Configuration

All configuration is provided by environment variables (loaded from .env) and validated with Zod at startup (src/config/sources.schema.ts). Invalid configuration fails fast — the process exits rather than running with a broken setup.

Sources

Variable	Required	Purpose
`SOURCES`	Yes	JSON array of `{ type, url }` where `type` is `TRADING_CENTRAL` or `AUTOCHARTIST`. Invalid JSON fails startup.

Browser / CDP

Variable	Default	Purpose
`BROWSER_MODE`	`CDP`	`CDP` (attach to a running Chrome — required for Trading Central) or `PERSISTENT`.
`CDP_ENDPOINT`	`http://127.0.0.1:9222`	DevTools Protocol endpoint to attach to.
`CDP_AUTO_START`	`true`	Let the bot launch Chrome if no CDP endpoint is reachable.
`CDP_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS`	`20000`	How long to wait for a launched Chrome to expose CDP.
`USER_DATA_DIR`	`./.chrome-profile`	Dedicated Chrome profile dir (Chrome 136+ requires a non-default one).
`HOST_OS`	`AUTO`	`AUTO` / `MACOS` / `WINDOWS` — controls Chrome discovery.
`CHROME_EXECUTABLE_PATH`	—	Explicit Chrome binary path if auto-discovery can’t find it.
`HEADLESS`	`false`	Run Chrome headless (leave `false` for an interactive login session).
`NAV_TIMEOUT_MS`	`30000`	Navigation timeout.
`CONTENT_WAIT_MS`	`10000`	Wait after navigation for the Recognia iframe content to settle.

Scheduling

Variable	Default	Purpose
`SIGNAL_CRON_EXPRESSION`	`0 * * * *`	When to screenshot + extract signals (legacy fallback: `CRON_EXPRESSION`).
`AUTH_REFRESH_CRON_EXPRESSION`	`/5 * * *`	When to reload the authenticated tabs to keep the session alive.

A single-active-task guard ensures a refresh never interrupts an in-progress extraction.

OpenAI (vision extraction)

Variable	Default	Purpose
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	—	Required when any `TRADING_CENTRAL` source exists.
`OPENAI_MODEL`	`gpt-5.6-luna`	Model id used for extraction. This is the shipped default in `.env.example`; verify it against the model you intend to run.
`OPENAI_TIMEOUT_MS`	`60000`	Request timeout.

Output & state

Variable	Default	Purpose
`IDEAS_LOG_PATH`	`./data/ideas.jsonl`	JSONL log of new ideas (one per line).
`SCREENSHOT_DIR`	`./data/screenshots`	Where page screenshots are written.
`SEEN_STATE_PATH`	`./data/seen.json`	Versioned dedup state (hashes, signals, debug runs, MT5 outbox).
`SEEN_MAX_ENTRIES`	—	Cap on retained seen entries (pruned, protecting in-flight MT5 hashes).
`DEBUG_RUN_MAX_ENTRIES`	`100`	Cap on retained debug run history.

MT5 execution (optional)

Forwarding to MT5 Trader uses a two-switch safety model: this bot’s MT5_SIGNAL_TRADING_ENABLED and the sibling service’s own TRADING_ENABLED must both be true. While disabled here, no outbox backlog is created.

Variable	Default	Purpose
`MT5_SIGNAL_TRADING_ENABLED`	`false`	Master switch for forwarding signals to MT5 Trader.
`MT5_SIGNAL_API_URL`	`http://127.0.0.1:8000`	MT5 Trader base URL (loopback).
`MT5_SIGNAL_API_KEY`	—	Sent only as `X-API-Key`; must be ≥16 chars when enabled.
`MT5_SIGNAL_TIMEOUT_MS`	`70000`	HTTP timeout for MT5 calls.
`MT5_EXECUTION_MAX_ENTRIES`	`5000`	Cap on retained outbox entries.
`MT5_SIGNAL_RULES`	—	JSON map of instrument → `{ symbol, volume }`; required non-empty when enabled.

MT5_SIGNAL_RULES maps IC Markets instruments (e.g. EUR/USD) to exact broker symbols and lot sizes (e.g. { "symbol": "EURUSD", "volume": "0.10" }). Only mapped instruments are eligible for forwarding.