FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about PineHook.

General Questions#

What is PineHook?#

PineHook is a signal relay service that connects TradingView alerts to MetaTrader 5. When your TradingView strategy generates a signal, PineHook delivers it to your MT5 terminal for automatic execution.

How is PineHook different from other solutions?#

• Low-latency delivery. Sub-50ms typical webhook-to-EA delivery on a healthy connection.
• Redundant infrastructure. Load-balanced API instances with automatic failover and a dedicated signal-relay tier.
• Self-contained connectivity. One first-party TLS WebSocket library ships with the EA. No broker bridge, no third-party DLLs, and no MetaTrader WebRequest allowlist to configure.
• Built-in resilience. Disconnected EAs replay missed signals on reconnect, within your signal recovery window (default 15 minutes, configurable to 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes).
• Transparent pricing. See the pricing section for current rates.

Do I need a VPS?#

For best results, we recommend running MT5 on a VPS (Virtual Private Server) for:

• 24/7 uptime - Your EA stays connected even when your home computer is off
• Better connection stability - Data center internet is more reliable than home networks
• Lower latency - Servers in trading hubs execute faster
• No power/network interruptions - Unaffected by home outages

You can run PineHook on your local computer, but connection stability may be affected by your home internet and power.

Which brokers are supported?#

PineHook works with any MT5 broker. The EA connects to PineHook's server, so broker-specific restrictions don't typically apply.

Some prop firms may have rules about EAs - check their policies.

Is my data secure?#

Yes. All connections use TLS encryption. We don't store your broker credentials or have access to your trading account. We only receive and relay signal data.

Account Questions#

How do I reset my password?#

1. Go to login page
2. Click "Forgot password"
3. Enter your email
4. Check email for reset link
5. Set new password

Can I change my email address?#

Email changes aren't self-service yet. Contact [email protected] and we'll update it for you.

How do I delete my account?#

Go to Settings, scroll to the Danger Zone card, and click Delete Account (password accounts confirm with their password).

Deletion is permanent and irreversible. It anonymises your personal data (email, name, password, and similar identifying fields are cleared) and deactivates your licenses. Records we're legally required to keep, such as anonymised trade and signal history and billing records, are retained in anonymised form rather than erased.

Subscription Questions#

What's included in each tier?#

See Subscription Tiers for full pricing.

Is there a free trial?#

Yes. Every new account gets a one-time 14-day free trial. During the trial your account runs on trial limits (1 license, 60 signals/min, 5,000 signals/day, up to 5 live pending orders, and delayed signals disabled), which are tighter than the paid tiers to curb abuse. No payment method is required to start; a card is only needed to continue past day 14, at which point your selected tier's full capacity takes effect.

How do I upgrade my plan?#

Dashboard → Subscription → Change Plan. Changes apply immediately with prorated billing.

Where do I get invoices, or update my card?#

Invoices, payment-method changes, and billing-email updates are handled in the secure billing portal: Dashboard → Subscription → Manage Billing. (The Manage Billing button appears once you have an active subscription.)

Do I get a refund if I downgrade or cancel?#

All sales are final and PineHook issues no automatic or self-service refunds. Downgrades take effect at the end of your billing period; cancellations stop the next renewal but the current paid period stays active until it ends. If you believe your situation warrants a refund, contact [email protected], each case is reviewed on its own merits.

I cancelled by mistake. Can I undo it?#

Yes, as long as the period hasn't ended. Cancelling schedules your plan to stop at the end of the current billing period; a Reactivate button appears in the Subscription header, and clicking it any time before the period ends undoes the cancellation.

What happens if I exceed my signal limit?#

Opening signals beyond your per-minute or per-day rate are rejected with an HTTP 429 rate-limit error and recorded in Rejected Signals. They are not queued or retried. Close and cancel commands are exempt: they always execute even when you are over the cap, so a kill-switch is never blocked (it can only reduce exposure).

Technical Questions#

What trading commands are supported?#

• Market orders: buy, sell
• Pending orders: buylimit, buystop, selllimit, sellstop, plus buyat / sellat (auto-detects limit vs stop based on entry price)
• Close: closelong, closeshort, closeall, plus closeallprofit, closeallloss, closecancelall
• Cancel pending orders: cancellong, cancelshort, cancelall
• Trade management: modify (change SL/TP), breakeven, trail, notrail, nobreakeven
• EA control: eaon, eaoff, eaoffexcept, eaonexcept, closealleaoff, closecancelalleaoff
• Queue control: clearqueue (cancel scheduled delayed signals)

See Signal Commands for full details.

