> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.hydravision.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.hydravision.ai/ea-configuration/getting-started/chart-commands.md). # Chart Commands Sometimes you want a chart to stop opening new grids without removing the EA. You might want to sit out a news week, let a buy grid finish before the weekend, or stop sells on a pair for a while. The **Command** input does this straight from MT5: type a command, press OK, and the chart changes how it trades. Nothing else in your setup changes. > **The one thing to know:** commands only ever stop things from *opening*. Open grids are always managed and closed as normal, so a command never abandons a position. You can also send every one of these commands from **Controls** on the **Agents** page in your portal, when remote commands are enabled on your licence (see The Agents page). The Agents page and the Command input control the same setting, and the most recent change wins. *** ### Where to find it Open the EA's settings on the chart: press **F7**, or double-click the EA name in the top-right corner of the chart. On the **Inputs** tab, under **Quick Start**, you'll find: ``` Command (see docs) ``` Type a command, press **OK**, and confirm when asked. The command applies to **this chart** only. Other charts are not affected, including another Hydra Vision chart on the same symbol with a different magic number. *** ### The commands
CommandWhat it doesOpen grids
suspendNo new grids open, buy or sell.Keep running normally. They can still add levels and close.
resumeLifts every command restriction on the chart. It trades normally again.—
buy offNo new buy grids open. Sells are unaffected.Keep running normally.
buy onUndoes buy off.—
sell offNo new sell grids open. Buys are unaffected.Keep running normally.
sell onUndoes sell off.—
entries offOpen grids stop adding new levels.Keep being managed, and closes still run.
entries onUndoes entries off.—
graceful-stopNo new grids. When every open grid has closed, the chart switches to suspend on its own and waits.Run to completion.
graceful-stop cancelCancels a graceful-stop that hasn't finished yet.—
**Commands stack.** `buy off` followed by `entries off` leaves both in place. Each `off` is undone by its matching `on`, and `resume` clears everything at once. **`entries off` does not stop new grids opening.** It only stops open grids adding levels. To stop both, use `suspend` together with `entries off`, or use `graceful-stop`. **`graceful-stop` on a chart with no open grids** has nothing to wind down, so it goes straight to `suspend`. Commands are not case-sensitive, and extra spaces are ignored. `Buy Off` works the same as `buy off`. *** ### What happens when you press OK 1. **You're asked to confirm.** A box shows the chart, the command and what it will do, and asks *Was this intentional?* * **Yes** applies the command straight away. * **No** applies nothing. The EA remembers you declined, so it won't ask about the same command again at the next restart. 2. **The chart shows a status banner** in the top-right corner while it isn't trading normally (see below). 3. **The Experts tab records it:** ``` COMMAND APPLIED: 'suspend' (input) No new grids will open. Any open grid keeps running normally. Run mode: suspended flags: ["suspend"] ``` 4. **The Agents page updates** within about 20 seconds, if you use Hydra Agent. *** ### The status banner | Banner | Meaning | | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | *(no banner)* | Trading normally. | | **SUSPENDED** | No new grids. Open grids are still managed. | | **BUY OFF** / **SELL OFF** / **BUY & SELL OFF** | No new grids on that side. | | **ENTRIES OFF** | No new levels on open grids. | | **WINDING DOWN** | `graceful-stop` in progress. The chart suspends once it is flat. | | **GRACEFUL STOP** (red) | A **safety stop**, not a command. See below. | If more than one restriction is active, the banner shows the most important one and lists the others underneath. *** ### Restarts and the Agents page **The command is remembered.** It survives MT5 restarts, VPS reboots, timeframe changes and removing and re-attaching the EA. On start-up the Experts tab shows what was restored: ``` Command state restored: run mode suspended flags ["suspend"] since 2026.09.25 22:40 UTC ``` **Leaving the command in the field does not re-apply it at every restart.** Once a command has been confirmed, the EA treats that text as done. This is what allows the Agents page and the Command input to work together. For example: 1. You type `suspend` in the Command field and confirm it. 2. Later you press **Resume** on the Agents page. The chart starts trading again. 