> ## 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.

# My Bot Isn't Opening Trades

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

This is the question we hear most, and the cause is almost always visible on one of a handful of screens. Work through them in order — each one rules out a different reason your bot might not be trading.

**1. Instances — is it even running?**

Open **[Instances](https://help.vole.bot/en/trading-bot/instances.md)** and find the instance for this strategy and symbol. If it's stopped or paused, it won't trade no matter what else is set up correctly. Start it, or create one if none exists yet.

**2. Signals — has the strategy produced anything to act on?**

Open **[Signals](https://help.vole.bot/en/signal-bot/signals.md)** and filter to your strategy and symbol. If nothing shows up there, the strategy hasn't generated an entry yet — that's a strategy-and-market-conditions question, not a bot problem. See **[Signals](https://help.vole.bot/en/signal-bot/signals.md)** for how to read the feed.

**3. Entry Monitor — did a signal get rejected or time out?**

Open **[Entry Monitor](https://help.vole.bot/en/execution-rules/entry-monitor.md)** (the screen itself is titled **Entry Decisions**) and filter to your instance. A row marked **Rejected** or **Refused** means the bot did see a signal — it just didn't enter on it. The row's reason column explains why in plain language, and a **Refused** row means the Skip Spike-and-Fade Signals rule, or an entry choice of the Volume Spike Rule (**Don't enter on a spike** or **Only enter on a spike**), turned the signal away.

Also check **Wait Before Entering**. It is ignored unless the entry timing is Bar Close. The form now refuses that combination, but older saved setups can still have it.

**4. Execution Policies — is the right rule set attached?**

Open **[Execution Policies](https://help.vole.bot/en/execution-rules/execution-policies.md)** and check which policy, if any, is attached to this instance, and confirm it's the one you meant to use.

**5. Account — is the broker actually connected?**

Open **[Account](https://help.vole.bot/en/trading-bot/account.md)** and confirm the broker card shows a live connection and a balance. Reconnect it if it doesn't.

**6. Bot Settings — which mode is it trading in?**

Open **[Bot Settings](https://help.vole.bot/en/trading-bot/bot-settings.md)** and check the default execution mode for new instances, plus any per-instance override. An instance running in a test mode rather than live won't place a real order — useful for trying things out, but easy to forget about if you expected a live fill.

> [!TIP]
>
> Still stuck? **[Debug](https://help.vole.bot/en/backtest/debug.md)** — the Backtest Suite's Debug tab, titled **Signal Debug** on the screen itself — steps through your strategy bar by bar and shows why it fired few signals, or none at all, over a stretch of history. It's a good next stop when the answer isn't on any of the screens above.


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