start / stop

Control bot execution with start and stop commands

start

Starts the trading bot with your configured strategy.

Basic Usage

start

This will:

1. Perform preliminary checks (configuration, connections)
2. Initialize the strategy
3. Connect to exchanges
4. Begin executing the trading logic

Usage with Options

start --log-level [LEVEL]

log-level · string

Set logging verbosity: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL

Example:

start --log-level DEBUG

Start V2 Strategy

start --v2-conf [config_file]

v2-conf · string

Path to V2 strategy configuration file (for script strategies)

Example:

start --v2-conf my_script_config.yml

Pre-Start Checks

Before starting, Hummingbot validates:

1. Strategy Configuration

   • Strategy file exists
   • All required parameters are set
   • Configuration is valid
2. Exchange Connections

   • API credentials are configured
   • Connections can be established
   • Exchange APIs are responsive
3. Oracle Rates (if required)

   For strategies using rate conversion:

   Rate Oracle:
   Source: binance
   BTC-USDT: 50000.00
   ETH-USDT: 3000.00
   
   Please confirm to proceed if the above oracle source 
   and rates are correct for this strategy (Yes/No) >>>
   
4. Gateway (for DEX strategies)

   • Gateway service is running
   • Blockchain connections are active
   • Wallet is connected

Successful Start

Preliminary checks:
  - Strategy check: All required parameters confirmed.
  - Exchange check: All connections confirmed.
  - All checks: Confirmed.

Status check complete. Strategy 'pure_market_making' started successfully.

Paper Trading Notice

If using paper trading mode:

Paper Trading Active: All orders are simulated and no real orders are placed.

Status check complete. Strategy 'pure_market_making' started successfully.

Start Failures

Common reasons the bot fails to start:

Configuration Issues

Preliminary checks:
  - Strategy check: Please import or create a strategy.

Status checks failed. Start aborted.

Solution: Create or import a strategy:

create
# or
import my_strategy.yml

Connection Errors

Preliminary checks:
  - Strategy check: All required parameters confirmed.
  - Exchange check: Invalid connections:
    binance: Invalid API key or secret

Status checks failed. Start aborted.

Solution: Reconnect to the exchange:

connect binance

Bot Already Running

The bot is already running - please run "stop" first

Solution: Stop the current bot:

stop
start

stop

Stops the currently running trading bot.

Basic Usage

stop

This will:

1. Cancel all outstanding orders
2. Stop the strategy execution
3. Disconnect from exchanges
4. Clean up resources

Output:

Winding down...
Canceling outstanding orders...
Hummingbot stopped.

Skip Order Cancellation

stop --skip-order-cancellation

Stops the bot without canceling open orders.

Use this with caution. Outstanding orders will remain on the exchange and may get filled after the bot stops.

Stop Process Details

When you run stop, the following happens in order:

1. V2 Strategy Cleanup

   If using a V2 strategy, calls on_stop() for cleanup

2. Stop Strategy

   Stops the strategy execution loop

3. Cancel Orders

   Cancels all outstanding orders (unless skipped)

4. Remove Connectors

   Disconnects from all exchanges

5. Stop Clock

   Stops the internal clock/event loop

6. Clear References

   Cleans up strategy and configuration references

Platform-Specific Behavior

macOS App Nap

On macOS:

• Start: Disables App Nap to prevent system sleep during trading
• Stop: Re-enables App Nap to allow normal power management

Implementation Details

start Command

Implemented in /hummingbot/client/command/start_command.py:44

Features:

• Thread-safe execution (redirects to main thread if needed)
• Async validation with timeout (default 300s for Gateway)
• Oracle rate confirmation for strategies requiring conversions
• MQTT integration (patches loggers and starts event forwarding)
• V2 strategy support with config file parsing

stop Command

Implemented in /hummingbot/client/command/stop_command.py:13

Features:

• Thread-safe execution
• Graceful shutdown sequence
• V2 strategy cleanup hooks
• Order cancellation (optional)
• Complete resource cleanup

Common Workflows

Normal Operation

# Start trading
start

# Monitor performance
status --live

# Stop when done
stop

Quick Restart

# Stop and immediately restart
stop && start

Testing Different Log Levels

# Start with debug logging
start --log-level DEBUG

# Stop and restart with normal logging
stop
start --log-level INFO

Emergency Stop (Keep Orders)

# Stop without canceling orders
stop --skip-order-cancellation

Troubleshooting

Gateway Timeout

For DEX strategies, if you see:

TimeoutError waiting for gateway service to go online...
Unable to start strategy pure_market_making.

Solutions:

1. Ensure Gateway is running:

   gateway start
   

2. Check Gateway connection:

   gateway status
   

3. Verify Gateway config:

   config gateway_api_host
   config gateway_api_port
   

Network Errors During Start

If you see network timeouts:

A network error prevented the connection check to complete.

Solutions:

1. Check internet connection
2. Verify exchange is online
3. Increase timeout:
   config other_commands_timeout 60
   

Orders Not Canceling on Stop

If orders remain after stopping:

1. Manually cancel via exchange website
2. Or restart bot and stop again:
   start
   stop
   

“Already Running” Error

If bot thinks it’s running but no strategy is active:

1. Try stopping first:

   stop
   

2. If that doesn’t work, restart Hummingbot completely

Monitoring After Start

Once started, use these commands to monitor:

# View current status
status

# Live updating status
status --live

# Check recent trades
history

# View balances
balance

Automatic Restart

Hummingbot doesn’t automatically restart if it stops. However, you can:

1. Use external process managers:

   • systemd (Linux)
   • launchd (macOS)
   • PM2 (cross-platform)

2. Enable kill switch to auto-stop on losses:

   config kill_switch_mode True
   config kill_switch_rate -5
   

Related Commands

• status - Check if bot is running and view performance
• config - Adjust settings before starting
• import - Load a strategy before starting
• exit - Close Hummingbot completely