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Everything in AskFutures is one repeating loop: describe an idea, get a strategy, run a backtest, then iterate. You stay in the conversation; the data fetching and the simulation happen invisibly.

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The four steps

1

Describe

Type your idea in plain English — name a market, an entry condition, and (optionally) an exit. “Buy MES when the 5-period SMA crosses above the 20-period SMA, and sell when it crosses back below.” That’s enough to start.
2

Strategy

AskFutures writes your idea down exactly as entry rules, exit rules, filters, and tunable parameters. You see it on the strategy card, along with a Strategy Flow chart that diagrams the logic so you can confirm it matches what you meant. You never see or write any code. Learn more in strategies.
3

Backtest

A fixed, deterministic engine replays real historical prices one bar at a time, applying your exact rules — net of modeled slippage and commission. You get P&L, win rate, number of trades, drawdown, and an exportable trade list. See backtesting.
4

Iterate, optimize, compare

Add a filter, change an exit, swap the symbol, or test a different period — just say so in chat. Every edit becomes a new saved version you can compare side by side. Or let the optimizer sweep a parameter to find what worked best. Then loop back to step one.

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What you do vs. what’s invisible

The loop only asks you to think in trading terms. The plumbing is handled.

You do this

Describe the idea, read the strategy card and Strategy Flow, run the backtest, judge the results, and ask for changes.

AskFutures does this — invisibly

Resolves your symbol, fetches the right market data, builds the structured rules, runs the simulator, and saves each version — none of which you need to manage.
You never ask AskFutures to “download data” or “run the engine.” Those steps happen on their own the moment you describe an idea or ask for a backtest.

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The silent defaults

So you can describe an idea in one sentence, AskFutures fills in sensible defaults unless you say otherwise:
  • Last 1 year of data.
  • Day trading with 1-minute bars.
  • Both directions — long and short — unless you ask for one only.
  • End-of-day exit for day-trading ideas.
Every assumption it makes is written onto the strategy card, so you’re never guessing what it decided. Change any of them just by saying so.
Backtest results are hypothetical and simulated — no real trades were placed. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always test before you trade.

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Next steps

Build a strategy

A guided walkthrough of the loop, start to finish.

Strategies

What a strategy is made of, and what the Strategy Flow shows.

Is the backtest real?

Why the same rules always produce the same numbers.

Quickstart

Run your first backtest in about five minutes.