Reading automation decision logs

Who this is for

This guide is for investors who use automated trading on a portfolio and see a decision log, agent feed, or similar list of short messages after each scheduled run. It explains how to read those lines without treating them as investment advice.

If you have not enabled automation, start with Automated trading with TRINITY (ARES).

What one “run” is

Each time the scheduler processes your portfolio, you get a sequence of plain-language lines that describe, in order:

1. Whether today is an allowed trading day for your setup (if not, you may see a single line that says automation stood down for the schedule you configured).
2. Daily limits for that run — how many replacement (swap) trades and cash purchases the system is allowed to attempt that day.
3. How many ideas came back from the same Hunt / Cash Hunt style recommendation path you could run by hand (often a count of candidates to review).
4. Per-idea outcomes — each line is either an action (swapped A for B, bought X with cash) or a skip with a specific reason.

A run with no trades can still be a healthy outcome if limits were zero, the day was not permitted, or every idea failed a risk check you intentionally set.

Message families (plain language)

You will not see internal codes in the app—only sentences. They tend to fall into these groups:

What you might read	What it usually means
Today isn’t a trading day / allowed days listed	Your agent is configured for certain weekdays (or similar). Today was outside that set—not a system failure.
Daily limits — N replacement(s) and M cash purchase(s)	Caps for this run; helps you verify settings match what you expect.
Replacement trades are turned off / limit is 0	Swap side skipped on purpose; only cash deployment (if allowed) may proceed.
Cash purchases are turned off / limit is 0	Cash deploy side skipped on purpose; only replacements (if allowed) may proceed.
Suggested N replacement (or cash) candidate(s)	Recommendations were received; the run will try them subject to caps and risk.
Skipped … early-stage (stage 1) … cash hunts	Your agent policy excludes buying certain early-cycle names on cash hunts—protective rule, not random.
Skipped … because we already replaced / already used … this run	Deduping so the same symbol is not bought or swapped twice in one run—consistency.
Swapped A → B / Bought X with available cash	A vetted action completed through the same execution path as manual trades (subject to your environment).
Couldn’t price / couldn’t size / couldn’t find position	Data or state blocked the trade; worth checking the symbol and portfolio in IRIS before assuming automation is “broken.”
Risk — max position, max risk per trade, max positions, cash, minimum reserve	Your risk settings vetoed the idea; the message should say which cap fired. Tighten or loosen limits in portfolio settings if that matches your plan—see Risk management.
Reached today’s … limit	The run stopped reviewing further picks after hitting the daily cap—expected when multiple ideas were eligible.
[Dry run] Would …	Simulation only: nothing executed; wording may appear in paper-style environments.

Exact phrasing can vary slightly by product version; the meaning should match the rows above.

“No trades” — quick checks

Walk this order before opening a support ticket:

1. Is automated trading still on for this portfolio? (Automated trading with TRINITY (ARES))
2. Were both daily caps zero for swaps or cash in the log line that states limits?
3. Was today an allowed day for your agent?
4. Did every line after recommendations cite risk or policy? If yes, your guardrails did their job—see Policy and constraints in plain language.
5. Stale symbol page vs log — ATHENA labels on a symbol can update when batch or single-symbol analysis refreshes, on a different schedule than automation. That does not mean the last trade was wrong; it means analysis time and trade time are not the same clock. See How ATHENA fits your trading process and Batch analysis: what just happened?.

Journaling and oversight

Pair the log with your own notes: why you turned automation on, what caps you chose, and when you last reviewed risk settings. See An audit mindset for investors.

Related reading

• FAQ & troubleshooting — automation and platform FAQs
• Disclosures

Educational disclaimer

TRINITY provides tools and education, not personalized investment advice. Automated messages explain system behavior, not whether you should opt in or stay in the market. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.