PropBlaster Cockpit – Rules, Strategy Checks, Copier

Installation: PropBlaster is installed with PropBlaster-Setup.exe. The installer works per user (no admin rights required):

• Program files: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\PropBlaster
• Your data (database, screenshots, backups, log): %LOCALAPPDATA%\PropBlaster
• Start menu shortcut: PropBlaster – it starts the app and opens http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser.

Running the app manually from the source files is described under Advanced / running from source. The MT5 side (master EA, slave EAs, copier scripts) is set up as described in the Copier guide.

Overview

Browser  http://127.0.0.1:8000
  Journal (Dashboard · Trades · Psychology)   Cockpit (Ideas · Rules · Strategies · Copier)
        │                                               │
     PropBlaster Cockpit  ── Claude API (checks screenshots against your strategy)
        │  Files in  %APPDATA%\MetaQuotes\Terminal\Common\Files\TradeCopier\
        │    cockpit_rules.txt  → rules for the EA          cmd\*.txt → order commands
        │    cockpit_state.txt  ← status from the EA        res\*.txt ← results
        │    cockpit_events.txt ← interventions by the guard
        ▼
  PropBlaster_Master (main terminal): rules guard + PropBlaster Panel + cockpit orders + copier master
        │  MJ_COPIER.csv (locked tickets are NOT published)
        ▼
  Slave terminals (watchdog, controllable in the "Copier" tab via TradeCopier.ps1)

One-time setup (about 10 minutes)

1. Start PropBlaster from the Start menu.
2. API key for the checks: create an API key at console.anthropic.com and paste it under ⚙ Settings → Claude AI (stored encrypted for your Windows user; no restart needed). Model: claude-opus-5-5 (default, also set under Settings); claude-sonnet-5 is somewhat cheaper. A check with 4–6 screenshots costs roughly 3–8 US cents.
3. Master EA + copier script: install them as described in the Copier guide.
4. When updating, use TradeCopier_Setup.cmd → [3] Update EAs + script. This briefly stops the slaves, distributes the EAs and the script, and sets up autostart again.
5. In the main terminal, reload the master EA once: chart → Experts → Properties → OK, or drag it onto the chart again. Keep the inputs under "Trading Cockpit" set to true.
6. Then run TradeCopier_Start.cmd or click Start all in the cockpit's "Copier" tab.
7. Check in the cockpit: the top bar must show OPEN (green). "Master EA offline" means the master EA is not running yet.

"Rules" tab

• Max. trades per day, daily loss limit (in R, % or amount, optionally including open losses), losing streak, pause after a loss, max. open positions, mandatory SL, max. risk per trade, trading hours, news locks and the checklist.
• The trading day is the broker's server day. The reset happens at server midnight, as with most prop firms.
• Lock (hard): the master EA immediately closes every new position – even if it was opened in the terminal or in the mobile app – and deletes new pending orders. The panel and the cockpit reject orders. The slaves never learn about locked trades.
• Rules cannot be changed while a lock is active. The only way out is the emergency unlock: give a reason (at least 15 characters), then wait 10 minutes, then you are unlocked for 60 minutes. The times are configurable, and every step is logged.
• Limits: if the PC is off or the terminal is not running, nothing can be locked. A rule-breaking trade is open for a fraction of a second, which costs the spread.

"Strategies" tab

• Name, markets, minimum R:R, expected timeframes and criteria per timeframe (mandatory or optional), plus rules for entry, SL and TP, and exclusion reasons.
• The "SMC Sweep + CHoCH" template gives you a starting point that you adapt to your strategy.
• Every change to the content creates a new version. Checks against an older version are then considered outdated.
• Refine lists your feedback ("the review was wrong because …") and all overrides with their later outcome.

"Ideas" tab (pre-trade check)

1. + New trade idea: enter strategy, symbol, direction, market or pending, entry, SL, TP and risk. The R:R is calculated live.
2. Tick off the checklist and paste screenshots with Ctrl+V. The timeframe advances automatically: Daily → 4H → 1H → 15m. The display shows which timeframes the strategy still expects.
3. Have Claude check it (about 15–40 s). The result is MATCHES YOUR STRATEGY or DOES NOT MATCH YOUR STRATEGY, with a rating, status per criterion, missing information, risks and suggestions. In addition, the server checks automatically: an R:R below the minimum, levels on the wrong side or an unmet mandatory criterion never result in a match.
4. Matches your strategy: Execute … → confirm. The master EA calculates the lot size from the risk, opens the order, and the copier copies it. You get the ticket, lot size and risk back.
5. Does not match (soft lock): Execute anyway (override) with a mandatory reason. The trade is marked as an override.
6. If you change levels or screenshots after the check, the check is outdated and must be repeated – otherwise the trade runs as an override.
7. After the next MT5 sync the trade appears in the journal. Strategy, planned levels, screenshots and check result are taken over automatically; the Setup column shows checked, override or unchecked.

Trades that bypass the cockpit (panel, terminal, mobile) are allowed but count as unchecked. Such trades still count towards the daily limits. Under "Psychology & Mistakes", the Cockpit discipline panel compares the results of checked trades, overrides and unchecked trades.

