Getting started

Detectors in the Moonbot terminal serve as a transitional stage between manual and automated trading. They allow you to automate the tracking of market conditions and receive alerts about events that may be of trading interest.

With detectors, the terminal independently analyzes the market and notifies the user when specific conditions are met, eliminating the need to constantly monitor charts. This section explains how detectors work, where they are configured in the terminal, and how to create your first simple detectors as a foundation for further mastering automated trading features.

What Detectors Are and Why They Matter

Detectors in Moonbot are tools that users configure themselves to monitor specific market events they consider important or useful for their trading. The user defines the conditions under which the terminal should pay attention to the market.

Once configured, a detector monitors market behavior and reacts to the user-defined conditions — for example, a sharp price movement, a change in volume, or unusual activity. The terminal performs market monitoring based on the user’s personal preferences and objectives.

The primary purpose of detectors is to notify the user promptly about significant market events immediately. Instead of watching charts around the clock, the terminal monitors the market on its own and alerts the user when a detector is triggered — using visual, sound, or other types of notifications.

Detectors do not execute trades automatically unless explicitly configured to do so. In their basic form, they are used for observation and analysis, making them a safe and convenient way to transition from manual trading to a more automated approach.

Using detectors helps you respond faster to market movements, reduces the burden of monitoring multiple markets, and promotes a systematic approach to market analysis in the Moonbot terminal.

For a more detailed description of detector types and their underlying logic, we recommend referring to the terminal documentation.

Recommended reading:

Working with the Detectors Interface

To manage detectors in the Moonbot terminal, use the “💡 Strategies” button located in the upper-right corner of the terminal interface, in the section that handles detectors, strategies, reports, and market data. Clicking this button opens the Strategies window, where you can create and manage your detectors.

The Strategies window displays a list of all created detectors. Each entry shows the detector's name and current status—whether it is active or disabled. This makes it easy to quickly identify which detectors are currently monitoring the market.

To create a new detector, click Add new. This opens the strategy type selection window, where you can choose the desired detector type and proceed with configuration. Existing detectors can be edited, enabled, or disabled without deleting them.

All detector management actions are performed directly within the Strategies window, allowing centralized configuration of market monitoring logic and supporting a gradual transition from manual market analysis to a more automated approach in Moonbot.

Creating Your First Simple Detector (Step-by-Step Example)

In this example, we’ll create a basic signal-only detector that watches for sudden price drops and alerts the user. It will not open trades automatically—its sole purpose is to notify you about market events. This is a safe and optimal way to start learning how detectors work.

1. Click the “💡 Strategies” button in the upper-right part of the terminal screen. The Strategies window will open. On the left, you’ll see the list of your strategies (it may be empty at first). On the right, you’ll find the configuration area for the selected strategy.

2. Click Add new on the right side.

3. If the Main section is collapsed, expand it.

4. In the StrategyName field, enter a name like DropTest1. This name will be used for:

1. finding deals and signals in reports

2. managing the strategy via Telegram commands (e.g., to blacklist coins)

5. Pay attention to the SignalType field — this is one of the key settings of the strategy. This field defines the type of algorithm to be used. Select the value DropsDetection. You can learn more about the available algorithms and their parameters in the Moonbot documentation. More about available algorithms and their parameters in the Moonbot documentation.

6. Set SilentNoCharts to YES. This prevents the terminal from auto-opening the coin chart on signal. For now, a simple alert is sufficient.

7. Set SoundAlert to YES to enable sound notifications when the detector triggers. You may optionally disable the sound by setting SoundKind to NONE. Use KeepAlert to control how long the signal stays visible on the screen.

8. Collapse Main and expand the Filters tab. This section lets you filter which coins are monitored by the detector—by watchlist, volatility, volume, and more.

9. Set IgnoreFilters to YES so the detector applies to all coins that match the algorithm conditions.

10. Collapse the Filters tab—it’s not needed further in this example.

11. Important! Expand the Buy conditions tab and make sure AutoBuy is set to NO. This ensures the detector won’t place orders automatically.

12. Collapse Buy conditions and go to the Strategy setting tab.

13. For the DropsDetection algorithm, set the following:

1. DropsMaxTime = 10 — look back up to 10 seconds

2. DropsPriceMA = 0 — use raw (non-averaged) price

3. DropsLastPriceMA = 0 — compare to current raw price

4. DropsPriceDelta = 1 — price must have dropped by at least 1%

5. DropsPriceIsLow = NO — don’t require a local low

6. DropsUseLastPrice = NO — not used in this example

7. In short: the detector will trigger if a coin has dropped 1% or more in the past 10 seconds.

14. Click Save to store the strategy. It will appear in the list on the left side of the Strategies window.

15. Check the box next to your detector and click Start selected. Once running, detector signals will show in the line above the chart. Click a signal to open the relevant coin chart.

You can experiment with DropsPriceDelta and DropsMaxTime to explore how the detector behaves under different thresholds. This is a safe and effective way to understand how Moonbot’s detection algorithms work.

Congratulations — you’ve created your first Moonbot detector. Going forward, detector setup will become easier. You can also copy the strategy to the clipboard and paste it using the Paste button in the Strategies window.

Example: Delta-Based Detector (Advanced Example)

Now that you've tried a simple price-based detector, it's time for a more complex one using the Delta algorithm. These detectors identify moments when volume spikes and market activity increases—often signaling an upcoming directional move.

