Troubleshooting
This guide covers common issues you might encounter during backtest vs alerts analysis and how to resolve them.
Data Upload Issues
Section titled “Data Upload Issues”CSV Parse Errors
Section titled “CSV Parse Errors”Symptoms:
- “Invalid CSV format” error
- “Missing required columns” error
- File upload fails silently
Solutions:
-
Verify file format
- Open the file in a text editor
- Ensure it’s comma-separated (not semicolon or tab)
- Check that the first row contains headers
-
Check required columns
- Must have: Trade #, Type, Signal, Date/Time, Price
- Column names should match TradingView’s default export
-
Fix encoding issues
- Save as UTF-8 encoding
- Remove any special characters in headers
-
Try paste method
- Open CSV in Excel/Sheets
- Copy all cells
- Paste into the upload zone
No Trades Found After Upload
Section titled “No Trades Found After Upload”Symptoms:
- Upload succeeds but shows “0 trades loaded”
- Backtest step doesn’t complete
Causes & Solutions:
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Empty CSV file | Re-export with trades visible in Strategy Tester |
| Date filter active | Check TradingView chart date range |
| Strategy not running | Ensure strategy is added to chart |
| Export from wrong tab | Use “List of Trades” tab, not “Overview” |
Webhook Shows No Data
Section titled “Webhook Shows No Data”Symptoms:
- Webhooks selected but “0 signals” displayed
- Alert data source appears empty
Solutions:
-
Expand date range — Your alerts might be outside the selected window
-
Check webhook configuration
- Navigate to Webhook Settings
- Verify your endpoint URL is active
- Check recent event history
-
Verify TradingView alerts
- Open TradingView Alert Manager
- Confirm alerts are set to your webhook URL
- Check alert history for recent triggers
-
Switch to CSV — Use CSV import as a temporary workaround
Matching Issues
Section titled “Matching Issues”Strategy Uses Pyramid Trading
Section titled “Strategy Uses Pyramid Trading”Symptoms:
- Consistently low match rate despite correct settings
- More entries in backtest than expected
- Multiple entries before a single exit
Cause: Your strategy uses pyramiding (adding to positions as the market moves favorably).
Solution:
// Change your strategy declaration to:strategy("My Strategy", pyramiding=1) // Only allow 1 position at a timeIf your strategy requires pyramiding, you’ll need to modify it for compatibility or wait for future platform updates.
Very Low Match Rate
Section titled “Very Low Match Rate”Symptoms:
- Match rate below 50%
- Many “missed alerts” despite having alert data
Diagnostic Steps:
-
Check timezone alignment
- Compare a specific backtest trade time with its expected alert
- Is there a consistent offset (e.g., always 5 hours different)?
- Adjust timezone offset in Backtesting Upload step
-
Verify symbol consistency
- Backtest symbol must match alert symbol exactly
- Check for exchange prefixes (NASDAQ:AAPL vs AAPL)
-
Review tolerance settings
- Time tolerance may be too tight
- Price tolerance may be too tight
- Start with relaxed settings (15 min, 5%) and tighten gradually
-
Check date range overlap
- Ensure your selected dates cover both backtest AND alert data
- Some alerts may be outside your analysis window
All Times Off by Fixed Amount
Section titled “All Times Off by Fixed Amount”Symptoms:
- Signals would match if shifted by X minutes/hours
- Consistent offset across all trades
Cause: Timezone misconfiguration
Solution:
- Calculate the exact offset (e.g., 3 hours)
- Go to Backtesting Upload step
- Adjust timezone offset slider
- Re-run analysis
Entries Match, Exits Don’t
Section titled “Entries Match, Exits Don’t”Symptoms:
- Entry signals show high match rate
- Exit signals show many misses
Causes & Solutions:
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Alert only on entries | Add TradingView alerts for exit signals |
| Different signal names | Ensure exit alerts use consistent naming |
| Exit logic differs | Check if strategy exits differently in real-time |
Price Differences Too Large
Section titled “Price Differences Too Large”Symptoms:
- Matches found but with high price drift
- Price tolerance warnings
Causes & Solutions:
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Volatile market | Increase price tolerance |
| Different price types | Check if using close vs. last price |
| Data feed differences | Accept as expected variance |
| Slippage | Normal for market orders |
Analysis Errors
Section titled “Analysis Errors””Run Analysis” Button Disabled
Section titled “”Run Analysis” Button Disabled”Cause: Not all workflow steps are complete.
