Gate 6h (big-candle entry gate): blocks all XAU entries (core, XAU_PB,
XAU_CP) when the primary TF's last 24h contains a bar with range >= K x
prior-bar ATR. Ships default-OFF: validation rejected every threshold
(K 3-6 on M5/M15 12mo) — removed trades were net-POSITIVE at every cell;
M5 quiet-window trades are the only losing bucket. Config knobs
big_candle_atr_multiple/lookback_hours, --big-candle backtest flag,
Module 17 tests.
M5 relaxation SHIPPED (validated 2026-07-30, Oanda bars, $0.30 spread):
m5_min_abs_score 30->25, m5_min_confirmation_score 10->5, hour-21 UTC
unblocked M5-only. Beats control in ALL 6 calendar years of the 5yr
replay (+230.9R/2319 PF 1.26 DD 21.3 vs +168.0R/2048 PF 1.21 DD 27.0),
12mo +107.4R PF 1.36 vs +84.6R PF 1.33, OOS +26.1R vs +17.2R, $0.70
spread +86.9R vs +66.4R. M15: every relaxation retested negative —
config unchanged. Declined-but-open: M5 hour-22 block, M15 hour-16
unblock (both fail 5yr/OOS). Evidence in the factory docstring.
Tooling: generic --set PATH=JSON research override in gpu_backtest
(typo-proof, logged); diagnose_filters filter_tags refreshed for gates
6d-6i with a staleness-guard test (Module 18); research scripts
hour_analysis/burst_profile/book_diff. Suite: 268 tests.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_014jqHpmNYmwYMowF6bPZyeD
Signal-intelligence platform for **XAU/USD (gold — live, validated)**. It fetches OHLCV from the active data provider (**Oanda v20 since 2026-07-28**; Twelve Data and Tiingo stay registered as fallbacks — config.json `data_providers.active` switches), scores 9 technical indicators per timeframe with regime-adaptive weights, checks multi-timeframe agreement and news/calendar risk, grades the signal (A+…F), and generates a full trade setup (entry, SL, TP1/TP2, trailing plan). Delivery: Telegram bot (auto-scanner + subscriber channel) and a CLI. A realism-focused backtester replays history through the *exact same* signal code.
This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.
This file is the authoritative developer/agent reference. The human-facing docs live in `docs/` (`user_guide.html` + `beginner_guide.html`, and their PDF builds) — keep them in sync when signal behavior changes. `backtest/instructions_for_backtest.txt` lists what every backtest report must record.
## What this is
**Read this whole file before changing signal logic.** Every numeric threshold below was either backtested or is load-bearing for a backtested result. Rules for changes are at the bottom ("Rules for making changes").
Signal-intelligence platform for **XAU/USD (gold — the only supported pair)**. It fetches OHLCV from the active data provider (**Oanda v20 since 2026-07-28**; Twelve Data and Tiingo remain registered fallbacks), scores 9 technical indicators per timeframe with regime-adaptive weights, checks multi-timeframe agreement and news risk, grades the signal (A+…F), and generates a full trade setup (entry, SL, TP1/TP2, trailing plan). Delivery: Telegram bot, CLI, and an Oanda practice-account auto-execution daemon. A realism-focused backtester replays history through the *exact same* signal code.
---
Every numeric threshold in `config.py` and `pair_signals/xauusd.py` was backtested or is load-bearing for a backtested result. Validation evidence lives in the factory/module docstrings and in `~/.claude/projects/.../memory/`.
## Repository map
## Commands
| Path | Lines | Purpose |
|------|-------|---------|
| `config.py` | ~374 | All config dataclasses, `PAIR_INFO` registry, per-pair strategy configs. **`PlatformConfig` defaults ARE the tuned XAU config.** |
| `providers/oanda.py` | ~190 | `OandaDataProvider`: v20 REST MBA candles, real bid/ask spread, date-window fetch |
| `providers/tiingo.py` | ~200 | `TiingoDataProvider`: FX endpoint mid-price candles (no volume, no spread — see Tiingo note), named errors for every failure shape |
| `backtest/research/` | — | Calendar research infra (`ff_calendar_scraper.py`, `calendar_store.py`) + result CSVs |
| `backtest/*.csv` | — | Verification trade books from past tuning campaigns (`xau_*.csv`, …). **Gitignored, local-only** — used for manual before/after comparison, not by tests |
**`test_all.py` is NOT pytest** — it uses a custom `@test("name")` decorator that runs each test immediately at import; don't grep for `def test_` or try `pytest test_all.py`. Run the whole file; it prints per-module results and exits non-zero on failure. There is no way to run a single test short of commenting modules out. Tests must stay green; every new gate/knob needs tests. When patching weekend logic in tests, patch `providers.base._is_forex_weekend`.
- **XAU/USD**: the tuned, validated product — and the ONLY supported pair. All defaults in `PlatformConfig`/`XauStrategyConfig` are its tuned values.
- **EUR/USD**: REMOVED from the codebase (2026-07-16, branch `xau-only-chart-patterns`). It never had a validated edge: the 2026-07-11/12 verdict found no configuration passing validation on M5, M15, or H1 at a 1-pip round-trip cost; root cause was cost-to-volatility (EUR M15 ATR ≈ 10 pips → 1-pip spread taxes ~10% of ATR; gold's ATR/spread ratio is several times larger). Calendar-surprise and H1-hybrid avenues were also tested and closed. The full EUR implementation and verdict history live in git history (last commit with EUR support: `7d3fd95`). Do not re-add EUR without new data (tick fills or H4/D1 horizons).
Python 3.12; a `venv/` exists in-repo. Dependencies in `requirements.txt` (numpy, pandas, requests, twelvedata, python-telegram-bot ≥20, websockets).
---
## Configuration & credentials
## End-to-end pipeline (what happens on every scan)
Precedence for every credential/deployment setting: **env var → config.json → refuse to run** (no hardcoded fallbacks). A gitignored repo-root `.env` is loaded at `app_config` import via `os.environ.setdefault`. `config.json` (gitignored; schema in `config.json.example`) holds secrets plus deployment settings: `data_providers.active` (the live-feed switch), `scanning.pairs`/`timeframes`, per-pair `blocked_hours_utc`, `log_level`. Key env vars: `TELEGRAM_TOKEN`, `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID`, `TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID`, `TWELVE_DATA_API_KEY`, `TIINGO_API_KEY`, `OANDA_ACCOUNT_ID`/`OANDA_API_TOKEN`/`OANDA_BASE_URL`.
