Choosing a Gunbot strategy for NinjaTrader 8: bars, sessions and sizing
StepGrid on a NinjaTrader chart: the name is familiar, but the account, bars and contract sizing belong to a different trading environment. Those are the decisions to make before you start comparing strategy results.
Gunbot adds strategy profiles you can run inside NinjaTrader 8. If you already use NinjaScript strategies, this gives you another set of trading rules to explore in a familiar environment. Start with how a profile reads the market, then match its bars, session and sizing to the setup you want to evaluate.
Start with the strategy you want to evaluate
Start with classic Gunbot strategies you may already know: StepGrid, SpotGrid, StepGrid Scalp and others. In NinjaTrader, their classes have a GB prefix—for example, GBStepGrid and GBStepGridScalp. The catalog also includes specialist profiles with their own chart and data requirements.
These are adapted NinjaTrader editions. Their directional signals, protection and trailing rules do not reproduce every part of the original crypto runtime’s inventory, DCA or hedge behavior. Choose them by their NinjaTrader settings, rather than copying a crypto configuration unchanged.
These run as NinjaTrader strategy instances. You keep your native account connection, charts and data series, while Gunbot brings strategy charts, orders and available controls into one workspace. If you also use Gunbot for exchange trading, you can follow both kinds of setup from the same interface. Choose from the included NinjaTrader profiles; your existing NinjaScript strategies keep their own configuration.
Before choosing a name from the list, write down what you want to evaluate: a time-based or tick-based setup, the trading session, and the kind of position management you need to inspect. That makes the next comparison concrete.
The chart is part of the strategy choice
Start with the bars the strategy reads. Two instances on the same instrument can make different decisions because they process different bars or session boundaries.
| NinjaTrader strategy | Primary chart | Context to check |
|---|---|---|
| GBStepGrid / GBSpotGrid / GBStepGridScalp | Minute bars | Instrument, selected interval and strategy settings |
| GBMeeks (specialist) | 5 Minute | Session rules, data history and strategy parameters |
| GBEmaVwap | 2 Minute | The chart series and session context used by EMA/VWAP logic |
| GBConfluenceEdge | 610 Tick | Its 5 Minute secondary context and the required order-flow data/settings |
| GBRunnerGuard | Minute bars | Its 60 Minute secondary context and enabled data-dependent features |
For example, GBConfluenceEdge combines a 610-tick primary chart with five-minute context. That is a different starting point from GBMeeks on five-minute bars: your data connection and chart setup need to match the profile you choose.
Data access matters too. Check that your provider supplies the intraday data the strategy needs. A chart-based setup needs a working data connection as well as an account; specialist order-flow features may need additional data or settings.
Worked example: bringing StepGrid Scalp into your workspace
Suppose you already use tick charts and want to try the NinjaTrader edition of StepGrid Scalp. Look for GBStepGridScalp in the strategy list. It uses Minute primary bars, so start with a separate Minute chart for the instrument you want to evaluate.
Choose the intended Sim101 account and review the chart interval and trading-hours template. Then set the strategy’s quantity, protection and entry controls. Keep these choices consistent while you observe the strategy: changing the session and the bars at the same time makes it harder to tell which change affected the behavior.
Watch the instance’s orders and protective levels in that context, then follow its published chart and activity in Gunbot. If you want a tick-based primary chart instead, compare the requirements of a tick-based profile, such as GBConfluenceEdge.
Sizing means contracts and instrument specifications
In NinjaTrader, sizing starts with the contract. Check the instrument’s tick size and point value, then how the strategy expresses quantity, protection and monetary inputs. Use those specifications when setting the instance’s parameters.
Also distinguish a strategy position from the account position. NinjaTrader documents these as separate concepts. Manual trading or another instance can affect what the account holds, so “the strategy looks flat” and “this account has no exposure” are not interchangeable observations.
This distinction also explains why closing an account/instrument position is broader than pausing one strategy's new entries. A running instance can enter again after a flatten action unless the relevant entry behavior is paused.
Use Sim101 to answer specific questions
Simulation is more useful when you decide in advance what to observe. Does the intended instance publish the right instrument and candles? Does the configured quantity mean what you expected? Do its protective levels and exits follow the chosen settings? What happens when you pause new entries while a position exists?
Treat those observations as a record of your configuration. Simulated fills can differ from live execution, so keep the account, data connection and session alongside any results you compare.
Keep installation and account troubleshooting separate from profile selection. If no candles appear because the instance has not been enabled for telemetry, resolve that connection problem before interpreting missing strategy signals.
Choose the next step
The useful reason to add Gunbot is a strategy profile you want to investigate in the NinjaTrader environment you already use. Start with the chart and session it requires, understand its sizing and protection, and then decide whether the observed behavior fits your intended workflow.
The Gunbot NinjaTrader 8 integration brings the profile selection, platform requirements and Unlimited offer together. Explore the available profiles and how they fit into your NinjaTrader workflow.
When you are ready to evaluate an instance, use the NinjaTrader and Sim101 setup guide. That guide covers the Windows/remote-host connection, account checks and the steps from a chart instance to Gunbot's connected view.