Signal Trader AUTO - Free

Signal Trader AUTO is a free MT5 Expert Advisor that auto-executes trades from your indicator's signals. It does not invent setups of its own — it reads the signals your indicator already publishes for the exact symbol and timeframe on your chart, then enters the trade for you: fully automatic (AUTO), or with one click (MANUAL). Entry, stop loss and all take-profit levels always match what you see on the chart.

This post is a practical tour of what the EA does and how to get it running in about five minutes.

Here is what a signal looks like once the EA has it in hand:

XAUUSD M15 BUY

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Entry : 2345.67

SL : 2342.00

TP1 : 2349.00 (R:R 1.0R)

TP2 : 2353.00 (R:R 2.0R) <- recommended

TP3 : 2357.00 (R:R 3.0R)

Lot : 0.18 Risk: 1.0%

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[ EXECUTED ] Mode: AUTO Entry: Hybrid

1. What is Signal Trader AUTO?

Think of it as the execution arm for the author's indicators. The indicator scans many symbols and timeframes (MTF scan) and publishes a signal; the EA reads that signal and turns it into a real order. Because entry, SL and the four TP levels come straight from the signal, there is no drift and no recalculation — the chart and your trade agree.

You run it in one of two styles:

• AUTO — the EA enters by itself whenever a new, fresh signal appears. Fully hands-free.
• MANUAL — the EA shows the signal on a control panel and waits; you press BUY or SELL to confirm. You keep the decision.

You can switch between AUTO and MANUAL at any time, right on the panel, without removing the EA.

2. How it works

The indicator and the EA never talk directly. They pass data through the terminal's Global Variables, and the EA links to the right indicator by a single number called the Signal ID:

1. The indicator publishes each signal (direction, entry, SL, four TP levels, the recommended TP, plus a heartbeat).
2. The EA auto-detects and links by Signal ID — you never type any prefix string. It finds the heartbeat carrying your Signal ID and locks on instantly.
3. The EA reads exactly one cell = your chart's (symbol, timeframe), runs a series of validity gates (right account, right direction, SL on the correct side, signal not stale), and only then enters.
4. Duplicate protection means each signal candle is entered once in AUTO mode — and that state survives a terminal restart, so you never get a double entry after rebooting.

THE KEY: the Signal ID on the indicator and the Signal ID on the EA must be EQUAL. That is the link.

Two rules to remember: Global Variables are local to one MT5 terminal, so the indicator and the EA must run in the same terminal. And because the signal path is live data, the EA runs on live/forward only — it does not run in the Strategy Tester.

3. What you can control

Everything below is set from the EA's Inputs tab, and most of it can be changed live from the on-chart panel.

• Two modes — AUTO (self-enter) or MANUAL (click to enter).
• Three entry types — Market (enter now), Pending (place a limit/stop exactly at the signal price), or Hybrid (market if price is still near entry, otherwise a pending order). Hybrid is the balanced default. An unfilled pending auto-cancels after N bars, and cancels at once if the signal reverses.
• Risk-based position sizing — choose Fixed lot, Risk % of balance, or Risk a fixed money amount. The lot is computed from the symbol's real tick value, so it is accurate even on gold and CFDs. If the safe lot would be below the broker minimum, the EA skips the trade rather than over-risking, and a margin guard steps the lot down when margin is tight.
• Total-risk ceiling — cap the combined open risk across all trades (as a % of balance). New trades that would breach the ceiling are skipped. Set 0 to take every signal.
• Take-profit picker — use the indicator's recommended TP, or force TP1–TP4. If a level was not published, the EA falls back to TP1. You can also pick the TP straight from the panel, or run SL-only.
• Direction filter — trade Both, Buy only, or Sell only (handy for trading with the higher-timeframe trend).
• Two simultaneous signals — when a second signal exists for the same cell, the panel lists both so you can click the one to trade.
• Restart-safe deduplication — processed signals and live pendings are remembered per instance, even across restarts. A pending only consumes a signal when it actually fills.

4. The on-chart control panel

The panel is draggable, remembers its position and has three sizes. From it you can act without touching the Inputs:

• BUY / SELL — manual entry on the selected signal.
• CLOSE POSITION — close all trades and cancel the EA's pendings on this symbol.
• BREAK EVEN — move the SL to entry plus a small buffer (only when it improves the SL, never widening risk).
• PARTIAL % — close a set percentage of each position.
• Quick toggles — Mode (AUTO/MANUAL), Entry type (MARKET/PENDING/HYBRID), Trade side (BOTH/BUY/SELL), and the TP row [AUTO][TP1][TP2][TP3][TP4].

