First Run

1. Start with Dry-Run on Testnet

Always test on testnet with dry-run first:

./target/release/trading-bot config.toml --dry-run

This simulates the full trading cycle without placing real orders. Watch the logs to verify:

• Grid levels are calculated correctly for your price range
• Risk checks pass for your equity and exposure settings
• Fill detection and order replacement logic works

2. Testnet with Real Orders

Once dry-run looks good, remove --dry-run but keep testnet = true:

./target/release/trading-bot config.toml

Log in to Bybit Testnet to verify orders appear on the exchange.

3. Go Live

When you’re confident:

1. Set testnet = false in config.toml
2. Replace API keys with your mainnet credentials
3. Set starting_equity_quote to your actual balance
4. Start conservatively — fewer levels, smaller qty_per_level_base

./target/release/trading-bot config.toml

Running Modes

Standard Mode

Trade a single symbol configured in [grid]:

./trading-bot config.toml

TUI Mode

Same as standard, but with a live terminal dashboard:

./trading-bot config.toml --tui

Auto-Pilot Mode

Fully autonomous — scans markets, picks symbols, sizes positions, and switches automatically:

# Enable in config
# [autopilot]
# enabled = true

./trading-bot config.toml --autopilot

See Auto-Pilot Mode for details.

Graceful Shutdown

Press Ctrl+C to shut down. The bot will:

1. Stop placing new orders
2. Wait for in-flight API calls to complete (configurable via shutdown_wait_secs)
3. Cancel remaining open orders on the exchange
4. Save final state to the database

Logs

Control verbosity with RUST_LOG:

# Default (info level)
RUST_LOG=info ./trading-bot config.toml

# Debug everything
RUST_LOG=debug ./trading-bot config.toml

# Debug bot logic, quiet HTTP noise
RUST_LOG=trading_bot=debug,reqwest=warn ./trading-bot config.toml