## Architecture
### End-to-end pipeline (every scan)
```
Twelve Data REST (+ WebSocket ticks in the bot)
→ data_provider.fetch_ohlcv() per timeframe: throttle, fetch, drop forming candle, validate/clean, cache
| `default_spread` | 0.30 | round-trip cost charged by the backtester when `--spread` not given |
### TechnicalConfig (indicator parameters)
EMA 9/21/50/200 (`ema_mode`: `"4ema"` default or `"2ema"` = 50/200 only); RSI 14 (OB 70 / OS 30 / neutral zone 40–60; `rsi_mode`: `"regime_aware"` default or `"classic"`); MACD 12/26/9 (`macd_as_pillar=True` — MACD is a scored indicator, not just divergence input); BB 20/2.0σ; ATR 14; ADX 14 (strong ≥25, very strong ≥50); divergence lookback 40; swing-S/R lookback 50; ROC period 10, threshold 1.0%; Keltner: EMA 20 mid ± 1.5 × ATR(10); ADX slope lookback 5, "emerging" threshold 3.0; `disabled_indicators` list (removes the pillar from scoring; for MACD the histogram is still computed — divergence needs it); `regime_weights_override` dict (replaces the gold regime-multiplier table for experiments).
Tracked currencies `["USD","XAU"]`; pre-event buffer 30 min, post-event 15 min (45 min after a *surprise* print); `event_risk_caps_signals=False` — **XAU default: event risk warns but does NOT cap confidence** (2026-07-11 audit: the caps suppressed trades worth +4.6..+7.2R/yr; XAU trades near USD releases outperform); `sentiment_affects_signals=False` — **headline sentiment is informational only** (warnings still emitted; the +5 alignment bonus and 10-pt `news_conflict` penalty are gated off, so live decisions are pure technical, matching backtests). Context cache TTL 600 s (must stay < pre-event buffer). 4 RSS feeds (investinglive, FXStreet, Google-News gold query, CNBC economy).
Per-pair base blocked hours plus `scan_pairs`/`scan_timeframes` overlay from config.json via `app_config.apply_pair_overrides`, applied in the pair factory BEFORE per-TF deltas. Credentials, alert quality, and log level never touch `PlatformConfig` — `telegram_bot.py` and `data_provider.py` read them directly from `app_config.get_app_config()` and its resolvers. `scanning.pairs` in config.json is the deployment switch for what the bot scans — `PlatformConfig.scan_pairs` just carries the resolved value.
**Compute order matters:** ATR first (EMA-ribbon and candlestick proximity use it) → EMA → RSI → BB → ADX → MACD (always computed, even if not a pillar — divergence needs the histogram) → ROC → Keltner (needs BB levels + MACD histogram) → divergence → structure S/R → candlesticks → regime classification → regime-aware RSI reinterpretation → composite.
Results land in `TechnicalAnalysis.indicators: Dict[str, IndicatorSignal]` (fields: name, value, signal, confidence 0-100, description, weight). Private series ride on the result object as underscore attrs (`_rsi_series`, `_macd_histogram`, `_adx_slope`, `_kc_squeeze`, `_kc_squeeze_released`) and are skipped by the composite scorer and all formatters (skip rule: name starts with `_` or `weight == 0`).
| `adx` | 0.5 | Wilder ADX/DI (ties zero BOTH DMs — fixes a systematic bearish nudge). ADX ≥ 25 → BUY/SELL by DI dominance, else NEUTRAL. Conf 40/65/80 by ADX band. ADX slope (5-bar diff): <25 with slope > 3.0 → "TREND EMERGING" +15 conf; also strengthening/weakening adjustments. Sets `_adx_slope` |
| `roc` | 1.5 | 10-period %change. Positive & rising → BUY (STRONG if >2× threshold=2%); negative & falling → SELL (zero-crosses land in these branches by definition — a separate cross branch was provably dead and removed 2026-07-23); else NEUTRAL. **Directionally redundant with MACD/Keltner/EMA (0.8–0.94 corr) but its weight is load-bearing: zeroing it backtested 13R WORSE — composite thresholds are calibrated with it. Do not remove without retuning thresholds** |
| `divergence` | 1.5 | RSI + MACD-hist vs price over 40 bars. Swing points (window 3) must align within ±2 bars to pair up; last two pairs: price LL + indicator HL = bullish, price HH + indicator LH = bearish. Any found → BUY/SELL/NEUTRAL-if-both, conf 70, value = count |
| `candlestick` | 1.0 | Last bar: Doji (body<10% range), Hammer/Hanging Man (lower wick>2×body), Shooting Star/Inverted Hammer, Engulfing (vs prev bar), Marubozu (body>85%). Majority vote → signal, conf 50; +20 if pattern sits within 0.5 ATR of a swing S/R level |
| `atr` | **0.0** (context) | Wilder ATR. Volatility regime from percentile vs last 50 ATR values: >80 extreme, >60 high, >30 normal, else low. Emits `atr`, `atr_pct` |
Structure S/R (not scored): swing highs/lows (window 3) over `swing_sr_lookback` (min 120 bars on 1min/5min TFs); up to 3 above and 3 below stored as `swing_high_1..3` / `swing_low_1..3` key levels.
### Market regime classification (exact rules)
- ADX ≥ 25 **and** EMA-trend signal bullish → `trending_up`; bearish → `trending_down`; EMA mixed → **`trending`** (the "mixed" regime — momentum without directional structure; treated as direction-UNKNOWN everywhere; a past bullish-bias bug here cost −6.8R and is fixed)
- **`analyze_pair(symbol)`** — LIVE: applies XAU weekend + allowed-weekday filters on wall clock, fetches all TFs (primary + confirmations), flags stale data (primary stale → signal suppressed to NEUTRAL/F), delegates to `analyze_from_dataframes`, then applies the live session check on the **bar-CLOSE time** (bar timestamp + candle duration): outside 03:00–23:00 or in blocked hours → NO TRADE. This is the exact predicate the backtester replays, so live == backtest.
