summary: when your broker shows disconnected in the algo dashboard — how to tell, why it happens, and exactly how to reconnect for Tradovate, NinjaTrader, and ProjectX/TopstepX.

the algo dashboard is the source of truth. open it and look at the connected trading accounts table — if the broker's status is red and reads disconnected, the connection has dropped and any active algos won't be able to send orders.

if your algo dashboard shows everything connected but a trade still didn't fire, that's a different problem — start with my algo didn't trade — start here.

the same steps work for every broker. try them in order — most disconnects clear at step 1.

don't use the trash icon to remove the broker. deleting the broker connection deletes every strategy attached to it — and the +add broker refresh above does the same reconnect without the data loss. if you're still disconnected after refreshing, the cause is usually broker-specific. jump to your broker below.

sometimes the algo dashboard looks fine on the surface — broker shows connected, no error message — but the create strategy button doesn't respond when you click it, or you can't toggle a strategy on after building it. those are 2 different problems with 2 different fixes.

the button stays disabled until all 4 required fields on the strategy form are filled in. the one people miss most often is the description field — it's easy to overlook because the form looks complete without it.

check that all 4 are filled:

once all 4 are filled, the create strategy button activates. if it still doesn't, refresh the page and try again — sometimes a stale form state blocks the button.

if the strategy created fine but the enable toggle won't flip on, this is almost always a stale broker session. the broker shows connected in the dashboard, but the access token has expired in the background — so edgeful can't actually push to it.

fix it with the universal reconnect flow above:

you don't need to recreate the strategy or change your TradingView webhook URL — those stay intact. reconnecting just refreshes the broker session.

most common cause: 2FA is enabled on Tradovate. edgeful's connection breaks when 2FA is turned on.

fix:

other Tradovate causes worth checking:

don't use continuous symbols. Tradovate routes to the front-month contract — NQ1! won't work, you need NQM2026 (or whatever the current front month is). symbol details: which broker accounts work with edgeful algo automation?

most common cause: session timeout or credential change on the NinjaTrader side.

fix: the universal reconnect flow above usually handles this — click reconnect, and if that fails, refresh your login token with +add broker.

worth checking:

ProjectX and TopstepX have the most disconnect-causing scenarios because the connection is API-key based, not session-based. several things outside edgeful can break it.

most common causes:

fix when the API key was regenerated:

fix when the subscription lapsed:

fix for errorCode=3: your username, email, or API key doesn't match between ProjectX and edgeful. confirm all 3 fields are exactly what's on file in ProjectX, then reconnect. setup details: TopstepX broker setup guide.

a new prop firm account isn't showing in the account listing: if you've added a new account to your prop firm and it isn't appearing in the connected trading accounts table, your login token just needs a refresh. edgeful pulled your account list when you last connected, so anything added since then won't show until the token is refreshed.

this refreshes your login token and pulls any new accounts into the dashboard. you won't lose any information — your existing strategies, settings, and webhooks all stay intact. you don't need to remove the broker with the trash icon to do this.

silent rejections to be aware of:

linked accounts only show in ProjectX, not TopstepX. and the same continuous-symbol rule applies — use front-month, not NQ1!.

if you've tried the universal flow plus the broker-specific fixes above and you're still disconnected:

still stuck? open a support chat from inside edgeful — include a screenshot of the connected trading accounts table and the broker name, and we'll get you back online.

will I lose my strategies if I delete the broker?

yes. deleting the broker with the trash icon removes every strategy attached to it, and you'd have to rebuild them. if you just need to reconnect or pull in a new account, don't delete the broker — click +add broker and re-enter your credentials instead. that refreshes the login token and keeps all your strategies, settings, and webhooks intact.

I added a new account at my prop firm but it isn't showing in edgeful. how do I get it to appear?

refresh your login token. click +add broker in the algo dashboard and re-enter your ProjectX credentials. that pulls any new accounts into the dashboard, and you won't lose any of your existing information.

how often do brokers disconnect?

session-based brokers (Tradovate, NinjaTrader) usually only disconnect on session timeouts, credential changes, or 2FA changes. API-key based brokers (ProjectX) stay connected as long as the key and subscription are valid — but they're more sensitive to anything that changes the key.

why does my algo dashboard say connected but my trades aren't firing?

connection is fine but something else broke — usually a contract symbol mismatch, a webhook routing issue, or an account-level limit. start with my algo didn't trade — start here.

should I use continuous symbols (like NQ1!) on any broker?

no. all 3 brokers route to the front-month contract. always use the explicit front-month symbol (e.g., NQM2026). full mapping: which broker accounts work with edgeful algo automation?.