summary: a 5-minute pre-flight check to confirm your webhook chain is wired up correctly — before you fund the algo and discover in real time that it's not.
this article covers: how to SIM-test the full TradingView → edgeful → broker chain end-to-end with a real signal, what a successful run looks like in the log, and how to triage if something breaks. new to algo automation? start at the algo automation quickstart — complete setup first, then run this test. just changed algo settings? the SIM test below is step 4 of applying algo settings changes — the full post-change handoff.
don't wire up a live account and hope for the best. a quick SIM test proves every link in the chain before real money is on the line. skip this step and you're the person asking "why didn't my algo trade?" in the chat.
what you're testing
every trade the algo fires runs this chain:
your algo fires a signal on TradingView → TradingView fires an alert through the strategy webhook to edgeful → edgeful routes the order to your broker → your broker executes.
one broken link and no trade happens. the test below runs the full chain end-to-end so you can see it work.
the 5-minute test
1. point your strategy at a SIM/demo account. in the algo dashboard, confirm your strategy's broker account is a SIM/paper account — not a live/funded one. if it's pointed at live, edit the strategy and switch it. the strategy table shows account type (PAPER or LIVE) so it's quick to verify.
2. build the TradingView alert with the SIM strategy's webhook. paste the webhook URL into the Webhook URL field, toggle the webhook notification on, and paste the JSON message into the message field. match the chart timeframe to your algo's timeframe. full walkthrough: setting up TradingView alerts for algo automation.
3. wait for the next real signal. don't fake a fire — let the algo trigger naturally on its actual setup conditions. that's the only way to prove the real chain works. depending on the algo and market, this usually happens within a session or two.
4. check the trade log. as soon as the alert fires, open the trade log (algos → trade log, edgeful.com/algos-automation/trade-log). it shows one day at a time. filter by your strategy and use the status chips (all, working, closed, rejected, cancelled) to find the entry. for more on reading it, see understanding the algo trade log.
5. verify the position at your broker. open your SIM broker account and confirm the position is actually open. seeing the order go through in the trade log means edgeful successfully routed it — but always close the loop at the broker.
when the trade exits (TP or SL), run the check again. you should see the exit in the trade log and the position closed at the broker.
if the test fails
nothing in the log at all — the alert never reached edgeful through the webhook. check the webhook URL and the webhook notification toggle. start at my algo didn't trade — start here.
failed to reach the broker — edgeful got the alert but couldn't place the order, usually because the broker connection dropped. check step 1 of the algo dashboard; if the broker isn't connected, click + add broker and re-enter your credentials.
rejected by the broker — the broker got the order but refused it. usually a contract mismatch. see the algo error message decoder for the exact error string.
when you're ready to go live
only move to a live/funded account after the SIM chain runs end-to-end at least once, with the trade going through at your broker.
to switch: create a new strategy pointed at your live account, copy its unique webhook URL, and create a new TradingView alert with that webhook URL. don't reuse the SIM webhook — each strategy has its own, and the SIM webhook keeps routing to SIM.
when in doubt, start with 1 contract on the live strategy and confirm the first trade fills cleanly before scaling up.
related articles
start here:
algo automation quickstart — start here — the hub
spokes:
using the algo dashboard — broker connection and strategy creation
setting up TradingView alerts for algo automation — TradingView alert configuration
applying algo settings changes — what to do after you optimize and make algo setting changes — what to do after you change algo settings
understanding the algo trade log — read the trade log
my algo didn't trade — start here — troubleshooting
how the algo automation chain works — under-the-hood reference
algo error message decoder — every common error string