conversation-history/confluence_ea_diagnostic.md

Confluence EA Diagnostic Checklist

Date: 2026-04-03 Issue: EA not trading despite being functional

🔍 Step-by-Step Diagnosis

1. Equity Protection Check

# Check current account state
Account Equity: _____%
Required Minimum: ____% (check EA settings)
Daily Drawdown Used: ____% of 3%

Action: If equity below threshold, either:

• Wait for account recovery
• Temporarily lower minimum equity setting
• Fund account to restore equity percentage

2. EA Settings Verification

# In MT5 Expert Properties
✓ Allow live trading: [Yes/No]
✓ Allow DLL imports: [Yes/No] 
✓ Allow import of external experts: [Yes/No]
✓ Confirm live trading: [Yes/No]

# EA-Specific Settings
✓ InpUseRiskPercent: [True/False]
✓ InpRiskPercent: [1.0-5.0]%
✓ InpMaxPositions: [3-5]
✓ InpMinConfluence: [2-3]
✓ InpMinStrength: [0.85-0.95]

3. Filter Status Check

Monitor Journal for these filter blocks:

Volatility Filter:

• Message: "Volatility filter BLOCKED: ATR too low"
• Solution: Lower InpMinATRPercent or disable temporarily

ADX Filter:

• Message: "ADX filter BLOCKED: trend too weak/strong"
• Solution: Adjust InpMinADX or disable temporarily

Confluence Filter:

• Message: "Insufficient confluence signals"
• Solution: Lower InpMinConfluence from 3 to 2

Strength Filter:

• Message: "Signal strength below threshold"
• Solution: Lower InpMinStrength from 0.90 to 0.85

4. Market Condition Analysis

Current Market State:
EURUSD ATR: _____
GBPUSD ATR: _____
USDJPY ATR: _____

ADX Levels:
EURUSD ADX: _____
GBPUSD ADX: _____
USDJPY ADX: _____

Normal Ranges:

• ATR: 0.0050-0.0150 (50-150 pips daily range)
• ADX: 20-40 (trending but not extreme)

5. Symbol-Specific Issues

Check each trading pair individually:

EURUSD (Chart 1):

• EA loaded: [Yes/No]
• Last signal time: _____
• Filter blocks: _____

GBPUSD (Chart 2):

• EA loaded: [Yes/No]
• Last signal time: _____
• Filter blocks: _____

Continue for all 10 pairs...

6. Technical Fixes

If filters too restrictive:

// Temporarily relax settings
InpMinATRPercent = 0.3  // Lower from 0.5
InpMinADX = 15         // Lower from 20
InpMinStrength = 0.80   // Lower from 0.90
InpMinConfluence = 2    // Lower from 3

If equity protection too strict:

// Check for equity threshold settings
// May need to temporarily disable equity checks
// Or add manual override for recovery period

If no signals generated:

// Enable debug mode in EA
// Add Print() statements in signal detection
// Monitor Journal for signal attempts

🎯 Expected Outcomes

Normal Resume (Best Case):

• Monday: Daily limits reset
• Tuesday: First trades appear
• Wednesday: Regular trading rhythm restored

Gradual Resume (Likely Case):

• Monday-Tuesday: Filters blocking due to low volatility
• Wednesday-Thursday: First trades as markets normalize
• Following week: Full trading restored

Manual Intervention Needed (Worst Case):

• EA settings too conservative for current equity level
• Market conditions outside normal parameters
• Code modification required for recovery scenario

📞 Escalation Triggers

Call for help if:

1. No trades by Thursday with good market conditions
2. Journal shows unknown error messages
3. EA repeatedly starts then stops
4. Filters appear to be malfunctioning
5. Account equity continues declining despite no trading

📝 Documentation Requirements

Daily Log Template:

Date: _____
Equity: _____%
Trades Today: _____
Blocked Signals: _____
Filter Status: _____
Next Action: _____

This systematic approach will quickly identify if it's a temporary market/filter issue or a deeper problem requiring code changes.