The title also shows your license status — or LOCKED if the key/indicator is not yet valid.

5. Quick setup in 5 steps

1. Copy the EA into  MQL5\Experts\  and compile it there (MetaTrader only lists EAs from the Experts folder).
2. Attach the author's indicator to a chart, set "Send signals to the auto-trade EA" = true, and note its "Signal ID (EA must use the same)" number.
3. Drag Signal Trader AUTO onto the same chart — the same symbol and timeframe where the signal appears.
4. Enter "Activation key (provided by the author)" and set the EA's "Signal ID (= indicator's InpScanMagic; 0 = auto-detect)" equal to the indicator's number (or 0 to auto-detect when only one indicator is running).
5. Enable "Algo Trading" on the toolbar and tick "Allow Algo Trading" in the EA's properties.

The panel appears at the top-right of the chart. When the link succeeds, the Experts log prints a line like  linked: SignalId=910001 -> prefix=... . If the panel shows NO LINK, recheck the Signal ID; if it shows NO SIGNAL, this cell simply has no signal yet — make sure you are on the right symbol and timeframe.

6. Recommended setups

Beginner — safe, keep control

• Start mode = Manual, Entry type = Hybrid.
• Lot mode = Risk %, Risk % of balance = 0.5–1.0.
• Max total open risk % = 3–5 to cap total risk.
• Watch the panel and press BUY/SELL when you agree with the signal; use BREAK EVEN once in profit.

Trust the system — fully automated

• Start mode = Auto, Entry type = Hybrid.
• Lot mode = Risk %, Risk % to taste, enable Max total open risk %.
• TP level = 0 (recommended) or fix a specific level.
• Set a clear Signal ID (not 0) if running multiple indicators, then let it run and watch the Experts tab.

7. The inputs, at a glance

The inputs are organised into four groups. The full list — with every exact label, default value and meaning — is in the attached guide.

8. Built to protect your account

• It trades only what the signal says. Entry, SL and TP come from the indicator — the EA never makes up its own numbers.
• It would rather skip than over-risk. In the Risk modes an undersized lot means no trade; the margin guard prevents margin blow-ups.
• It is exclusive and gated. The EA runs only with a valid activation key and a genuine linked indicator (brand lock). Until both are valid it stays read-only and shows a LOCKED banner — no orders are placed.
• It is live-only by design. The signal path is disabled in the Strategy Tester, so there are no surprises from backtest behavior.

9. Common issues — quick fixes

• NO LINK — the EA hasn't seen the indicator's heartbeat. Check the indicator is attached, "Send signals to the auto-trade EA" is on, and both Signal IDs are equal.
• NO SIGNAL — linked, but this cell has no signal yet. Put the EA on the right symbol/timeframe, or adjust "Signal timeframe".
• LOCKED — wrong/empty activation key, or the linked indicator isn't the author's product. Enter the correct key and run the genuine indicator.
• Nothing trades on a MANUAL click — enable "Algo Trading" on the toolbar and tick "Allow Algo Trading" in the EA properties.

FAQ

Is this EA really free?
Yes. It is a free companion EA for the author's indicators, using one shared activation key. It only trades when linked to the genuine indicator.

Do I need to know the indicator's "prefix"?
No. You only enter the Signal ID. The EA derives the prefix from the published signal.

Does the EA set SL and TP automatically?
Yes. Entry, SL and all four TP levels come straight from the signal. You choose which TP to use, or SL only.

Does the EA manage money?
Yes — three modes: Fixed lot, Risk % of balance, and Risk money. Plus a total-risk ceiling and a margin guard.

Can I run AUTO and still step in by hand?
Yes. Switch AUTO ↔ MANUAL anytime, and use CLOSE / BREAK EVEN / PARTIAL on the panel whenever you want.

Can it be backtested?
Not the signal path — it is built to run live on the indicator's real-time signals.

Get the EA and the activation key: contact the author on MQL5 — Ich Khiem Nguyen. Download the attached guide for the full walkthrough.

This article is a tool-usage guide, not investment advice. Forex/CFD trading carries high risk; practice on a demo account first.