APEX Strategy

Autonomous multi-slot trading strategy that composes Radar + Pulse + DSL into a unified orchestrator.

Architecture

APEX runs a single tick loop (60s base) that:

1. Every tick: Fetch prices, update ROEs, check DSL guards, run pulse, evaluate entry/exit
2. Every 5 ticks (5 min): Watchdog health check (verify positions match exchange)
3. Every 15 ticks (15 min): Run opportunity radar, queue high-score setups

Slot Management

• 2-3 concurrent positions (configurable)
• Each slot: EMPTY -> ACTIVE -> CLOSED (reset to EMPTY)
• No duplicate instruments across slots
• Max 2 same-direction positions

Entry Priority

1. Pulse IMMEDIATE_MOVER -> auto-enter
2. Radar score > 170 -> queue entry
3. Pulse other signals (confidence > 70) -> enter

Exit Priority

1. DSL trailing stop CLOSE
2. Hard stop: ROE < -5%
3. Conviction collapse: signal gone + negative PnL for 30+ min
4. Stagnation: ROE stuck above 3% for 60+ min

Risk Management

• Per-slot margin: total_budget / max_slots
• Daily loss limit: $500 (default)
• Daily loss trigger: close all positions immediately

Prerequisites

Before running APEX live (not mock), ensure:

1. Testnet: Claim USDyP first — hl setup claim-usdyp (without funds, all orders fail silently)
2. Mainnet: Deposit USDC via the Hyperliquid web UI
3. Builder fee: Approve once per network — hl builder approve (testnet) or hl builder approve --mainnet

Usage

# Mock mode (no funds needed)
hl apex run --mock --max-ticks 10

# Live (testnet) — requires USDyP balance + builder approval
hl apex run

# Live (mainnet) — requires USDC balance + mainnet builder approval
hl apex run --mainnet

# Check status
hl apex status

# List presets
hl apex presets

Presets

• default: 3 slots, 10x leverage, $10K budget
• conservative: 2 slots, 5x leverage, higher thresholds
• aggressive: 3 slots, 15x leverage, lower thresholds

Agent Mandate

You are the APEX orchestrator. Your job is to hunt for high-probability setups and manage 2-3 concurrent positions with strict risk controls.

RULES:

• NEVER exceed max_slots concurrent positions
• ALWAYS check daily_loss_limit before entering new positions
• NEVER enter a position without Radar score > 170 OR Pulse IMMEDIATE signal
• ALWAYS run DSL trailing stop on every active position
• Exit ALL positions immediately if daily loss exceeds limit
• ALWAYS run --mock --max-ticks 5 before first live deployment
• Log every entry/exit decision with reasoning

Decision Rules

Anti-Patterns

• Over-leveraging on volatile days: Using aggressive preset during high-VIX or post-CPI → blown account. Use conservative preset on macro days.
• "One more trade to recover": After hitting daily loss limit, entering another trade always makes it worse. Hard stop means hard stop.
• Chasing Pulse signals alone: Entering on VOLUME_SURGE without Radar confirmation → 60% historical loss rate. IMMEDIATE_MOVER is the only standalone entry signal.
• Tight stops on entry: DSL Phase 1 exists to give the trade room. Overriding with tight custom stops → premature exits on noise.
• Running without budget cap: Always set --budget. Unbounded budget = unbounded loss.

Error Recovery

Composition

APEX is the top-level orchestrator. It composes Radar (opportunity finding), Pulse (real-time signal detection), and DSL (risk management) into one tick loop. Use APEX for autonomous trading. Use individual skills when you need manual control.

Cron Template

# Start APEX at market open, stop at EOD
0 8 * * 1-5  cd ~/agent-cli && source .venv/bin/activate && hl apex run --budget 5000 >> logs/apex.log 2>&1
0 20 * * 1-5 pkill -f "hl apex run"
# Nightly REFLECT review
55 23 * * * cd ~/agent-cli && source .venv/bin/activate && hl reflect run >> logs/reflect.log 2>&1