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Custom Signals

Custom Signals work like Connecting Your TradingView Indicator or Connecting Your Chartink Indicator, except the trigger condition can come from any script or platform that can send a webhook - not just TradingView or Chartink. You choose Custom Scripts as the signal source, connect a strategy leg on AlgoTest, and your own code sends the entry/exit trigger whenever its logic fires.

When to use Custom Signals​

Use Custom Signals when your trading logic doesn't live on TradingView or Chartink at all - for example:

  • A Python script running your own indicator or model
  • A scheduled job (cron, Airflow, etc.) that evaluates a condition periodically
  • A signal from another charting or scanning platform that supports outgoing webhooks
  • Any custom logic you'd rather run and own yourself, and just need AlgoTest to execute the trade when it fires

If you want AlgoTest to place the exact trade described inside the webhook message itself (ticker, buy/sell, quantity), use Trade Signals instead. If you want full programmatic control over strategy logic and broker execution in code, see the Signals API.

How It Works​

The mechanism is the same as connecting a TradingView Indicator: AlgoTest gives you an entry webhook URL and an exit webhook URL, each with a JSON payload. Instead of pasting these into a TradingView alert, you send that same JSON payload as an HTTP POST request from your own script whenever your entry or exit condition is true.

Setup​

  1. Create a strategy on AlgoTest. Go to Signals → New Signal, choose Custom Scripts as the signal source, and select Live Deployment or Forward Test.
  2. Build your strategy leg (instrument, entry/exit timing, stop loss, target) the same way as for a TradingView or Chartink signal.
  3. Copy the entry webhook URL and JSON payload shown on AlgoTest after saving the strategy.
  4. Send a POST request to that URL with the given JSON payload from your own script whenever your entry condition fires.
  5. Repeat for the exit webhook, if your strategy has a separate exit condition.
  6. Click Start Listening on AlgoTest. Your strategy will show as "listening" and will execute whenever your script sends the corresponding webhook.

Example​

If your Python script evaluates a custom volatility model every minute and decides to enter a trade, it would send an HTTP POST request with the entry JSON payload copied from AlgoTest to the entry webhook URL - the same way a TradingView alert would, just triggered by your own code instead of a chart alert.

FAQ​

Do I need TradingView or Chartink for Custom Signals?​

No. Custom Signals are designed specifically for triggers that don't come from TradingView or Chartink.

What plan do I need?​

The same Signals Plan requirement applies as for TradingView or Chartink signals - a TradingView/Chartink subscription is not required since you're not using either platform.

Can I send both entry and exit from the same script?​

Yes - your script can call both the entry and exit webhook URLs whenever the respective condition is met.

For more insights, visit AlgoTest Signals.