"Copier" tab

• Status of the master signal, the watchdog and all slaves (running, stopped, RAM).
• Start / Stop per slave. A stopped slave stays off, even after a Windows restart. Start all / Stop all controls all of them at once.
• Add slave (account, server, password, chart symbol) takes 1–2 minutes because a copy of the terminal is created. Change password and Remove (optionally including the folder) are also available here.
• Switch master account: order of steps: (1) log in to the new account in the main terminal, (2) reload the master EA (with InpMasterLogin = 0 it picks up the new account; if you pinned a number, change it), (3) in the cockpit's "Copier" tab click Switch copier to … (appears automatically as soon as EA and copier don't match) or enter the number under "Switch master account". The script rewrites the presets of all slaves and restarts running slaves. At the same time, the new account is added to the journal sync (config.json) and the old master is set to "inactive": true; its trades remain in the journal. A backup is saved next to it as config.backup.json.
• Caution when switching: copied positions on the slaves that still come from the old master are closed by the slaves as soon as the new master sends. Check open copies beforehand.
• As long as the EA master and the copier master don't match, the slaves pause and copy nothing. The "Copier master" tile is then red.
• The password is passed to TradeCopier.ps1 only via standard input and encrypted there with Windows DPAPI. The cockpit does not store any password.

Before going live

Test with a demo master first: set the rule "1 trade per day", open two trades – the second one must be closed immediately.

Advanced / running from source

The web app lives in cockpit/ (app.py, cockpit.py, static/index.html, static/cockpit.js). To run it manually:

1. Install Python 3.11+ and run python -m pip install MetaTrader5.
2. Copy config.example.json to config.json and enter your accounts and the API key.
3. Start start_journal.bat (or python app.py) and keep the console window open. After changes to the code or config, close the window and start it again.

See also the Journal guide.

Freeze alarm

If MetaTrader 5 stops responding, PropBlaster warns you with a Windows notification, a warning sound and a red banner in the cockpit ("MT5 NOT RESPONDING"). This matters because trailing stops, auto break-even and the rule guard only work while MT5 runs; your server-side SL/TP stay active.

• PropBlaster raises the alarm when Windows reports the MT5 window as "not responding" for 10 seconds. It also raises it when the master EA has not reported for 30 seconds while you are inside one of your trading sessions or have open positions.
• The notification repeats every 5 minutes until MT5 responds again. Both moments are written to the cockpit event log (MT5_FROZEN, MT5_OK).
• Common cause: heavy indicators on many charts during high-volume sessions (e.g. the New York open). Set Tools → Options → Charts → Max. bars in chart to 50,000 or less, reduce the indicator's lookback, and use a lightweight chart template for the auto-journal screenshots (InpShotTemplate).

Pending orders and trading windows

Under Rules → Trading hours you choose what happens to pending orders you placed inside a trading window once the window ends:

• keep – may still trigger (default): the order stays and may still be filled; the resulting trade is allowed. Optionally set Keep them for N minutes – after that the guard deletes the remaining orders.
• delete at window end: all such orders are deleted when the window ends (on the copier slaves as well).

Pending orders placed outside the windows are always deleted, and news blackouts and all other rules stay strict. You can delete any order yourself at any time.

Updates

Once a day PropBlaster asks https://propblaster.com/version.json for the newest version number. If a newer version exists, a yellow bar appears above the cockpit with a Download setup button and a Later button (hides the bar until the next version). Nothing is downloaded or installed automatically: run the new setup yourself – your journal, settings and screenshots stay in %LOCALAPPDATA%\PropBlaster.

Settings → Updates turns the daily check off and has a Check now button. Advanced: "update_url" in config.json points the check to another feed (https only); the download link must point to propblaster.com or github.com.

For maintainers: every build writes version.json next to PropBlaster-Setup.exe (build artifact and release). Upload both to propblaster.com to publish an update.

Support: export logs

Settings → Support → Export logs for support downloads PropBlaster-support-<date>.zip with the PropBlaster log, install log, the last 300 cockpit events, versions, setup and update status, the cockpit state and – if present – the Trade Copier watchdog log, copier config and the latest slave logs. API keys, passwords, licence keys and encrypted secrets (DPAPI) are removed before anything is written. Nothing is uploaded: attach the ZIP to your support request yourself.

Wording and risk notices

The pre-trade check compares a planned trade with your own strategy. Its result is MATCHES YOUR STRATEGY or DOES NOT MATCH YOUR STRATEGY – never a buy/sell recommendation. Every check and every AI review shows a short notice that it is not investment advice, and the footer carries a general risk warning. Keep this wording in marketing texts as well (no "signals", no "approved trades", no profit promises).

Licence

Settings → Licence shows your edition and which features it unlocks. Enter the key from your purchase e-mail and click Activate. The key is checked once a day and keeps working offline for 7 days. Deactivate on this PC frees the activation so you can use the key on another PC. During the beta every feature is unlocked without a key. The AI pre-trade check, the AI trade review and starting the trade copier need the Pro edition; stopping the copier, the journal, rules and the guard always work.