Auto-Flatten Your Account at a Set Time in Tradovate
Set a clock time and Tradovate cancels your working orders and closes every open position for you, no clicks, no scramble for the panic button. In the app it's labeled Flatten Today.
Some days you're glued to the charts. Other days you get pulled into a meeting, the kids need something, or you just step away and forget you're still holding two NQ contracts into the close. Tradovate's timed flatten fixes that. Set a clock time, and the platform cancels your working orders and closes every open position for you, no clicks, no scramble for the panic button. In the app it's labeled Flatten Today. Here's how to arm it.
What the Timed Flatten Actually Does
Flatten Today is a one-shot scheduler. You pick a time for the current trading day, and when the platform's clock hits it, any contract with an open position gets exited at market and every working or suspended order tied to it gets cancelled. Orders resting on positions you're already flat in are left alone. Think of it as a dead man's switch for your account, a hard cutoff that fires whether you're at the desk or not.
How to Set a Timed Flatten in Tradovate
Open Your Account Balance Panel
At the top of the Trader, right next to your account number, you'll see your Cash Balance / Unrealized P&L readout. Click it. That opens the account-level menu where the flatten controls live. Tradovate has reshuffled the wording on this panel before, so if the labels look a little different, just hunt for the account equity / P&L button sitting beside your account name.
Choose Flatten Today
In the menu that drops down, pick Flatten Today. A small pop-up opens with the timer controls. This is the same menu you'd use to flatten everything right now, you're just reaching for the scheduled version instead.
Enable the Timer and Set Your Flatten Time
Switch on the timed flatten and enter the time you want everything closed, say 3:10 PM if you want to be flat well before the equity-index close. One thing that trips people up: the time runs on the platform's displayed time zone, so check whether you're looking at Eastern, Central, or your local setting before you lock it in. A time entered against the wrong zone is the difference between a clean exit and a surprise.
Submit and Confirm It's Armed
Hit Submit. The Flatten Today button turns green to show the timer is live; red means it's off. When your set time arrives, the platform cancels the orders and flattens the positions on its own, then disables itself. That last bit matters: it's a single-day setting. It won't run again tomorrow unless you set it up again.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
- It resets every day. There's no built-in "every day, forever" toggle, once it fires, it switches off. Re-arm it each session if you want a daily cutoff.
- You set it per account. You arm Flatten Today from a specific account's balance panel, so if you trade more than one account, set it on each one you want covered.
- It only touches open positions. Contracts you're flat in aren't affected, and their resting orders stay put.
- Prop-firm cutoffs vary. If your firm bans holding through the close or overnight, use its required flat-by time as your flatten time. That number varies by firm and account size, so check your firm's current rules.
Why Bother With a Timed Flatten
A hard, automatic cutoff does a few things a mental note can't. It keeps you out of the higher overnight margin that kicks in at session reset. It enforces a no-overnight-positions rule without you watching the clock. And it protects you on the days you walk away from the desk with size on. For anyone trading a funded evaluation with a strict flat-by time, it's a cheap insurance policy against a rule breach.
Want the Exit Fully Hands-Off? Automate It
The timed flatten is great for a fixed daily cutoff. But if you want exits driven by your strategy, close on a signal, reverse on a crossover, bail on a news candle, that's where PickMyTrade comes in. It wires your TradingView alerts straight to your Tradovate account, so a close or reverse alert flattens the position and clears the leftover orders on its own. Set the timed flatten as your safety net, and let automation handle the rest.
Let Automation Handle the Rest
Set the timed flatten as your safety net, then let PickMyTrade wire your TradingView alerts straight to your Tradovate account for strategy-driven exits.
Start Your Free 5-Day TrialFrequently Asked Questions
No. It's a one-time setting for the current trading day. Once it fires, or the day ends, it turns itself off, and you'll need to arm it again for the next session.
It follows the time zone your platform is set to display. Confirm whether that's Eastern, Central, or your local zone before you set the time, so the flatten fires when you actually mean it to.
Yes. As it closes each open position, it also cancels the working orders tied to that contract, including resting stop-loss and take-profit orders, so you end up fully out of the market.
This guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading futures and other leveraged products carries a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. PickMyTrade is an independent third-party automation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tradovate, Inc. "Tradovate" and all related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Platform features and steps change over time, so always confirm the current process in the official Tradovate platform and documentation before acting.