- **`analyze_from_dataframes(symbol, dfs, context, use_news)`** — replayable core; treats each df as the visible history at decision time (caller must slice; no weekend filter here — the backtester applies it).
### Pipeline inside `analyze_from_dataframes` (numbered as in the source)
1. Primary TF analysis → seeds report (score, confidence, regime, vol regime, price, timestamp = last bar's index label).
- Bonuses: MTF agreement → +10 conf and `score = 0.6×primary + 0.4×mean(all TF scores)`; news sentiment aligned (|sent|>0.2) → +5 (gated by `news.sentiment_affects_signals`, False by default); in a *directional* trend, RSI in pullback zone → +5, BB position favorable → +5 (mixed `trending` regime gets NO directional bonus).
- Event risk `danger`: warning always; confidence hard-capped at 30 ONLY if `news.event_risk_caps_signals` (False by default — XAU-tuned).
- **Penalty system (diminishing, replaces old additive stacking):** collect, sort by size desc, apply with decay ×1.0, ×0.5, ×0.25…, total capped at 30. Penalties: `mtf_disagreement` 15; `news_conflict` 10 (gated by `sentiment_affects_signals`, off by default — warning still emitted); `event_caution` 15 (config-gated); `counter_trend` 15; `extreme_vol` 10; `ema200_near` 5 (price within 0.5% of EMA200 — env `FB2_EMA_LO` overrides); `ema200_far` 5 (>2.5%); `exhaustion` 8 (price >3.5 ATR beyond the FARTHEST of the 3 tracked swing levels — fires earlier than a nearest-swing rule would; calibrated as-is in every validated book); `no_pullback` 8 (>2.5 ATR from EMA21 in trend) / `weak_pullback` 5 (>2.0); `rsi_extended` 5 (RSI>65 with BUY / <35 with SELL in any strong-ADX regime, both directions in mixed `trending`); `bb_overextended` 8 (BB pos >0.85 BUY / <0.15 SELL).
- **Exhaustion hard block**: ≥2 exhaustion-tagged penalties ({exhaustion, no_pullback, rsi_extended, bb_overextended} → `report.exhaustion_count`) AND momentum fading (ROC sign against score, or MACD signal against score) → confidence = 0.
- **6e XAU SELL quality gate**: sell-direction & grade actionable (A+..C) & not in `sell_min_quality` → D. The actionable guard is load-bearing: without it a session-blocked F report was *upgraded* to D, re-opening the M5 pullback path (its entry check is `!= "F"`).
- **6f MTF opposition**: ≥2 TFs pointing against the trade direction → D (never trade against consensus).
- **6g XAU SELL volatility gate**: sell-direction & vol regime not in {high, extreme} → D.
- **6g2 XAU regime gates**: regime in `blocked_regimes` (M15: mixed `trending`) → D; sell-direction & regime in `sell_blocked_regimes` → D.
- **6g3 XAU SELL hour gate**: sell-direction & bar-CLOSE hour (label + candle duration — the entry hour under next-open fills) in `sell_blocked_hours_utc` → D. Per-TF opt-in; M15 factory blocks 15/17 UTC.
- **6i XAU M5 noise gates** (`_apply_m5_filters`, primary TF = M5 only): (1) |score| ≥ 30; (2) MTF agreement required; (3) ≥1 confirmation TF with score ≥ ±10 in trade direction (NEUTRAL confirms don't count); (4) SELL grade must be B/C (A-grade M5 shorts lose −0.017R/trade); (5) vol regime `high` blocked; (6) SELL blocked when RSI < 25. Each failure → D, setup killed.
8.**Trade setup**: XAU + grade A+/A → `_generate_xau_atr_trade_setup` first; any pair + grade A+/A/B/C and no setup yet → `_generate_trade_setup` (swing-based).
9. Reasons: every non-neutral indicator description → `bullish_reasons`/`bearish_reasons` (the backtester tags strategy from reasons[0] markers).
10.**XAU_PB pullback** (M5 XAU only, `m5_pullback_enabled`, no setup yet, grade ≠ F): `_try_m5_pullback` — see below.
11.**XAU_CP chart pattern** (any TF, XAU only, `cp_enabled`, no setup yet, NOT session/day-blocked — weak-composite grade F is allowed BY DESIGN, reversals complete on weak composites): `_try_chart_pattern` — see below.
### Trade setup generators (exact geometry)
**A. `_generate_xau_atr_trade_setup`** (XAU, grade A+/A, ATR>0): TP quality scale A+ 2.0 / A 1.5 (A with exhaustion≥2 → 1.0). TP1 = entry ± `tp_atr_multiplier`(1.0)×scale×ATR; TP2 = 1.5×that; SL = entry ∓ 2.0×ATR. Gates: RR ≥ 0.5; TP1 distance ≥ $9 (spread gate). Prices rounded to 2 dp; pip 0.10 hardcoded — **this generator is XAU-only by construction**.
**C. `_try_m5_pullback` (XAU_PB)**: detection = EMA alignment ≥3 of 4 checks (9>21, 21>50, 50>200, close>200 — mirrored for SELL), ADX ≥ 20, price touched max(EMA21, KC-mid) within last 3 bars, resumption bar closed back in trend direction beyond EMA9, retrace depth 0.8–6.0 ATR from the 40-bar extreme, RSI in pullback zone (BUY 35–62 / SELL 38–65). Then gates: directional score ≥ 15; ≥1 confirmation TF ≥ ±10; not against MTF consensus; vol regime gates (same as breakout path). Geometry: SL = pullback 8-bar extreme ∓ 0.5 ATR (min $8); TP1 = 1.5×risk, TP2 = 2.5×risk; spread gate $9. Sets `strategy="XAU_PB"`, grade min B, marker `"XAU PULLBACK STRATEGY: …"` at reasons[0]. Rejection funnel counters in class attr `SignalAggregator.pb_funnel`.