What parameters can I include?#

• size_lots: fixed lot size (mutually exclusive with size_pct)
• size_pct: risk percentage of account balance (requires a stop loss)
• sl_pips / sl_price / sl_pct: stop loss (use one)
• tp_pips / tp_price / tp_pct: take profit (use one)
• price: entry price for pending orders
• magic: magic number (required for opening commands in Multi-Strategy mode)
• comment: accepted but not applied (the MT5 order comment is reserved for PineHook's SIG:<id> tag)
• delay: schedule the signal to execute later
• expiry / expiry_time: pending-order expiry

See Parameters for the complete list.

Does PineHook support MT4?#

No. PineHook is MT5-only. The EA targets MetaTrader 5 and has no MT4 build.

Do I need one chart per symbol?#

No. Attach PineHook to a single chart: it trades every symbol available with your broker from that one connection. A license allows just one live connection per MT5 account, so adding the EA to a second chart on the same account causes the newest chart to take over and the older one to disconnect (with a note in the Experts tab).

Can I use multiple EAs on one account?#

Each license holds one EA connection per MT5 account, and that one chart already trades every symbol, so you don't run multiple PineHook charts on the same account. To trade a genuinely separate account, use a separate license (more licenses come with higher tiers).

What happens when my EA disconnects?#

Signals are held on our server and replay when the EA reconnects, within your signal recovery window (default 15 minutes, configurable to 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes in the EA's recovery settings). What happens to each replayed signal depends on your recovery mode (default "Closures Only": missed close signals auto-execute to protect open positions, missed entries arrive as notifications only). Signals older than your recovery window are not replayed, so reconnect promptly. You can see queued signals in your dashboard.

Is there an API for programmatic signals?#

Yes. You can send signals directly to our webhook endpoint without TradingView:

curl -X POST https://relay.pinehook.io/webhook \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"license":"YOUR_KEY","action":"buy","symbol":"EURUSD"}'

TradingView Questions#

Do I need a paid TradingView plan?#

Yes. Webhooks require TradingView Pro or higher. The free plan doesn't support webhooks.

Can I use Pine Script strategies?#

Yes. Use alert_message parameter in your strategy for signals:

strategy.entry("Long", strategy.long,
  alert_message='{"license":"KEY","action":"buy","symbol":"'+syminfo.ticker+'"}')

How many alerts can I have?#

TradingView limits vary by plan:

My alert isn't firing. Why?#

Common causes:

1. Alert condition never met
2. Alert is paused
3. "Once per bar close" waiting for bar close
4. Strategy hasn't generated signal yet

Troubleshooting Questions#

Why is my EA showing "Not connected"?#

See Connection Issues. Usually it's:

1. Allow DLL imports not enabled (Tools → Options → Expert Advisors)
2. AutoTrading not enabled
3. Invalid license key

Why are my trades failing?#

See Trade Errors. Common causes:

1. Wrong symbol name
2. Insufficient margin
3. Invalid lot size

Why did I see a "position mismatch" alert after changing a trade manually?#

That's expected and harmless. If you close or add contracts outside PineHook (or change a position while the EA is offline), PineHook raises a one-time mismatch alert in the MT5 Experts tab, then recalibrates its expected position to match what your EA reports (MetaTrader is authoritative). The alert does not repeat and needs no acknowledgement. Only worry if new mismatch alerts keep appearing on every heartbeat.

Where can I see error messages?#

1. PineHook Dashboard - Signal Logs show errors
2. MT5 Experts Tab - EA output and errors
3. MT5 Journal - System-level messages

How do I contact support?#

• Standard tier: [email protected]
• Pro/Premium: Priority support with faster response

Include:

• License ID (first 8 characters)
• Error messages
• Steps to reproduce
• Screenshots if helpful

Feature Requests#

Can you add [feature]?#

We love feedback! Send suggestions to [email protected] or use the feedback form in your dashboard.

Is there a public roadmap?#

We share major upcoming features in our newsletter. Subscribe in your dashboard settings.

Still Have Questions?#

If your question isn't answered here:

1. Check the relevant documentation section
2. Search the signal logs for error messages
3. Contact support with details

We're happy to help!