GridBTFAQ
Quick answers to common questions. Click links for detailed explanations.
Getting Started
What do I need before I can start?
A Bybit UTA account with Hedge Mode enabled, leverage set on your pairs, an API key added to GridBT, and initial long and short positions seeded manually. See API Keys and Quick Start.
What is the minimum wallet size?
The Conservative starting config requires roughly $750 total wallet ($500 long + $250 short). You can run with less using the Moderate or Aggressive configs, though coverage will be lower. See Position Sizing.
Do I need to seed positions manually?
Yes. The bot requires existing long and short positions to operate. It places grid orders around those positions but cannot create the initial position itself. See Quick Start → Seed initial positions.
PnL & Profits
Why is my realized PnL negative but the dashboard shows profit?
GridBT shows pure grid profits (always positive). Bybit shows FIFO PnL (can be negative during trends). Both are correct. They measure different things. See Understanding PnL.
Are realized losses normal?
Yes. Realized losses during trends are the cost of improving your average entry. Pure grid profit increases with each completed cycle under normal grid cycling conditions. See Understanding PnL.
Positions & Risk
What happens when I run out of inventory?
One side stops cycling, and you become unhedged on that side. This is not catastrophic. Grid resumes when price reverses. See Position Sizing.
What do the exposure limits do?
Exposure limits act as circuit breakers.
maxNetExposureUsd limits abs(long - short) and blocks the larger side when exceeded. maxGrossPositionUsd limits long + short and blocks both sides. See Risk & Safety.How is effective leverage calculated?
totalPositionValue ÷ walletBalance. See Formulas.Bybit Setup
Why do I need Hedge Mode?
To hold independent long AND short positions on the same symbol. Without it, opening a short closes your long. See What is Grid Trading?.
What's UTA (Unified Trading Account)?
Bybit account type where all positions share collateral. Long and short fund each other's margin, requiring less total capital. See What is Grid Trading?.
Grid Mechanics
How is GridBT different from exchange grid bots?
Infinite grid (no price boundaries), Cross Margin, additional features (indicators, rebalancing, Position Balancer). See What is Grid Trading?.
What is spacingPct?
The gap between grid levels as a percentage. Default is
0.37, meaning each level is 0.37% from the previous (geometric spacing, not fixed dollar amounts). Higher spacing = fewer fills but more profit per cycle. Lower spacing = more frequent fills but smaller profit per fill. See How GridBT Works and Config Reference.Why did the bot stop placing OPEN orders?
This is usually PnD Protection. When the bot detects an unusually rapid burst of close fills it enters a cooldown and suppresses OPEN orders for a configurable period (default 14 minutes). CLOSE orders continue normally. The bot rebuilds the grid automatically when cooldown expires.
What does the rebalancer do?
Detects position drift from the expected baseline and gradually corrects it by adjusting the size of normal grid orders. It handles two cases: excess (you manually added inventory and the bot works it off profitably) and deficit (the bot missed fills and needs to rebuild the position). See Rebalancer.
How do I add inventory without triggering rebalancing?
Add the inventory, then press the Reset Baseline button in the Rebalancer column on the dashboard. This tells the bot to treat the new position size as normal. See Rebalancer → Resetting the baseline.
What happens if the bot restarts or loses connection?
Your positions and open orders remain on Bybit untouched. The bot does not cancel orders when it stops. On restart, it reads its last known state from the database, reconnects to Bybit, reconciles any fills that occurred while offline, and resumes grid cycling. If rebalancing is configured, the bot also runs deficit detection on startup to account for any fills that were missed.