Switching from paper to live
When you're ready to go live — what changes, what to check, and how the engine handles the switch.
Updated 2026-05-29·2 min read
Moving from paper to live trading means real orders, real fees, and real market impact. This article covers what changes across 7 key features, a pre-flight checklist, and what to expect from your first live execution.
What changes when you go live?
| Feature | Paper | Live |
|---|---|---|
| Orders placed | Virtual (no exchange) | Real orders on the exchange |
| Balance | Virtual $10,000 | Your real account balance |
| P&L | Simulated | Real |
| Fees | Estimated | Actual exchange fees |
| Slippage | Model estimate | Real market impact |
| Funding (perps) | Not charged | Charged every 8h |
| Plan required | Any (Free+) | Starter+ |
Pre-flight checklist before going live
- Connect a real exchange account — see the exchange guides.
- Set your capital allocation conservatively — start with 1–3% of portfolio per trade, not 20–50%.
- Add a stop-loss — even a wide one (e.g. -10%) protects against catastrophic entries.
- Run paper for at least a week — paper results give you confidence the conditions fire as expected.
- Check balance — make sure you have enough to cover the minimum trade size + fees.
How to switch
You can duplicate a paper agent as a live agent:
- On the strategy detail page, click ⋯ → Duplicate
- On the new agent's interpret screen, change the account to your live exchange account
- Review all fields — especially capital allocation
- Launch
Or create a fresh strategy from the terminal using the same description.
How do you go back to paper?
You can't "convert" a live agent to paper mid-flight while it has an open position. Stop the live agent first (which closes or holds the position depending on your exit policy), then launch a paper version.
What should you expect on your first live trade?
The first real execution is always slightly nerve-wracking. A few things to expect:
- The first fill will show in your exchange's order history within ~30 seconds
- Coinrule's activity feed shows the order ID, fill price, and fee
- Your portfolio balance updates on the next data poll (~30s)