3. MT5 restarts. The field still says `suspend`, but it hasn't changed since you confirmed it, so the chart **stays running**. The Experts tab notes that the Command input is unchanged: ``` ... 'suspend' unchanged since it was confirmed - persisted state stands. ``` Two consequences of this: * **To apply the same command again from MT5** after the Agents page has changed things, type a different command first (for example `resume`, then OK), and then the one you want. The Agents page is simpler. * **Clearing the field does nothing.** An empty Command field leaves the chart exactly as it is. It does **not** mean resume. To lift restrictions, type `resume`. *** ### Safety stops come first Hydra Vision has its own automatic stops: a failed licence check, a lapsed subscription, or a breached risk limit. These put the chart into **graceful stop**, shown by the red banner. Open grids are managed to completion, and nothing new opens. **A command cannot lift a safety stop.** `resume` clears your own command restrictions, but the safety stop stays until its cause is fixed. For example, it clears once the licence check succeeds again. The Experts tab notes this when you apply a command during a safety stop: ``` NOTE: a ... graceful stop is active and is NOT affected by commands. The chart stays stopped. ``` Commands you set during a safety stop are kept, and they take effect when the stop clears. *** ### What the Command input can't do **Closing positions is on the Agents page only.** Close Buy grid, Close Sell grid and Close all and suspend are under **Controls** there, and each asks you to confirm against the positions it will close (see The Agents page). If you type `close buy`, `close sell`, `close all` or `status` in the Command input, the EA ignores it and tells you why: ``` ... ignored: 'close all' is an action, not a mode - not accepted from the setfile input Actions can only be sent over the portal channel. ... ``` In these messages the EA refers to the Command input by its internal name; the advice is to clear the Command field. This is deliberate. A setfile that says "close all" would close your positions every time it was loaded. **Anything else it doesn't recognise** is ignored, with a warning: ``` ... ignored: unknown command 'pause' ``` *** ### Good to know * **Per chart:** the saved command state belongs to the chart (its symbol and magic number). If you run two Hydra Vision charts on the **same symbol** with different magic numbers, each keeps its own mode, before and after a restart. To change both, send the command to each chart. * **Not a configuration change:** the Command input is not part of your strategy settings. Changing it does not start a new configuration in your portal, and it does not change your Strategy Print or Tuning Print. * **Live charts only:** the Strategy Tester ignores the Command input. Backtests always trade normally. * **Your licence is unaffected:** commands don't change how the EA checks your licence. *** ### Troubleshooting FAQ **I typed a command and nothing happened.** Check the Experts tab. If it says *unchanged since it was confirmed*, that command was already applied earlier; see *Restarts and the Agents page* above. If it says *ignored*, check the spelling against the table. **I clicked No by mistake.** The easiest fix is to send the command from the Agents page. From MT5: type a different command and press OK, answer **No** to that one, then type the command you wanted and press OK. It will ask you again. **The chart says SUSPENDED but I pressed Resume on the Agents page.** Give it up to a minute. When the market is closed the EA checks for new commands every 15 seconds rather than on every price tick. The banner also corrects itself if it ever falls out of step with the chart's actual state. **I suspended a chart. Will it still close my open grid?** Yes. `suspend` only stops new grids opening. Open grids keep their levels, closes and protections exactly as normal. **What's the difference between `suspend` and `graceful-stop`?** With no grids open they're the same. With a grid open, both let it finish. The difference is intent: `graceful-stop` is how you say "finish what you're doing, then stop". The banner shows WINDING DOWN until the chart is flat, then it changes to SUSPENDED by itself. **Does `resume` override a red GRACEFUL STOP banner?** No. That's a safety stop, not a command. See *Safety stops come first*. **Can I control several charts at once?** No, one chart at a time, from MT5 or the Agents page. Each chart keeps its own command state.