# How TradingView Trading Works

> Turn any TradingView alert into a stock, option or spread trade: how an alert reaches your strategy, how to create and name alerts, how to test, and what to check when nothing trades.

*Source: https://tradelabs.org/docs/tradingview*

A TradingView alert says three things: the **ticker**, **buy or sell**, and the **price**. TradeLabs finds the strategy with the same name, and that strategy decides everything else: shares or options, which contract, how many, and when to get out.

## What an alert can trade

The same alert can drive a stock, option or spread strategy. Only the strategy's **Instrument** changes.

| Instrument | Buy alert | Sell alert | Guide |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stocks | Buys shares | Sells them | [Stocks Strategy](/docs/tradingview/stocks/) |
| Options | Buys a call | Closes it, or flips to a put (set by Direction) | [Options Strategy](/docs/tradingview/options/) |
| Spreads | Opens a bullish spread | Opens a bearish spread | [Spreads Strategy](/docs/tradingview/spreads/) |

Which brokers take which instrument is on [Brokers & Compatibility](/docs/tradingview/brokers/).

## Before you start: turn on 2FA in TradingView

> **Heads up**
>
> **TradingView only sends webhook alerts from accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA) on.** Without it, your alerts fire in TradingView but never reach TradeLabs, and the **Webhook** check never turns Ready.

1. On [tradingview.com](https://www.tradingview.com/), click your profile picture, then **Settings and billing**.

2. Open the **Privacy and security** tab.

3. Turn on **Two-factor authentication** and finish the setup with your authenticator app or SMS.

Do this once per TradingView account, before you prepare any alerts.

## Step 1: Connect TradingView

In the app, open **Signals**, choose the **TradingView** source, click **Connect TradingView** and sign in. If TradingView asks for a captcha or a 2FA code, use **Or sign in manually in the browser**. [TradingView Signals](/docs/reference/strategies/tradingview/) has every detail.

## Step 2: Create the alert in TradingView

Open the chart of the ticker you want to trade, then click **Create Alert** in the Alerts panel. You only set three fields.

> **Heads up**
>
> Always use **Once per bar close**. An alert that fires mid-candle can repaint: the signal disappears when the candle closes, but the trade already happened.

### Naming the alert

The alert name is how TradeLabs knows which strategy an alert belongs to.

- **A strategy script** sends buys and sells by itself. One alert, named exactly like your TradeLabs strategy.
- **An indicator** needs one alert per side. End the buy alert's name with `indicator long` and the sell alert's with `indicator short`.
- **A crossover** (EMA, SMA) needs one alert for the cross up and one for the cross down.
- **A plain price alert** works too. Name it like `SPY Buy Level indicator long`.
- Case does not matter. To route alerts with other names, list them in the strategy's **Alert names** field, separated by commas.

## Step 3: Prepare the alert in the app

Back in **Signals**, under **TradingView**, click **Fetch alerts**. Each alert is checked for **Description**, **Expiration** and **Webhook**. Click **Auto-fix all** and wait until every row says **Ready**. If **Webhook** will not fix, 2FA is off: see [Before you start](#before-you-start-turn-on-2fa-in-tradingview).

![The TradingView source under Signals](/docs-assets/app-signals-tradingview.png)
*A Ready alert shows the strategy it routes to. A row that still says Needs fix will not trade.*

## Step 4: Build the strategy

Follow the guide for what you want to trade: [Stocks](/docs/tradingview/stocks/), [Options](/docs/tradingview/options/) or [Spreads](/docs/tradingview/spreads/). Every guide starts the same way:

![The Signal source section of a TradingView strategy](/docs-assets/app-strategy-source-tradingview.png)
*Set Source to TradingView. Leave Alert names empty to match the strategy's own name.*

> **Note**
>
> No AI key is needed. TradingView alerts are already structured, so there is nothing to read or interpret.

## Step 5: Test it

1. Start with the smallest size, or a paper account.

2. Fire the alert once from TradingView.

3. Open **Activity**. You should see the alert arrive, the order go out, and the fill.

4. Check **Positions**. The trade shows with its stop and target.

## When nothing trades

| What you see | Why | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Webhook never turns Ready | 2FA is off on the TradingView account | Turn on two-factor authentication in TradingView, then Auto-fix all again |
| The alert never shows in Activity | The alert is not Ready, or TradingView is signed out | Fetch alerts, Auto-fix all, and check the sign-in under Signals |
| Arrives but no strategy picks it up | The name does not match | Rename the alert, or add its name to **Alert names** |
| Ticker is outside the strategy filter | The strategy's **Ticker** list does not include it | Add the ticker, or use `ALL` |
| Nothing at all, strategy looks right | The strategy is switched off | Turn it on in **Strategies** |