**D. `_try_chart_pattern` (XAU_CP)**: detection in `chart_patterns.py` — 6 classical patterns (double_bottom/double_top, inv_hs/hs_top, bull_flag/bear_flag), swing-point based (strict local extrema, window `cp_swing_window`=3), all thresholds in ATR units, scanned over the last `cp_lookback`=72 closed bars. Trigger = FIRST close beyond the neckline/boundary since the pattern formed (one breakout → one signal, no repaint); reversal patterns are invalidated by a new extreme beyond the pattern. No composite-score gate BY DESIGN. Gates: MTF non-opposition (6f mirror); SELL patterns respect `sell_vol_regimes`, `sell_blocked_hours_utc` (bar-close hour), M5 RSI floor; M5 blocks `m5_blocked_vol_regimes` both ways; ATR ≥ $1. Geometry: SL = pattern anchor ∓ 0.5 ATR (min $8); TP1 = measured move (pattern height), TP2 = 1.5×height; RR ≥ 0.5; spread gate $9. Sets `strategy="XAU_CP"` (global trailing params), grade min B, marker `"XAU CHART PATTERN: …"` at reasons[0]. Funnel in `SignalAggregator.cp_funnel`.
`TradeSetup` fields: pair, direction, entry, SL, TP1, TP2, RR, risk/reward pips, pip_value, `strategy` ("GENERIC", "XAU_PB", or "XAU_CP" — selects trailing params; XAU_CP uses the global pair), `trail_arm_r`/`trail_dist_r` (stamped from the PRODUCING config at generation so per-TF factory overrides reach formatters; `None` = legacy unstamped → display falls back to platform defaults).
- **Caches are class-level** (a fresh NewsEngine is built per scan): calendar + headlines, TTL = 600 s on success, 60 s on empty result; lock held across fetch so concurrent scans share one request.
- **Event risk** (`get_event_risk_level`): high-impact event for base/quote within 30 min → `danger`; within 60 min → `caution`; already-released high-impact → `caution` for 15 min after (45 min if actual ≠ forecast — "surprise"). `EconomicEvent.surprise` compares parsed numeric actual vs forecast (handles "%", "K/M/B" suffixes); direction is numeric-only (doesn't know if higher is bullish).
- **Sentiment**: keyword sets over headlines from 4 RSS feeds, deduped by title (Google News " - Publisher" suffix stripped), last 24 h only. Per-currency scores; **`GOLD_INVERSE_KEYWORDS`** (rate hike/hawkish/tightening/rate cut/dovish/easing/stimulus) flip sign for XAU (hawkish = dollar-bullish = gold-bearish). Currency detection via compiled word-boundary-ish regexes (bare "us"/"eu"/"uk" deliberately excluded). Pair sentiment = base − quote.
One class per provider, all subclassing **`providers/base.py BaseDataProvider`**, which owns every behavior the signal pipeline depends on — defined ONCE (a test enforces that neither subclass overrides shared methods):
- **In-memory cache**: key `{symbol}_{tf}`, TTL = candle duration (M5 300 s … H4 14400 s); a cached frame is evicted and refetched if it fails the freshness check **or the boundary check** (`_has_latest_closed_bar`: the frame must contain the most recent fully closed bar, weekend-exempt — a wall-clock TTL alone would serve mid-candle snapshots at the next boundary and scans would run one bar behind). Fresh fetches enforce the same boundary guarantee: a response missing the just-closed bar (feed latency at the boundary) gets one grace retry after `FRESH_FETCH_RETRY_SECONDS` (3 s), then proceeds with a loud warning. Cache is lock-protected (one provider is shared across the bot's thread pool).
- **`_drop_forming_candle`**: some feeds include the current partial candle; the scanner fires seconds after boundary, so the last bar is dropped if its close time is in the future. Without this every indicator would read a seconds-old stub and signals would repaint. (No-op on feeds that only return complete candles, e.g. Oanda.)
- **Freshness** (`is_data_fresh`, public): last bar older than 3× candle duration → stale (warns; live path suppresses signal if the PRIMARY TF is stale). Weekends exempt (Fri 22:00→Sun 22:00 UTC).
- **`_validate_and_clean`** (public wrapper `validate_and_clean`): drop all-NaN rows → ffill (limit 3) → drop NaN closes → sort + dedupe (keep last) → drop future timestamps (>now+5 min) → repair OHLC inconsistencies (High=max, Low=min of O/C/existing) → remove >10σ return outliers (spike bar only — the opposite-direction snap-back bar right after it is kept, else every spike punched a two-bar hole) → warn if < ~210 bars.
- **`fetch_range(symbol, tf, start, end)`**: paginated RAW date-range fetch under `MAX_BARS_PER_REQUEST` (5000) — the backtester's `fetch_history` calls this, so ANY registered provider can feed the backtester.
-`outputsize = max(300, min(days×bars_per_day+20, 5000))`; `CANDLE_SECONDS`/`BARS_PER_DAY` tables live on the base class (the aggregator's bar-close clock reads `BaseDataProvider.CANDLE_SECONDS`).
- **Streaming capability (optional)**: `supports_streaming` flag + async generator `iter_ticks(symbols, on_connect)` yielding `(canonical_symbol, price)` for one connection's lifetime; the caller owns reconnect/backoff. Errors: each provider raises its own `DATA_ERROR`, always a subclass of `DataIntegrityError` — catch the base type provider-agnostically.
**A subclass implements only `_fetch_raw(symbol, tf, outputsize, start=None, end=None)`** (normalized frame: capitalized OHLCV, UTC tz-aware index named "Datetime", oldest-first) plus symbol/interval maps and optional capabilities. To add a provider: one module in `providers/`, one `PROVIDER_REGISTRY` entry in `providers/__init__.py`, one config.json `data_providers` block. The live feed is selected by config.json `data_providers.active` (registration alone changes nothing).
- **`providers/oanda.py``OandaDataProvider`**: v20 REST MBA candles (complete-only), real bid/ask spread via `get_spread` override; credentials default to the config.json `oanda` block so the registry can build it config-only (explicit `api_token`/`base_url` args still accepted — the daemon passes them). Date-window fetches send `from`/`to` and omit `count` (v20 rejects the combination).
