Does Alpha Futures Allow Automated Trading?
The Simple Answer
No. Alpha Futures states that the use of AI, bots and other automated trading mechanisms is strictly prohibited across all account types, and that any form of hands-off, continuous day and night trading or full automation is strictly forbidden. Semi-automation is the one thing allowed: a custom indicator can give you buy and sell signals, but you must place, monitor and manage every trade yourself.
Below is how Alpha Futures classifies automated trading, and what that means in practice for the tools you may want to run.
Automation Policy Overview
What This Means In Practice
The ban is absolute on full automation
Alpha Futures words this without hedging. The use of AI, bots and other automated trading mechanisms is strictly prohibited across all account types, and any form of hands-off, continuous day and night trading, or any other type of full automation, is strictly forbidden. It applies in both the Evaluation and the Qualified stage.
What semi-automation means here
Alpha does carve out one permitted case, and it is worth understanding precisely. Semi-automated trading, such as a custom indicator that gives buy or sell signals, is permissible on the condition that you manually place, monitor and manage the trade, and that you understand the system and the purpose of the semi-automation. So an indicator that tells you when to act is fine. Anything that acts for you is not.
The 100-trade line
Separately from the bot ban, Alpha restricts automated systems designed for high-frequency trading, particularly those resulting in over 100 trades per day, and states plainly that the Alpha Futures and Alpha Prime team are not interested in working with strategies taking 100 or more trades per day, automated or not. The volume itself is the problem, however the trades are placed.
VPS is allowed, VPN is not
This one is unusual and worth noting because most firms treat the two together. Alpha permits the use of a VPS in your trading. What it prohibits is the use of a VPN attempting to hide or change your IP address.
Copy, group and reverse trading are prohibited
Alpha lists automated, group and reverse trading as strictly prohibited. Group trading means collaborating with others to execute identical or opposite strategies across unconnected accounts. Reverse trading, which Alpha treats as hedging, means going short on one account and long on another, and it also counts long NQ against short MNQ on the same account.
There is a legitimate route for algo developers
Alpha does have a path for systematic traders, but it sits outside the retail account. Its Path To Live structure references developing automated strategies with its in-house quantitative team, so if you are building something serious, that is the conversation to have rather than running a bot on an evaluation.
Final Comments
Automation rules are one of the fastest moving parts of any prop firm rulebook, and they are also one of the most expensive to get wrong. Before you connect anything to a Alpha Futures account, get your specific setup confirmed in writing by support rather than relying on a general policy line.
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FAQ
Does Alpha Futures allow automated trading?
No. Alpha Futures states that the use of AI, bots and other automated trading mechanisms is strictly prohibited across all account types, and that any form of hands-off, continuous day and night trading or full automation is strictly forbidden. Semi-automation is the one thing allowed: a custom indicator can give you buy and sell signals, but you must place, monitor and manage every trade yourself.
How does Alpha Futures classify automation?
As Not Allowed. In practice that means automated trading is prohibited. The sections above set out exactly where the boundary sits.
The ban is absolute on full automation: what does Alpha Futures say?
Alpha Futures words this without hedging. The use of AI, bots and other automated trading mechanisms is strictly prohibited across all account types, and any form of hands-off, continuous day and night trading, or any other type of full automation, is strictly forbidden. It applies in both the Evaluation and the Qualified stage.
What semi-automation means here: what does Alpha Futures say?
Alpha does carve out one permitted case, and it is worth understanding precisely. Semi-automated trading, such as a custom indicator that gives buy or sell signals, is permissible on the condition that you manually place, monitor and manage the trade, and that you understand the system and the purpose of the semi-automation. So an indicator that tells you when to act is fine.
What happens if I run a bot on a Alpha Futures account anyway?
You are risking the account. Where a firm prohibits automation outright, running it is a rule breach rather than a grey area, and any profits made through it can be challenged at payout.
