard stop inside the EA help?
It helps because the EA stops before the firm does. It does not remove gaps or slippage that fill a stop worse than planned.
What if the rules do not mention my EA's style?
Ask the firm in writing and keep the answer. A rule that is silent is a risk, not a permission.
Are the numbers on this page real?
Example numbers are made up to show how the maths works, and the page says so. A figure only counts as exact when the page says it was calculated on a stated date. Nothing you enter in a calculator leaves your browser.
Can I use this to decide whether to run a bot?
It can show whether a bot's numbers hold together and how much an account can lose. It cannot say what the market will do, and it is not advice. Use it to ask better questions, then read the terms of your own broker or exchange.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is general education about testing a bot against rules. The numbers are made up and a real firm's rules may differ.
Know the Risk Before You Run It
Free calculators and guides, added every week. Leave your details and we will email you when new ones go up.
Trading carries a risk of loss