> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.askfutures.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build a strategy

> How to phrase an idea so AskFutures builds exactly what you mean — symbols, crossovers vs thresholds, entries vs exits, and the defaults it fills in.

Describe your idea the way you'd say it to another trader, and AskFutures builds
the full [strategy](/concepts/strategies) right then — entry rules, exit rules,
filters, parameters, and a **Strategy Flow** chart. It builds immediately from
what you said and only stops to ask if the instrument is genuinely missing.

This page is about phrasing: a few small choices in how you word the idea decide
exactly what gets built. Get these right and the first version is usually the one
you wanted.

<Note>
  You never write code or formula syntax. You describe the idea in words;
  AskFutures fills in the precise rules. The phrasing tips below just help it
  read your intent correctly.
</Note>

## Phrase it so it builds what you mean

<Steps>
  <Step title="Name the instrument">
    Say which futures market to trade — *"Micro Nasdaq"*, *"MNQ"*, *"crude
    oil"*, *"gold"*. If you leave it out, AskFutures has nothing to trade, so
    naming a symbol is the one thing worth being explicit about. You can use the
    common name or the ticker; both work. See
    [choose a symbol](/guides/choose-a-symbol).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Crossover vs threshold — &#x22;crosses above&#x22; vs &#x22;above&#x22;">
    This wording changes the rule:

    * **"crosses above"** is an *event* — it fires once, on the bar where the
      line moves from below to above. *"Buy MNQ when the 9 EMA **crosses above**
      the 21 EMA."*
    * **"above"** (or *"is above"*, *"while above"*) is a *state* — it's true on
      every bar the condition holds. *"Buy MNQ while RSI is **above** 50."*

    If you want a single trigger, say *crosses above* / *crosses below*. If you
    want a standing condition (often a filter), say *above* / *below*.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Direction — &#x22;buy&#x22; vs &#x22;sell short&#x22; vs a bare &#x22;exit&#x22;">
    The verb decides what the rule does:

    * **"buy"** / **"go long"** opens a long position.
    * **"sell short"** / **"go short"** opens a short position.
    * A bare **"exit"** / **"close"** / **"flatten"** closes whatever is open —
      it doesn't open anything new.

    Be careful with a plain *"sell"*: if you mean *close my long*, say *"exit"*
    or *"close"*; if you mean *open a short*, say *"sell short"*. Spelling out
    the direction keeps a long-only idea from quietly becoming two-sided.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let the defaults fill the rest">
    Anything you don't specify gets a sensible default (see below). You don't
    have to state the period, the bar size, or the exit for a simple intraday
    idea — describe the signal and AskFutures fills in the rest, then notes what
    it assumed on the strategy card.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What AskFutures fills in silently

When you don't say otherwise, these defaults apply. They're listed under
**Assumptions** on the strategy card, so you can always see what was inferred.

| You didn't say…                 | Default applied                      |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| A test period                   | The **last 1 year** of data          |
| A strategy type                 | **Day Trading**                      |
| A bar size                      | **1-minute bars**                    |
| A direction                     | **Both directions** (long and short) |
| An exit, for a day-trading idea | **End-of-day exit** (flat overnight) |

<Tip>
  To override a default, just name it: *"on 5-minute bars"*, *"longs only"*,
  *"test since 2020"*, *"hold overnight"*. More on the bar and session defaults
  in [timeframes, bars and sessions](/concepts/timeframes-bars-sessions).
</Tip>

## Example prompts, simple to rich

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="1 · Bare minimum">
    ```text Chat theme={null}
    Buy MNQ when the 9 EMA crosses above the 21 EMA.
    ```

    Long-only entry on a crossover event. Everything else defaults: last 1 year,
    Day Trading, 1-minute bars, end-of-day exit. Because you said *"buy"* (not
    *"buy and sell short"*), it stays long-only.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="2 · Add an exit">
    ```text Chat theme={null}
    Go long MES when price crosses above the opening-range high, with a 1.5×
    ATR stop, and close any open position at the end of the day.
    ```

    Now the exit is explicit (an ATR stop) alongside the default end-of-day
    close. Still defaults the period and uses 1-minute bars.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="3 · Two-sided with a filter">
    ```text Chat theme={null}
    On 5-minute bars, buy ES when RSI crosses above 30 and sell short when RSI
    crosses below 70, but only enter between 9:30 and 11:00. Exit on the
    opposite signal.
    ```

    A two-sided strategy (*buy* and *sell short*), a time-of-day filter, an
    explicit conditional exit, and a non-default bar size.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="4 · Multi-timeframe + period">
    ```text Chat theme={null}
    Only go long GC on the 5-minute chart when the daily 20-period EMA is rising;
    enter on a 5-minute close above the opening-range high, use a 2× ATR trailing
    stop, and test it since 2020.
    ```

    A higher-timeframe filter (*daily EMA rising*) gating a lower-timeframe
    trigger, a trailing-stop exit, and a plain-English test period. See
    [multi-timeframe strategies](/concepts/timeframes-bars-sessions#multi-timeframe-strategies).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## It builds first, asks only if it must

AskFutures doesn't interrogate you before building. It turns your idea into rules
straight away, applies the defaults above, and shows you the result — anything it
inferred or couldn't add is recorded on the strategy card under **Assumptions**
and **Issues**, not hidden.

The one time it genuinely pauses is when the **instrument is missing** — if you
name a market that isn't one of the CME Group symbols it covers, it tells you
rather than guessing a substitute. Everything else, it builds and annotates.

<Info>
  AskFutures covers CME Group futures only (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX). If you're
  not sure a market is supported, see
  [futures & symbols](/concepts/futures-and-symbols).
</Info>

## After it builds

The strategy is defined but not yet tested. Run a backtest to see how it would
have performed, then refine from there.

<Warning>
  Backtest results are **hypothetical and simulated** — net of modeled slippage
  (default 1 tick) and commission. Past performance does not guarantee future
  results. Always test before you trade.
</Warning>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Run & read a backtest" icon="chart-line" href="/guides/run-and-read-a-backtest" />

  <Card title="Iterate & refine" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/guides/iterate-and-refine" />

  <Card title="Choose a symbol" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/guides/choose-a-symbol" />

  <Card title="What a strategy is made of" icon="diagram-project" href="/concepts/strategies" />
</CardGroup>