> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.vole.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Close When the Signal Goes Neutral

> Closes a trade when your strategy stops signalling either direction and goes flat.

> [!NOTE]
>
> This screen is part of the Vole Bot package.

**Close When the Signal Goes Neutral** closes your trade when your strategy stops signalling either direction. If the strategy's signal on a closed candle is neither long nor short, the bot closes the open trade at market. A signal in the opposite direction does not count. That is [Close on Reverse Signal](https://help.vole.bot/en/execution-rules/pro-exit-modules/close-on-reverse-signal.md).

## When it acts

The rule reads your strategy's signal on the candle that has just closed, on every candle while a trade is open. It works the same for a long and for a short.

* It is the last exit checked. The bot first runs your other exit rules for the candle: take profit, stops, and the optional rules in [Exit Rules](https://help.vole.bot/en/execution-rules/exit-rules.md). Only if none of them closed the trade does this rule look at the signal.
* One neutral candle is enough. There is nothing to confirm and no minimum number of candles.
* If the strategy's signal cannot be worked out for a candle, this rule cannot run on that candle. Your stops and other exit rules still run as usual.

On the policy and instance forms, the rule is listed under **Exit Trigger** in the **Pro Exit Modules** list.

## Settings

This rule has no settings. You switch it on or off with its tick box.

## Worked example

The signals below are made up to show how the rule works. They are not real signals.

You hold a long. Your strategy reports a signal for each closed candle.

| Candle | Strategy signal | What happens |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Long | The signal is long. The trade stays open. |
| 2 | Long | The trade stays open. |
| 3 | Long | The trade stays open. |
| 4 | Neutral | The strategy no longer signals long or short. The bot closes the long at market. |

If candle 4 had shown a short signal instead, this rule would not have closed the trade. A short signal is a reverse signal, and it is handled by [Close on Reverse Signal](https://help.vole.bot/en/execution-rules/pro-exit-modules/close-on-reverse-signal.md).

![Strategy signals on four closed candles: long, long, long, then neutral. A long trade stays open through candle 3 and closes at market when candle 4 shows neutral.](https://mintcdn.com/vole-bot/FPSL8V4NlLCcmRfn/images/pro-exit/close-when-the-signal-goes-neutral.svg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=FPSL8V4NlLCcmRfn\&q=85\&s=5f345d0c7fc0420fb03fe0b5b2bdf808)

One neutral candle closes the trade. Made-up signals.

## Good to know

* Check how your strategy reports its signal before you switch this rule on. Some strategies report a signal only on the candle where something changes, and neutral on the others. With a strategy like that, this rule would close a trade on the first candle that shows neutral.
* It only reads closed candles. A signal that is still forming does not count.
* The closed trade shows the reason **Trend Flip**.
* It only closes trades. It never opens one and never moves your stop.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.