- **`providers/tiingo.py``TiingoDataProvider`**: `/tiingo/fx/{ticker}/prices` resampled mid-price candles; no volume (filled 0.0), W1 unmapped (raises). Tiingo takes date windows, not bar counts — live fetches derive `startDate` from the requested count × candle duration × 1.6 weekend pad. Auth in the header (key never in URLs/logs). Every failure shape raises `TiingoDataError` with a named cause (429 quota, 401/403 auth, empty response, malformed candle, missing key). **Candles only** — `get_spread` stays on the base default; the free quote endpoint's indicative spread must not be re-added (see Tiingo spread-monitor removal note).
- **`data_provider.py` / `oanda_provider.py` are back-compat shims** re-exporting from `providers/`; `ForexDataProvider` is the historical name of the TD provider.
- **No silent failures**: provider errors all subclass `DataIntegrityError` and carry a named cause; the aggregator logs per-TF fetch failures and degrades the report (missing primary → NEUTRAL/F "data unavailable"); `make_data_provider` raises on an unknown `active` name; keyless providers warn at construction and raise at fetch.
---
## pair_signals/ — per-pair factories (ALWAYS use these, never bare PlatformConfig for a pair)
Inside `make_config`, call order is: `PlatformConfig()` defaults → `app_config.apply_pair_overrides(config)` (stamps config.json's non-credential deployment settings onto the config: base `xau_strategy`/`backtest``blocked_hours_utc`, `scan_pairs`, `scan_timeframes`) → the validated per-TF deltas below. The overlay runs first so e.g. the M5 hour-9 append lands on top of the JSON base, not the other way around.
**A bare `PlatformConfig()` silently runs any pair with XAU defaults — always go through the factory** (the bot, CLI, and backtester all do).
Default confirmation map (same in the factory, the bot, and backtest usage): M5→[M15,H1], M15→[M5,H1], H1→[M15,H4], H4→[H1,D1]. (Exception: `main.py`'s CLI map uses M5→[M1,M15] — a CLI-only quirk.)
**xauusd.py**: `PlatformConfig()` defaults + per-TF overrides (each validated; full evidence in the module docstring):
- M5: `signals.trail_dist_r = 0.85` (wider trail leash, arm stays 0.60; validated 2026-07-21 5-yr grid: +231.2R PF 1.30 vs +218.0R PF 1.29, halves and OOS better, DD flat; dist 1.0 had the best in-sample total but FAILED the OOS gate. XAU_PB keeps pb_trail 0.8/0.75; opposite finding vs M15's later-arm — per-TF divergence again).
- M15: `signals.tp_floor_rr = 1.0` (1R minimum targets: +116.6R vs +105.4R, better in train/val and 2024 OOS; **hurts M5** — per-TF only) and `xau_strategy.blocked_regimes = ["trending"]` (mixed regime block: +65.7R vs +59.0R). A transitioning-SELL block was tested and REJECTED (bull-market artifact — failed 2024 OOS).
- M15: `xau_strategy.sell_blocked_hours_utc = [15, 17]` (SELL-only hour block, validated 2026-07-16 on the 5-yr replay: +176.7R PF 1.31 vs +144.9R PF 1.22, better in all 6 years, both 12-mo halves, and 2024-06→2025-03 OOS; M5 cross-TF pocket confirms; BUYs at those hours are +34.3R so `blocked_hours_utc` would be wrong).
- M15: `signals.trail_arm_r = 0.70` (trail arms later; validated 2026-07-21, 5-yr grid arm 0.3-0.9 × dist 0.5-1.0: +210.7R PF 1.35 WR 57.8% vs +175.7R PF 1.30 WR 53.9% at the 0.6 default; both halves and OOS better; 5yr max-DD clause 33.9R vs 29.1R waived by owner. Earlier-arm cells uniformly worse. M5 keeps 0.6).
- The factory must stay equivalent to inline `PlatformConfig(symbol=XAUUSD, …)` + overrides — **enforced by a test in test_all.py**.
---
## telegram_bot.py — the bot
Run: `python telegram_bot.py` (credentials resolve env `TELEGRAM_TOKEN`/`TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID`/`TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID` → config.json `telegram.*` → refuses to boot; see Environment variables).
- **Owner lock**: every command/button is wrapped in `_owner_only` — only `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` gets responses; others get a refusal. The bot is the owner's control panel; the product is the channel.
- **Subscriber channel** (`TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID`, `-100…`; `""` disables): auto-scan signal alerts + breach alerts also post there (bot needs channel-admin). Monetization = Telegram Stars subscription invite links; Telegram handles membership, the bot has zero payment code. The channel feed keeps running even when the owner toggles DM auto-scan off (`_feed_active()` = DM chats OR channel).
- **Auto-scan**: boot-starts if `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` set (initial M15 scan populates the level cache first). Candle-boundary loops for M5/M15/H1/H4, firing at boundary + 10 s. Each scan runs all `scan_pairs` concurrently, updates the level cache, then broadcasts.
- **Alert gating**: quality threshold (`_alert_min_quality`, default "C", menu cycles C→B→A) + fingerprint dedup per (symbol, TF) on (signal, quality, direction) with 1-hour re-arm — a persisting identical signal doesn't re-send every candle, but a setup whose entry moved ≥ half the last-ALERTED risk distance (new pullback/swing anchor; compared against the stored last-alert entry/risk, a stable reference immune to per-candle ATR drift) re-alerts. The fingerprint is committed only **after** a message reaches ≥1 target (`_commit_alert`), so a failed Telegram send doesn't consume the alert.
- **WebSocket monitor**: the provider owns the connection/protocol (`BaseDataProvider.iter_ticks` streaming capability — TD implements it; heartbeat + message parsing live in `providers/twelve_data.py`); the bot owns exponential reconnect (≤60 s) + breach dispatch, and disables the monitor with a log line if the active provider has `supports_streaming=False`. On tick crossing any cached key level (`swing_high/low_1..3`, `ema_trend`, `bb_upper/lower`, `kc_upper/lower`; cache TTL 1 h) → immediate M15 rescan → "LEVEL BREAK" alert if actionable+changed (same gates as auto-scan), 5-min per-pair cooldown.
