Documentation
Terminal Workspace
The terminal is the main workbench. It combines chat, charting, code/backtest review, alerts, watchlists, orders, broker data, and strategy management in a single desktop layout.
The workspace has three major regions:
- Left sidebar - chat, session control, prompt suggestions, generated output, and build feedback.
- Main workspace - charts, drawing tools, indicators, code output, and backtest results.
- Right rail and side panels - watchlist, manual alerts, strategies, portfolio, orders, notifications, and trade ticket access.
Left sidebar: chat and session control
Use the left sidebar to ask Astral for market research, strategy generation, revisions, explanations, and backtests.
Good requests include:
- "Build a 15m SPY strategy using RSI and volume confirmation. Show the backtest."
- "Explain the current strategy logic before changing it."
- "Add a stop loss and take profit, then rerun the backtest."
- "Convert this into an alert condition instead of a deployed strategy."
- "Compare the current setup against QQQ and IWM."
The sidebar also handles:
- starting a new session,
- loading prior sessions,
- prompt suggestions,
- streamed reasoning/build feedback,
- A2UI cards, tables, charts, metrics, and action buttons,
- generated save/share/publish actions when available.
When output looks wrong
Ask Astral to explain the current logic before asking it to rewrite the strategy. This helps separate a display issue from a rule issue.
Main workspace: charts, code, and backtests
The chart area supports multiple symbols and intervals. You can add, replace, and remove charts, change chart settings, adjust overlays, use drawings, and open indicator settings.
Common chart work:
- change the symbol or interval,
- add a second chart for comparison,
- switch chart type,
- add or remove indicators,
- draw trend lines, horizontal levels, or rectangles,
- inspect order markers and price line behavior,
- reset the visible range after heavy navigation.
The bottom/main output area is where generated code and backtest results appear. Use it to verify:
- whether the generated rules match your prompt,
- whether entries and exits are symmetrical or intentionally asymmetric,
- whether trade count is realistic,
- whether return is coming from a few outliers,
- whether drawdown is acceptable for the idea,
- whether the strategy makes sense across more than one symbol or timeframe.
Right rail: operational panels
The right rail keeps operational work close to the chart.
Open watchlists, live quotes, sparklines, gauges, fundamentals, analyst forecast sections, and detail panels. Watchlist rows can drive chart context.
Create, review, edit, and delete manual chart alerts. Alert conditions can use the condition builder and generated descriptions.
Open saved/deployed strategies, inspect metrics, review details, and continue strategy workflows without leaving the terminal.
Review broker positions, allocation, portfolio summary, and orders. These panels hydrate broker data on intent/open.
Manual trading in Terminal
The trade ticket is a separate workflow from strategy generation. It supports order entry, bracket-style stop-loss/take-profit inputs, conditional proposals, symbol targeting, validation, preview, and order status review.
Use the trade ticket when you are intentionally placing or reviewing an order. Use alerts or strategy deployment when you want rule-driven monitoring.
Mobile behavior
The full terminal workspace is designed for desktop. Mobile surfaces may show restricted layouts or redirect users toward supported routes. Use a desktop/laptop browser for charting, side panels, and manual trading workflows.
Practical workflow
- Start with a clear prompt in chat.
- Inspect the chart and generated rule output.
- Run or rerun a backtest.
- Save the strategy if it is worth revisiting.
- Add alerts, publish to Explore, deploy for monitoring, or connect it to broker workflows only after review.