What is FTMO?
FTMO is a proprietary trading evaluation firm headquartered in Prague and established in 2015 (FTMO, About us). You buy a challenge on a simulated account; meet its trading objectives and you receive an FTMO Account with performance rewards. FTMO describes the capital on every stage, funded account included, as simulated capital.
According to its trading platforms page (verified 4 October 2026), FTMO offers four platforms: MetaTrader 5, MetaTrader 4, cTrader and TradingView (FTMO trades on TradingView go through the OANDA broker profile). You pick the platform in the challenge configurator. SignalForge runs on MetaTrader 5 only — MT4 is not supported — so choose MT5 if you want to automate your TradingView alerts with it.
FTMO challenge rules at a glance
Figures taken from FTMO’s Trading Objectives page, verified 4 October 2026. Percentages are of the initial simulated capital.
| Rule | 2-Step | 1-Step |
|---|---|---|
| Phases | Challenge + Verification, then FTMO Account | One Challenge, then FTMO Account |
| Profit target | 10% (Challenge), 5% (Verification) | 10% (Challenge) |
| Max daily loss | 5%, equity-based, reset at 00:00 CE(S)T | 3%, equity-based, reset at 00:00 CE(S)T |
| Max loss | 10%, static (100k → 90k floor) | 10%, trailing at end of day (only rises; resets after a reward withdrawal) |
| Minimum trading days | 4 per evaluation phase | Not listed |
| Best Day rule | Not listed | Best day ≤ 50% of your positive days’ profit (Challenge and Account) |
| Time limit | Not listed | Not listed |
Two details matter more for a robot than for a human. The daily loss is measured on equity — balance plus open P/L, swaps and commissions — so an open position can breach it without ever closing. And the daily floor is recalculated at midnight from that day’s opening balance minus the fixed daily amount. FTMO’s own 1-Step example: a $100,000 account that starts the day at $102,000 has a $99,000 floor that day.
What FTMO says about EAs and automation
FTMO’s FAQ on strategies is clear: discretionary trading, algorithmic trading and EAs are all accepted as long as the trading is legitimate and respects real market conditions. The caveats sit in that FAQ and in the Forbidden Trading Practices (both checked 4 October 2026):
- Third-party EAs. If other traders run the same EA, you share one strategy, and total capital is capped at $400,000 per trader or per strategy before scaling (FAQ). Exceeding it can cost you the FTMO Account.
- Hyperactivity. Automated trading that generates more than 2,000 server requests per day is forbidden.
- Exploiting errors. Strategies that profit from wrong prices or delayed price updates are banned.
- Gap trading. Opening trades when major news, macro events or earnings are scheduled, or two hours or less before a market closes for two hours or more.
- Third parties. Nobody else may access your FTMO account or trade it for you.
The practical reading for TradingView automation: your own Pine strategy firing one webhook per trade idea is a very different thing from a shared marketplace robot or a tick scalper. Keep the strategy yours, throttle runaway alerts, and you stay well inside the rulebook. Every rule mapped to a concrete setting is in our FTMO rules for EA traders guide (re-verified 1 October 2026).
News, weekends and VPS
- Evaluation (any account type): no news or weekend restriction — FTMO says you may trade news and hold positions overnight and over the weekend (news FAQ, weekend FAQ).
- FTMO Account, Standard type: no opening or closing trades — pending orders, SL and TP fills included — from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected news on targeted instruments; positions opened earlier than that may stay open. Positions must be closed shortly before the weekend close or a market break longer than 2 hours.
- FTMO Account, Swing type: no news, overnight or weekend restriction.
- VPS/VPN: generally allowed; avoid logging in from, or setting your geolocation to, the United States (FAQ).
How this squares with our rules guide: on 1 October we noted that the old ±2-minute window no longer appears on the Trading Objectives page. That is still true, but FTMO’s news FAQ (last modified 30 September 2026) keeps the window for Standard FTMO Accounts. Treat it as live once you are funded on Standard, and configure a news filter before that day comes.
Automating TradingView to MT5 on FTMO with SignalForge
TradingView alerts do not place orders on their own: a webhook needs a receiver. SignalForge receives your alert and executes it inside the MT5 terminal logged into your FTMO account — market and pending orders, closes and SL/TP changes — with a median of ~0.5 s from webhook to confirmed order (measured 19–23 September 2026; TradingView itself takes a few seconds to send the webhook).
- Pick MT5 in FTMO’s challenge configurator and note the login and server your terminal shows.