Unlike simple detectors, Delta detectors analyze price, volume, trade count, and activity across multiple timeframes. Here's a full example.

Step-by-Step: Creating a Delta Detector

1. Repeat the steps to open the Strategies window: Click 💡 Strategies, then Add new.

2. In StrategyName, enter something like DeltaTest1.

3. In SignalType, select the Delta algorithm type.

4. Set these parameters just like before:

1. SilentNoCharts = YES

2. SoundAlert = YES

5. Use SoundKind and KeepAlert to configure alert sound and display duration.

6. Go to the Filters tab, open Filter / Base, and set IgnoreBase = YES. Then save the strategy. This disables only this filter section—not all filters. Disabling only unused sections is good practice and reduces CPU load.

7. Disable these filter subsections the same way:

1. Filters / Time → IgnoreTime = YES

2. Filters / Price / Position → IgnorePrice = YES

3. Filters / Ping → IgnorePing = YES

4. Filters / Volume → IgnoreVolume = YES

8. Keep only the Filters / Delta section active. Here, define the volatility filter for the past 3 hours:

1. Delta_3h_Min = 0

2. Delta_3h_Max = 10

1. This includes only coins that moved no more than 10% over the past 3 hours. Important! Expand Buy conditions and make sure AutoBuy = NO. In this example, the detector is used solely for analysis and notification purposes.

9. Go to Strategy setting and set the following Delta algorithm parameters:

1. DeltaInterval = 120 — analyze the last 120 seconds

2. DeltaShortInterval = 5 — short-term averaging over 5 seconds

3. DeltaPrice = 3 — price must move at least 3%

4. DeltaVol = 1000 — volume must exceed 1000 USDT

5. DeltaVolRaise = 30 — volume increase must be ≥ 30%

6. DeltaVolSec = 0 — ignored

7. DeltaBuyers = 5 — at least 5 trades in the last 5 seconds

8. DeltaLastPrice = 0.3 — short-term average price must rise 0.3% over long-term average

10. Save the strategy, check its box in the strategy list, and click Start selected.

What This Detector Does

The Delta detector analyzes the past 120 seconds for coins that pass the filter, and triggers if all the following are true:

• Price changes by at least 3%

• Volume exceeds 1000 USDT

• Volume increases 30%+ compared to the previous interval

• At least 5 trades occurred in the past 5 seconds

• 5-second average price is at least 0.3% higher than the 120-second average

When all conditions are met, the terminal issues a signal for a potential trading opportunity.

This example demonstrates how Delta-based detectors help identify market activity spikes and can serve as powerful tools for analysis and preparation before using advanced strategies.

Detectors and Emulation: Safe Testing of Ideas

To safely test detectors, strategies, and trading ideas, Moonbot provides an Emulation Mode. This mode allows you to analyze detector behavior and practice trading without risking real funds.

When Emulation Mode is enabled, the terminal displays a separate warning indicating that it has switched to training mode. In this mode, no real orders are sent to the exchange, and your actual account balance remains unchanged. All trades — both profitable and unprofitable — are simulated inside the terminal only.

Once confirmed, a red label == EMULATOR ==appears to the right of the Menu button, and a checkmark appears next to Emulation Mode in the terminal menu, signaling that the mode is active.

In Emulation Mode, you can:

• Test detectors and strategies

• Practice both manual and automated trading

• Experiment with strategy, trigger, and session settings

• Use simulated orders as visual "beacons" for future automation.Use simulated orders as visual "beacons" for future automation.

Emulation can be enabled globally via Menu → Emulation Mode, or locallyperstrategy — if the terminal is in real trading mode but the Emulator checkbox is enabled in the Main tab of a strategy, then orders from that strategy will be executed in emulation mode only.

It’s important to understand the limitations of Emulation Mode. Simulated orders are executed faster than real ones because there is no network delay between the terminal and the exchange. Also, emulation ignores order book liquidity, slippage, and other market factors. As a result, emulation trade reports may appear more favorable than actual trading results.

We recommend using Emulation Mode during early stages of learning and testing detectors. However, to get an accurate sense of how a strategy behaves in real market conditions, it’s important to gradually move to real trading with minimal order sizes.

Practical Tips for Beginners

When starting out with detectors in Moonbot, it's more important to focus on understanding and interpreting signals than on generating large volumes of them. Detectors are a market observation tool designed to help you study market behavior and develop a systematic approach.

Recommended steps for beginners:

• Use detectors without auto-buy to avoid risk and focus on understanding the signals

• Run detectors in Emulation Mode, especially when testing new ideas or parameter sets

• Start with simple detectors and gradually add complexity as you gain experience

• Modify detector parameters one at a time to understand their individual impact

• Watch how often the detector triggers and under what market conditions signals appear

Detectors are not meant to instantly generate profit without analysis. Their core value lies in helping you understand market dynamics and prepare for automated trading. A calm, methodical approach to setting up detectors reduces common mistakes and builds a strong foundation for future terminal use.

Section Summary: Detector Setup

In this section, you learned about detectors as a tool for automating market analysis in Moonbot. We covered their purpose, the configuration interface, examples of both simple and advanced detector setups, and safe idea testing using Emulation Mode.

Detectors help you transition from manual observation to a more structured approach, where the terminal monitors defined market situations and alerts you when conditions are met. This is a key step toward automated trading and building your own strategies.

Using detectors consciously, gradually adding complexity, and always testing in emulation fosters a sustainable and controlled workflow in Moonbot.

Training Video