- **Commands**: `/start` (menu), `/scan` (buttons: per pair — M5/M15/H1/H4 + Scan All TFs), `/autoscan` (toggle DM copy), `/status` (loops, WS, live prices, level cache, cooldowns), `/cache` (age per pair/TF), `/clearcache`, `/help`.
- **Tiingo spread monitor: REMOVED 2026-07-23** (shipped 2026-07-22, removed next day). Tiingo's free `/tiingo/fx/top` publishes a two-tier *indicative* spread for gold — exactly $0.10 in liquid hours and exactly $0.70 in the 21:00–00:00 UTC rollover window / news moments (verified: 273-sample production log + live probes; only those two values ever occur). Quotes are mid ± a posted increment, not executable depth, so the feature could never validate the $0.30 backtest cost assumption. Do not re-add a spread display from Tiingo's free FX feed.
- Signal messages (redesigned 2026-07-24, `format_signal_message`): verdict header first, then trade setup, then a condensed one-line indicator summary (`EMA↑ RSI→ …`, `_indicator_summary`) + warnings. The setup block includes an **informational 100-pip TP line** (`_INFO_TP_PIPS`, display-only — entry ± 100 pips, ≈R vs stop; NOT part of the backtested exit model) and the **trailing-stop management plan** (arm price + trail distance, read from the `trail_arm_r`/`trail_dist_r` stamped on the setup by the producing per-TF config). Risk disclaimer on every outbound message.
- Blocking scan work runs in `ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4)`; one shared `ForexDataProvider` across all scans (cache reuse).
- **Logging (hardened 2026-07-22)**: root-logger handlers (`force=True`) → console + `logs/telegram.log` (3-hour rotation, 240 backups = 30 days), full-date timestamps; every module logger (data_provider, news_engine, websockets, telegram.ext) lands in the same file. Failure surfaces all covered: candle loops catch-and-continue per cycle (one bad scan can't kill a loop), breach tasks log exceptions via done-callback, PTB `add_error_handler` registered, and `sys.excepthook`/`threading.excepthook` (installed in `main()`) route uncaught crashes to the log. WS monitor keeps its exponential-backoff reconnect + `logger.exception`.
---
## main.py — CLI
`python main.py [--pair XAUUSD] [--timeframe M5|M15|M30|H1|H4|D1] [--detail] [--json] [--verbose]`. Uses the pair factory, renders a compact terminal report (decision, setup, context, top-3 reasons per side, warnings) or full JSON via `report_to_dict`.
---
## backtest/gpu_backtest.py — the backtester
Replays history bar-by-bar through the **real `SignalAggregator.analyze_from_dataframes`** — same gates, same setup math. News is disabled (`use_news=False`): backtests are pure technical.
**Realism model (all validated fixes — do not regress):**
- Entry at the **next bar's open** after the signal bar; SL/TP distances preserved relative to actual entry. Entries are **re-anchored to the raw price path** (`_reanchor_entries_to_raw`): if cleaning dropped a >10σ spike bar right after the signal bar, the trade enters at the spike bar's open, not the bar after it — skipping it was a favorable bias.
- Round-trip `--spread` subtracted from every trade's PnL before computing R (default = pair's `default_spread`: XAU $0.30). Results before 2026-07-08 (+59.5R baseline era) charged no spread — not comparable.
- Trade resolution runs against the **RAW price path** (`fetch_history(clean=False)`): the parquet cache stores raw bars; cleaning (which drops >10σ news spikes that hit stops in reality) is applied only to the signal-side data. Caches written before this fix contain cleaned data — refetch to restore spike bars.
- Same-bar SL+TP tie → SL first (conservative). Gap through SL/TP → filled at the bar open.
- **Trailing exits** (default on, from `signals.trail_arm_r/trail_dist_r`; XAU_PB trades carry per-trade 0.8/0.75 overrides): stop ratchets at bar close only, so a new stop can only fill from the next bar (conservative). Exit reasons: SL / TRAIL / TP1 (static mode) / TIMEOUT / NO_DATA.
- Session + weekend + weekday filters evaluate the **decision time = bar close** (`ts + primary_duration`) — exactly matching the live bot's wall-clock check.
- The optional H4-ADX regime filter (`config.backtest.regime_filter`, default off) is applied in the replay by calling the live `_apply_regime_filter_live` method itself under the same guard, and the replay loads/slices the regime-filter TF whenever the gate is on (like live `analyze_pair`) — previously M5/M15 primaries silently no-opped the filter because H4 wasn't in their confirm maps. Live and backtest cannot diverge if it's enabled (2026-07-21 parity fix; the unregistered-pair config fallback also applies the config.json overlay now).
- Confirmation TFs are sliced to bars **fully closed** by decision time (no look-ahead).
**Performance:**`precompute_indicators` builds every indicator series once per TF (CuPy on GPU or NumPy — check the log line `Backend: CuPy GPU` vs `NumPy CPU fallback`; CuPy needs the `nvidia-*-cu12` pip wheels or it silently falls back). `GPUTechnicalEngine` subclasses the live engine and overrides only the `_compute_*` methods with cache lookups — outputs are byte-identical to the live engine (regression-tested). Bar replay: pure per-bar evaluation fans out over forked worker processes (`--workers`, 0 = auto: cores−2 capped 12; <5000 bars forces 1); the entry **cooldown (5 bars) is the only sequential rule**, applied in an ordered pass afterwards — parallel and sequential books are identical. ~300 bars/s/core, ~1700 bars/s at 10 workers.
**Strategy tags** (from reasons[0] markers): `XAU_PB`, `XAU_CP`, `GENERIC` (plus legacy `XAU` recognized). `--strategies` filters the book by tag. `--cp` force-enables the chart-pattern entry for candidate validation; `--cp-patterns` narrows the detector set.
Report: summary metrics (total R, PF, Sharpe on R, max DD, MFE/MAE), breakdowns by quality/strategy/regime, trade log, and per-trade reasoning dumps (indicator-by-indicator agreement at entry — required by `instructions_for_backtest.txt`). `--export-csv` flattens every indicator's signal/value/agreement into columns.