- Create a SignalForge account (14-day free trial, no card) and register that login.
- Attach the SignalForge EA to one chart in that terminal.
- Paste your webhook URL and JSON message into the TradingView alert and fire a test alert.
The full walkthrough with risk settings is in FTMO TradingView to MT5: rules, risk and setup; the exact server and symbol strings (US100.cash, GER40) are in the FTMO broker setup guide. TradingView needs a paid plan (Essential or higher) to send webhooks. One alert is one order request, so a normal strategy stays far below FTMO’s 2,000-requests-per-day ceiling. If your PC cannot stay on, SFCloud runs the MT5 terminal for you in an isolated container you open from the browser (data centres in the UK and France).
Prop Firm Shield with FTMO’s limits
Prop Firm Shield is the guardrail layer inside the SignalForge EA: you set a daily loss limit, a maximum equity drawdown and an optional daily profit target, and the EA closes the open positions and stops opening new trades once a limit is reached. It is included in Trader ($14.99/month), Pro and Elite. Leave a buffer under FTMO’s lines for spread spikes and slippage — for example, 80% of each limit:
| FTMO rule | FTMO limit | Shield setting (80% example) |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Step max daily loss | 5% | 4% |
| 2-Step max loss (static) | 10% | 8% |
| 1-Step max daily loss | 3% | 2.4% |
| 1-Step max loss (trailing) | 10% | 8%, reviewed as your floor moves up |
Turn the percentages into dollar floors for your account size with the prop firm drawdown calculator (it has FTMO 2-Step and 1-Step presets), and size each trade with the lot size calculator. The Shield reduces breach risk; it cannot guarantee it — a gap through the remaining buffer can still hit the account.
Every FTMO page on SignalForge
Rules and setup
- FTMO rules for EA traders, every limit verified
- FTMO TradingView to MT5: rules, risk and setup
- Connect TradingView to FTMO MT5: server and symbol strings
- Prop firm rules for TradingView-MT5 automation
- TradingView to MT5 bridge for FTMO and prop firms
Risk tools
- Prop firm drawdown calculator
- Lot size calculator for MT5
- Prop Firm Shield and the Prop Firm Shield EA guide
- MT5 risk management EA
Passing and scaling
- Backtest prop firm rules before you buy a challenge
- Copy trading multiple prop firm accounts
- Prop firm challenge EA tools
- Why traders fail prop firm challenges
- Prop firm signals without breaking rules
- All prop firm guides
FAQ
Does FTMO allow EAs and automated trading?
Yes. FTMO’s FAQ accepts discretionary, algorithmic and EA trading as long as it is legitimate and respects real market conditions. Watch the caveats: third-party EAs share the $400,000 per-strategy capital cap, more than 2,000 server requests per day counts as hyperactivity, and exploiting price errors or delays is forbidden.
Can I connect TradingView alerts to an FTMO MT5 account?
Yes. Choose MT5 for your challenge, register the FTMO login in SignalForge, attach the SignalForge EA to one chart and paste the webhook URL plus a JSON message into your TradingView alert. Each alert then executes on the FTMO account automatically.
What are the FTMO daily and maximum loss limits?
As verified on 4 October 2026: the 2-Step has a 5% max daily loss and a static 10% max loss; the 1-Step has a 3% max daily loss and a 10% max loss that trails at end of day. The daily loss is equity-based and resets at 00:00 CE(S)T. Always confirm on ftmo.com.
Can my EA trade news or hold positions over the weekend on FTMO?
During the evaluation, yes, on any account type. On a Standard FTMO Account, trades cannot be opened or closed from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected news on targeted instruments, and positions must be closed before the weekend. The Swing account type has neither restriction.
Can I run my FTMO account on a VPS or cloud MT5?
FTMO says VPS and VPN use is generally allowed, as long as you do not log in from, or set your geolocation to, the United States. The SignalForge EA runs the same on your PC, a VPS or an SFCloud terminal.
Is SignalForge affiliated with FTMO?
No. SignalForge AI is an independent order-execution tool that works with any MT5 account, FTMO included. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by FTMO.
Disclaimer. SignalForge AI is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by FTMO; FTMO is a trademark of its owner. Prop firm rules change without notice: the figures on this page were checked on ftmo.com on 4 October 2026 (Trading Objectives, Forbidden Trading Practices, Trading Platforms and the FAQ pages linked above). Always verify the current rules on ftmo.com before you trade.