How To Backtest Your Options Bots

Testing your options autotrader bot can feel complicated and time-consuming. Many traders struggle to know if their bot strategies are effective before going live. The Options Trading Toolbox makes this process simple and efficient. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to connect your accounts, preload your bot rules, run back tests, and tweak your strategies for better performance—all without unnecessary hassle.

Setting Up Your Connection

Create Your Free Account

Before you can back test your bot, you need a free account with the Options Trading Toolbox. This gives you access to all the features you need to analyze and improve your bots.

Connect Your Options Autotrader Account

Once your account is ready, navigate to your profile settings. Here, you’ll see the option to connect your Options Autotrader account. After connecting, check for the red “Revoke Access” button. This confirms your account is active and ready to sync with the back tester.

Accessing the Back Tester

Next, go to the Options Back Tester page and click New Back Test. Because your accounts are connected, you will see a button labeled “Back Test OAT Bot”. Clicking this will allow you to pull in all your existing bots across various accounts. This feature makes it easy to manage multiple strategies in one place.

Selecting and Preloading Your Bot

You can select any of your bots to test. For example, a simple SPY 45D credit spread bot can be chosen. Once selected, the back tester automatically preloads all the bot rules, including:

• Ticker symbol
• Leg details
• Entry rules
• Exit rules

This eliminates the need for manual input and ensures your back test mirrors your live bot strategy accurately.

Configuring Back Test Settings

While most settings are automatically imported, you still need to adjust a few important parameters:

• Time frame: Choose the period over which to test the bot.
• Miscellaneous settings: Update commissions and slippage to reflect real trading conditions.

These small tweaks help create a more realistic and accurate back test.

Running the Back Test

After making the necessary adjustments, click Run Back Test. The results will help you understand how your bot performs under different market conditions. You can continue to tweak settings, test again, and refine your strategy. Once you find improvements, implement them back in your Options Autotrader bot to enhance live trading performance.

Back testing your options AutoTrader bot has never been easier. By connecting your accounts, preloading rules, and running tests directly in the Options Trading Toolbox, you can save time and improve your trading strategies. Take advantage of this simple workflow to analyze, tweak, and optimize your bots. Start connecting your accounts today and make your options trading smarter and more efficient.