**Comparability note (2026-07-16):** the parity/realism fixes of that date (EMA-ribbon port to the GPU engine, exact-pandas Bollinger precompute, raw-path entry re-anchoring, per-TF D1 warmup, live confirm-map CLI default, outlier snap-back retention) all shift books slightly vs earlier runs. Books produced before these fixes are not directly comparable — re-run the baseline before any before/after tuning comparison.
Data: paginated fetches via `provider.fetch_range` (5000-bar chunks; works with any registered provider) cached as parquet in `backtest/cache/` keyed by **provider**/symbol/TF/window (bars differ between feeds — Oanda/TD divergence study; `twelve_data` keeps the legacy un-prefixed filename so pinned-book caches stay valid); warmup pad ≥60 days before the window for EMA200, extended per-TF so slow confirmation TFs get ≥210 bars at window start (D1 gets ~299 days — 62 days gave only ~61 bars: no EMA200, unlike live's 300-bar outputsize floor). `--confirm-tfs` defaults to the pair factory's live confirmation map (pass it explicitly to override); a hardcoded default here previously made the standard invocation backtest a different MTF setup than the bot scans.
---
## test_all.py — QA suite
`python test_all.py` — **253 tests, 16 modules** (config, data_provider, engine, news_engine, signal_aggregator, main, telegram_bot, integration, pair_signals registry + engine-bug regressions, 2026-07-16 audit-fix regressions, chart patterns, app_config, .env loader + bot resilience, Oanda provider/executor/daemon, provider abstraction). No network needed (mocked). Uses a custom `@test("name")` decorator that runs immediately (NOT pytest — don't grep for `def test_`). Exit code non-zero on failure. Includes: the xauusd-factory ≡ inline-config equivalence test, engine bug-fix regression tests (Module 9b), a live-vs-GPU engine parity sweep incl. the EMA-ribbon path (Module 11), config.json loading/precedence/validation coverage (Module 13), and `.env` loader + bot-resilience coverage (Module 14). **Any signal-logic change must keep this green and should add tests.**
---
## Environment variables
Precedence for every credential/deployment setting: **env var → config.json → none**. A repo-root `.env` file (gitignored) is loaded at `app_config` import via `os.environ.setdefault` — it behaves like real env vars except a real shell export always wins. Hardcoded fallbacks (previously in `config.py` / `telegram_bot.py`) were **REMOVED 2026-07-21**; the bot now refuses to boot (`telegram_bot.main`) and data fetches fail with a named error (`data_provider`) if a secret resolves to neither source. See `app_config.py` and `config.json.example`.
| Variable | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `TWELVE_DATA_API_KEY` | market data key (twelve_data only) | none — falls through to config.json `data_providers.twelve_data.api_key`, then fails fast |
| `TIINGO_API_KEY` | market data key (tiingo only) | none — falls through to config.json `data_providers.tiingo.api_key`, then fails fast |
| `TELEGRAM_TOKEN` | bot token | none — falls through to config.json `telegram.token`, then refuses to boot |
| `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` | owner chat id (boot auto-scan + owner lock) | none — falls through to config.json `telegram.chat_id`, then refuses to boot |
| `TELEGRAM_CHANNEL_ID` | subscriber channel (`-100…`); `""` disables the feed | none — falls through to config.json `telegram.channel_id` |
- Private per-indicator series ride on `TechnicalAnalysis` as `_underscore` attributes; anything `_`-prefixed or weight-0 is skipped by scorers/formatters.
- UTC everywhere; DataFrames indexed by tz-aware `Datetime`, oldest-first, capitalized OHLCV columns.
- Logging via module loggers; the bot adds a rotating file handler.
---
## Rules for making changes (READ BEFORE EDITING SIGNAL LOGIC)
1.**Never change a tuned value without re-validation.** The acceptance rule used throughout: positive total R in BOTH the train and validation halves of a ≥12-month window, PF ≥ 1.3, at realistic cost (XAU $0.30 round trip), with trailing exits and next-open fills. For any marginal edge additionally re-test on the 2024-06→2025-03 out-of-sample window — within-year splits alone have approved configs that failed OOS.
2.**Per-timeframe overrides live in the pair factory** (`pair_signals/*.py`), never in global defaults — the same knob has opposite effects on different TFs (proven twice: `tp_floor_rr`, hour-9 block). Document the validation evidence in the factory docstring.
3.**Pair isolation is a hard invariant.** XAU gates in the aggregator are display-gated (`report.display_name == "XAU/USD"`) so a future pair port cannot inherit gold-calibrated logic by accident.
4.**Live == backtest parity**: session/weekend/hour filters must evaluate bar-CLOSE time in both paths; `xauusd.make_config` must stay equivalent to the inline config the backtester/bot would build (test-enforced). If you add a live gate, add it to the replay path (or `analyze_from_dataframes`) in the same commit.
5.**ROC stays weighted** (see engine table) unless you retune composite thresholds and re-validate — removing it lost 13R.
6.**Backtester realism knobs are results-critical**: raw-path resolution, spread charging, next-open entry, SL-first ties, close-only trail ratchet. Any "optimization" that touches these invalidates comparability with the pinned books (`backtest/*.csv`, memory notes).
7.**Don't zero/disable indicators via config in production paths** — `disabled_indicators` exists for experiments; composite thresholds assume the full set.
8.**The forming candle must stay dropped** and analysis must only ever see closed bars, or live signals repaint.
9. Keep `test_all.py` green (`python test_all.py`); extend it for every new gate/knob.
10. Dead/legacy config fields were removed 2026-07-21 (`MarketSession`, `is_jpy_pair`, `candle_buffer_seconds`, the unused `SignalConfig`/`XauStrategyConfig` legacy knobs). Do not add config fields that nothing reads; delete dead fields only with test updates.
Signal currency everywhere is `SignalStrength`(−2..+2). DataFrames are UTC tz-aware, oldest-first, capitalized OHLCV columns. Everything runs on **closed bars only** — the forming candle is dropped, and session/hour filters evaluate **bar-CLOSE time** (bar label + candle duration) identically in live and backtest.