Check each step:
- Data Scope: Date range selected AND data source chosen
- Strategy Properties: Name AND symbol entered
- Backtesting Results: CSV uploaded with trades
- Analysis Configuration: Tolerances set (default is OK)
Analysis Takes Too Long
Section titled “Analysis Takes Too Long”Symptoms:
- Spinner runs for more than 30 seconds
- Page becomes unresponsive
Solutions:
-
Reduce data size
- Narrow your date range
- Filter to specific signals
-
Refresh and retry
- Browser may need refresh
- Data may be cached on retry
-
Check browser performance
- Close other tabs
- Clear browser cache
Results Don’t Update After Re-run
Section titled “Results Don’t Update After Re-run”Symptoms:
- Changed settings but results look the same
- Previous analysis still showing
Solutions:
-
Ensure “Run Analysis” was clicked — Not just “Save”
-
Clear snapshot context
- If viewing a saved snapshot, switch to “Live data”
- Re-run analysis on fresh data
-
Hard refresh the page — Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R
Chart Issues
Section titled “Chart Issues”Price Chart Not Loading
Section titled “Price Chart Not Loading”Symptoms:
- Chart area shows loading spinner indefinitely
- “No data available” message
Causes & Solutions:
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Alpaca not connected | Check broker integration |
| Invalid symbol | Verify symbol format |
| Weekend/holiday | No data for non-trading days |
| Network issue | Check internet connection |
Markers Not Appearing
Section titled “Markers Not Appearing”Symptoms:
- Chart loads but no signal markers visible
- Expected triangles/circles missing
Solutions:
-
Check date range — Zoom/pan to where signals should be
-
Verify data exists
- Check trade count in Backtesting Results
- Check signal count in Data Scope
-
Adjust timeframe — Some timeframes may not show markers well
AI Insights Issues
Section titled “AI Insights Issues””Analyze with AI” Unavailable
Section titled “”Analyze with AI” Unavailable”Symptoms:
- Button is grayed out
- Hover shows error message
Solutions by error message:
| Message | Solution |
|---|---|
| ”Run analysis first” | Complete the comparison analysis |
| ”Configure AI in Account Settings” | Set up AI credentials |
| ”Upgrade to Basic” | Free plan doesn’t include AI |
| ”No credits remaining” | Purchase more credits |
AI Response Error
Section titled “AI Response Error”Symptoms:
- AI starts but returns error
- “Failed to generate insights” message
Solutions:
-
Retry the request — Transient errors are common
-
Reduce data size — Very large analyses may timeout
-
Check account status — Verify credits and subscription
-
Try different model — Switch to faster model in Account Settings
Snapshot Issues
Section titled “Snapshot Issues”Cannot Save Snapshot
Section titled “Cannot Save Snapshot”Symptoms:
- Save button disabled or errors on click
- “Snapshot limit reached” message
Solutions:
-
Check snapshot count
- Free: Limited to 1-2 snapshots
- Basic: Up to 5 snapshots
- Pro: Up to 20 snapshots
-
Delete old snapshots
- Use the snapshot dropdown
- Click delete on unused snapshots
-
Run analysis first
- Cannot save without results
Snapshot Won’t Load
Section titled “Snapshot Won’t Load”Symptoms:
- Selected snapshot but nothing happens
- Loading spinner indefinitely
Solutions:
-
Check network — Snapshot fetch requires API call
-
Refresh the page — Stale state may cause issues
-
Delete and recreate — Corrupted snapshot data
Getting More Help
Section titled “Getting More Help”If you can’t resolve your issue:
-
Check Knowledge Base — Knowledge Base
-
Contact Support — Knowledge Base & FAQ — See “Still Need Help?” section
- Include your analysis details
- Attach CSV files if relevant
- Describe steps to reproduce
-
Export your data
- Download your backtest CSV
- Export comparison results
- Take screenshots of the issue
Related Sections
Section titled “Related Sections”- Quick Start — Step-by-step guide
- Data Scope — Date range configuration
- Analysis Configuration — Tolerance settings
- AI Insights — Automated diagnosis