FAQ

Getting started​

Do I need to know how to code? No. The entire strategy builder is conversational. You describe your idea in plain language; the AI produces the strategy. The only text you write is your intent.

What do I need to sign in? A Google account. Stretus uses Google OAuth - no separate username or password.

Can I use Stretus without connecting a broker? Yes. You can build strategies, backtest them, and run them in paper mode without connecting any broker or exchange. A broker connection is only required for live trading.

I signed in but I'm asked for an invite code. Why? While Stretus is in invited access, a valid invite code is required. Enter the code you were issued. If it's rejected, it may be single-use and already redeemed, expired, or mistyped - see Account & sign-in.

Connecting a broker​

Which brokers and exchanges can I connect? The connect screen is built dynamically from reference data, filtered to the adapters enabled for your tenant. It is not a fixed list. The platform carries order-placement adapters for more than twenty brokers and exchanges: fourteen Indian equity brokers, Alpaca for US equity, Interactive Brokers for other equity venues, and eleven crypto exchanges.

Earlier documentation named a two-broker fallback as though it were the whole set. The full list and the per-venue detail are on Connect a broker and Markets & brokers.

My exchange lets me restrict API keys by IP. What IP do I allow? Request a static egress IP under Profile -> Egress and add it to your exchange's API-key allowlist. If you don't restrict the key by IP, no egress step is needed.

What permissions should my exchange API key have? Spot trading and reading balances - nothing more. Never enable withdrawal permission on a key you connect to any third-party service.

Strategies​

What happens to my strategy if I close the browser during AI assembly? The conversation is saved server-side. When you return, you'll find the chat exactly where you left it. If the AI was mid-assembly, it will have completed and the strategy will be there.

Can I edit a strategy's parameters manually after the AI creates it? Not via a config editor. You iterate by continuing the conversation - describe what you want changed, and the AI adjusts the strategy and re-runs the backtest. This keeps the strategy definition internally consistent.

Why is "Run backtest" greyed out? The backtest button is disabled if the strategy doesn't have a required asset. It is also disabled for some Dynamic (multi-asset) strategies where the universe is defined at runtime. If you see a greyed-out button, check the strategy card for a missing asset field.

Can I have the same strategy running in paper and live simultaneously? Yes. Paper and live deployments are fully independent. The same strategy can be deployed to both at once with separate capital allocations. P&L is tracked separately.

Backtesting​

What data does the backtest use? Real historical OHLCV data from the instrument's primary venue - NSE/BSE data for equity, Binance data for crypto. Stretus does not use synthetic or adjusted data.

My strategy had a Grade A backtest but lost money in paper. Why? Backtests fill at candle close; paper and live fill at real-time prices. On short timeframes the gap between the two compounds across many trades. This is expected, and it is the main reason to paper before going live.

Note that costs are not the explanation, a backtest already charges modelled slippage, commission and applicable statutory charges. What it does not model is fill mechanics: no partial fills, no queue position, no latency. See Backtest limitations

Also check the grade's meaning: Grade A is a threshold score over the tested window, not a detection of edge. See Strategy grades

Can I backtest over a custom date range? Yes. Say it in the chat. This has always worked:

backtest the last 6 months
backtest from 2025-01-01 to 2025-06-30
backtest the last 3 months with 5 lakh

Earlier documentation said custom ranges were not configurable. That was wrong, and so was the claim that the default period suits your timeframe: the default is a fixed window, 1 January 2024 to now, identical for every timeframe and asset class. No backtest can start earlier.

You can also override starting capital, slippage and commission per run. See Choosing a test period.

Live trading​

Does Stretus hold my money? No. Your capital stays in your broker or exchange account. Stretus places orders on your behalf using your connected credentials, but it never holds or moves your funds.

Why is my equity strategy stuck at "Awaiting broker approval"? Equity live deployments go through a review by Upstox before they can trade. This typically takes one business day. The strategy runs in paper during this period.