### Layers
- **`providers/`** — one class per provider subclassing `BaseDataProvider` (`providers/base.py`), which owns everything the pipeline depends on: TTL+boundary cache, forming-candle drop, freshness check, validate/clean, paginated `fetch_range` (feeds the backtester from any provider), optional tick streaming. Subclasses implement only `_fetch_raw` + symbol/interval maps. Registry + `make_data_provider` in `providers/__init__.py`; config.json `data_providers.active` selects the live feed. `data_provider.py`/`oanda_provider.py` are back-compat shims. A test enforces that subclasses don't override shared base methods. Tiingo is candles-only — do not re-add spread display from its free FX feed (two-tier indicative quotes, removed 2026-07-23).
- **`engine.py`** — `TechnicalEngine`: 9 scored indicators (ema_trend, rsi, macd, bollinger, adx, roc, keltner, divergence, candlestick) + ATR as context. Regime classification (trending_up/down, `trending` = mixed/direction-UNKNOWN, transitioning, ranging) drives per-indicator weight multipliers and regime-aware RSI reinterpretation. Compute order matters (ATR first; MACD always computed even when not a pillar — divergence needs the histogram). Private series ride on the result as `_underscore` attrs; scorers/formatters skip anything `_`-prefixed or weight-0.
- **`signal_aggregator.py`** — MTF agreement, diminishing-decay penalty system, exhaustion hard block, quality grading, then an ordered chain of post-grade gates (session, XAU SELL quality/vol/hour, regime blocks, M5 noise gates), then three setup generators: XAU ATR (A+/A), generic swing-based, plus the M5 pullback (`XAU_PB`) and chart-pattern (`XAU_CP`, `chart_patterns.py`) entry paths. `TradeSetup.strategy` selects trailing params; trail params are stamped on the setup from the *producing* config so per-TF overrides reach formatters.
- **`pair_signals/`** — per-pair config factories. **Always use the factory (`produce_signal` / `make_config`), never bare `PlatformConfig()`** — the factory applies the config.json overlay first, then the validated per-TF deltas (M5 hour-9 block, M15 trail arm 0.70, M15 SELL-hour block, etc.; evidence in the docstring). A test enforces factory ≡ inline-config equivalence. Confirmation map: M5→[M15,H1], M15→[M5,H1], H1→[M15,H4], H4→[H1,D1].
- **`news_engine.py`** — Forex Factory calendar (MyFXBook RSS fallback) + RSS keyword sentiment with gold-inverse keywords. Class-level caches (fresh engine per scan). By XAU-tuned default, event risk and sentiment **warn but do not gate signals** (`event_risk_caps_signals=False`, `sentiment_affects_signals=False`).
- **`telegram_bot.py`** — owner-locked bot + subscriber channel; candle-boundary auto-scan loops (M5/M15/H1/H4, boundary+10 s), alert quality threshold + fingerprint dedup (committed only after a successful send), WebSocket level-breach monitor (auto-disabled when the active provider has `supports_streaming=False` — Oanda does not stream). Rotating log: `logs/telegram.log`, 3-h rotation × 240 backups.
- **`oanda_daemon.py` / `oanda_executor.py`** — practice-account auto-execution. Book-parity rules (see daemon docstring): no broker-side TP (trailing model — TP1/TP2 advisory), 5-bar per-TF cooldown, trail ratchets at bar close exactly once per bar. Accepted divergence: one position total.
- **`backtest/gpu_backtest.py`** — bar-by-bar replay through the real `analyze_from_dataframes` (news off). Realism model (do not regress): next-bar-open entries re-anchored to the raw price path, round-trip `--spread` charged per trade, trade resolution on RAW bars (cleaning applies only to signal-side data), same-bar SL+TP tie → SL first, gap fills at bar open, trail ratchet at bar close only. Indicators are precomputed once per TF (CuPy GPU or NumPy fallback — check the `Backend:` log line); replay fans out over worker processes and the 5-bar cooldown is applied in an ordered pass afterwards, so parallel and sequential books are identical. Parquet cache in `backtest/cache/` keyed by provider/symbol/TF/window. `backtest/*.csv` are gitignored pinned trade books from past campaigns — used for manual before/after comparison. `backtest/instructions_for_backtest.txt` lists what every backtest report must record.
## Rules for making changes (read before editing signal logic)
1.**Never change a tuned value without re-validation.** Acceptance rule: positive total R in BOTH train and validation halves of a ≥12-month window, PF ≥ 1.3, at realistic cost (XAU $0.30 round trip), trailing exits, next-open fills. Marginal edges must additionally pass the 2024-06→2025-03 out-of-sample window — within-year splits alone have approved configs that later failed OOS.
2.**Per-timeframe overrides live in the pair factory**, never in global defaults — the same knob has opposite effects on different TFs (proven repeatedly: `tp_floor_rr`, hour-9 block, trail params). Document validation evidence in the factory docstring.
3.**Pair isolation is a hard invariant.** XAU gates in the aggregator are display-name-gated so a future pair port cannot inherit gold-calibrated logic by accident.
4.**Live == backtest parity.** If you add a live gate, add it to the replay path in the same commit; all time filters evaluate bar-close time in both paths.
5.**ROC stays weighted** even though it's correlated with MACD/Keltner/EMA — zeroing it backtested 13R worse; composite thresholds are calibrated with it.
6.**Backtester realism knobs are results-critical** (raw-path resolution, spread charging, next-open entry, SL-first ties, close-only trail). Touching them invalidates comparability with all pinned books.
7.**The forming candle must stay dropped** — live signals repaint otherwise.
8. Don't add config fields nothing reads; don't disable indicators in production paths (`disabled_indicators` is for experiments only).
9. EUR/USD was removed 2026-07-16 after a no-edge verdict (cost-to-volatility; last commit with EUR support: `7d3fd95`). Do not re-add without new data. BTC/ETH work lives on unmerged branches only.
## Current state notes (2026-07-30)
- Oanda v20 is the live feed (`data_providers.active: "oanda"`), but the pinned backtest books are still Twelve-Data-pinned and the backtest cost assumption is $0.30 while measured real spreads are ~$0.65–0.72 — re-pin books on Oanda bars before treating feed-switch comparisons as valid (see Oanda/TD divergence study in memory).
- Human-facing docs in `docs/` (`user_guide.html`, `beginner_guide.html` + PDF builds) must be kept in sync when signal behavior changes.
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Harwinder Sekhon