> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.metacopier.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.metacopier.io/features/basic-features/trade-cooldown.md).

# Trade cooldown

The **Trade cooldown** feature blocks the copy of a new position on a symbol for a configurable amount of time after a previous copied trade on the **same** (or a **correlated**) symbol was opened or closed. It is designed to help you comply with prop-firm **"trade idea"** rules, most notably **FTMO's 1-hour rule**, where any new position opened within one hour of a previous trade on the same or a correlated symbol (in the same direction of exposure) is still treated as a continuation of the same trade idea.

The filter applies **to market-order opens only**. Pending orders (limit/stop) are never blocked, and closes, partial closes, and SL/TP modifications are **always copied** regardless of the cooldown, so the slave is never left holding a position the master has already exited.

When a new market open is blocked, the event is written to the copier log (symbol, master ticket, remaining cooldown time).

## How It Works

1. When a copied position is **opened** or **closed** on the slave, MetaCopier records the moment (the *anchor*) for that symbol on that copier.
2. When a new master position on the same symbol is detected, MetaCopier checks how long ago the anchor was recorded.
3. If the elapsed time is **less than** the configured cooldown, the open is **blocked** and logged.
4. If the cooldown has already elapsed (or none was recorded), the open is copied normally.

The cooldown is tracked per copier and survives node restarts.

## Settings

* **Cooldown (minutes):** How long, after the anchor event, new market opens on the symbol are skipped.\
  \&#xNAN;*Example*: If set to **60**, once a copied trade on EURUSD is closed, any new EURUSD open within the next 60 minutes is skipped. A value of **0** disables the feature. The maximum allowed value is **1440 minutes** (24 hours).
* **Cooldown anchor:** Whether the cooldown window is measured from the previous copied position's **close** (FTMO's literal rule, default) or its **open**.
* **Track by direction:** If enabled, BUY and SELL are tracked separately, so only a new open in the **same direction** as the anchored position is blocked (matching FTMO's "same direction of exposure" wording). If disabled (default), **both** directions are blocked during the cooldown, which is the safest choice.
* **Correlation mode:** How a "correlated symbol" is resolved.
  * **Same symbol only** (default): The cooldown applies only to the exact symbol that triggered it.
  * **Custom groups:** Symbols you group together are treated as one trade idea. A cooldown started by any member of a group also applies to the other members.
* **Correlation groups:** Only used with **Custom groups**. Enter one group per line, with the symbols separated by commas, for example `US30, US500, NAS100` on one line and `USOIL, UKOIL` on another. Closing a trade on any symbol in a group starts the cooldown for the whole group. This is the reliable way to express non-FX correlation (indices, oil, crypto) and cross-asset groups. Use the **slave-side** symbol names (the names as they appear on the account the trades are copied to). If your slave broker uses different symbol names than the master, enter the slave names here, otherwise the group will not match.
* **Add symbol configuration:** Optionally define a different **Cooldown (minutes)**, **Cooldown anchor** and **Track by direction** for specific symbols. The **Correlation mode** and **Correlation groups** are always taken from the top-level configuration, since they define how symbols are grouped across the whole feature.

{% hint style="info" %}
The Trade cooldown affects **market opens only**. Pending orders are never blocked, and closes or SL/TP modifications are always copied regardless of the cooldown, the slave will never be left holding a position the master has already exited.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
FTMO enforces the "trade idea" rule as a **risk-aggregation** rule (several entries within an hour share the same 1% risk budget) rather than an outright ban. Using a cooldown that skips re-entries within the window is a simple, deterministic way to stay compliant.
{% endhint %}