An order was rejected. What do I check? First, check the Live Terminal for the rejection reason. Common causes: insufficient capital at the broker (different from Stretus's allocation), API key permissions (ensure trading is enabled, not just read), market hours (equity orders outside 09:15-15:30 IST are rejected), and position limits at the exchange.

Community & published strategies​

If I deploy a published strategy, does the author see my trades or capital? No. Deploying clones the strategy's rules into your account. The strategy author cannot see your account, your trades, your capital or your P&L. They are a strategy author, not your adviser, and they owe you no duty of care. See Publisher rules

Can I modify a strategy I deployed from the community section? It depends on how it was published. On a closed listing the rules are fixed at deployment time. You can pause, stop and change the allocation, but not the logic. On an Open Strategy listing you can read and change the exact entry and exit formula, because that is what Open Strategy discloses. See Open vs closed listings.

Note that once you change the logic, the listing's track record no longer describes what you are running.

What happens if the author unpublishes the strategy? Your copy keeps running. Unpublishing removes the public listing and stops new deployments only.

This cuts both ways: an author who withdraws a strategy because it stopped working cannot switch off your copy, and neither can the platform. If you see a listing withdrawn, review your own copy.

Can I track a strategy without deploying it? Yes, add it to your watchlist to follow it privately. The author is not notified. See Watchlist.

Do I set my capital when I deploy a published strategy? Yes. A wizard walks you through allocating capital (a minimum applies, US$50 by default, or higher if the publisher set one), acknowledging the risks, choosing paper or live, and deploying. The strategy is cloned into your account first.

Set your own execution risk limits too: the clone carries the author's build-time controls, not execution gates, and seven of the nine gates are off until you configure them. See Deploying a published strategy.

How do I publish my own strategy, and is there a review queue? No manual review queue, publishing is immediate if the eligibility checks pass (you own it, it is live, it has been live long enough, and its live return clears the minimum). No human assesses the strategy's merit.

Crypto strategies can be published by any user. Non-crypto strategies require the SEBI-registered Research Analyst role, which is a different registration from an Investment Adviser, with different permitted activities.

Note that only ownership is an unconditional check; the rest are configurable and a master switch can disable them. Do not infer permission from a successful publish. See Publishing your strategy.

Account & billing​

What's the difference between a plan and a Marketplace subscription? Your plan is your access to Stretus features (billed to you). A Marketplace subscription is copying someone else's strategy into your account. They're unrelated - see Subscription & billing.

A feature is locked behind an upgrade prompt. What now? Your current plan doesn't include that entitlement. Open Subscription, compare plans, and upgrade - the feature unlocks immediately on successful checkout.

Can I use my own AI model or API key? Yes. Under Profile -> AI settings you can choose a preferred provider/model or add your own API key (BYOK) so the builder runs on your provider account. See Profile & AI settings.

Advanced​

Can I run signals I generate outside Stretus? Yes - create a remote (blackbox) strategy, get an API key, and push signals (or have Stretus pull them) into the execution pipeline. See Remote / Blackbox strategies.

What is a strategy ownership NFT? An optional on-chain record proving you authored a strategy - provenance only, not capital or profit rights. Availability is gated; see Strategy ownership NFT.

Support & reporting problems​

Where do I report a bug? In the app: Help & support > Report a bug, or the /bug-report route. Include the strategy id and roughly when it happened. The platform's event timeline is far easier to search with both.

Where do I ask a question? In the app: Help & support, Contact support, or the in-app FAQ.

The documentation says something the product does not do. Report it. Where these docs and the product disagree, the product is what runs, the documentation is wrong and should be fixed.

This matters more than a typo report: several pages in this set exist specifically to correct earlier documentation that contradicted the implementation, including the backtest cost model, the number of grades, custom date ranges, the broker list, and the Open Strategy privacy claim. Drift is the failure mode this documentation is most exposed to.

I found wording that reads as investment advice, a return promise, or a recommendation. Report it as a compliance defect rather than a copy nit. The vocabulary this documentation deliberately avoids is listed on Regulatory position. Anything from that left-hand column appearing in the product or these pages is a defect.

How do I know when a page was last reviewed? Every page shows its last-updated date at the foot.