tbot-controller
v1.0.0Operate TradingBoat/TBOT (TBOT runtime stack) via a controlled automation interface (DB-first queries; lifecycle control on explicit request).
Installation
What this skill does
- Query TBOT sqlite DB for alerts/orders/errors/portfolio (DB-first)
- Start/stop TradingBoat/TBOT (docker compose or systemd)
- Fetch health/status (containers, ports, basic checks) only when explicitly requested
- Read recent logs only when explicitly requested
Safety rules
- Default to read-only operations (status/logs) unless user explicitly requests a control action.
- For any state-changing action (start/stop/restart/send), require explicit confirmation via the flag --run-it or environment variable RUN_IT=1. The controller will refuse execution otherwise.
- Never print secrets (webhook keys, tokens). Redact them.
Refusal criteria (must-stop conditions)
The agent MUST stop and ask for user action if any of the following is true:
- Runtime location is unknown and discovery cannot uniquely resolve it.
- The TBOT database path cannot be found or opened read-only.
- A request would start/stop/restart services or send signals without --run-it / RUN_IT=1.
- A request implies destructive DB changes (DROP/TRUNCATE/ALTER) or “run arbitrary SQL”.
Prerequisites (first-time users)
This skill controls a separate TBOT runtime stack. The reference/runtime implementation is:
- openclaw-on-tradingboat (TBOT runtime stack): https://github.com/PlusGenie/openclaw-on-tradingboat
This tbot-controller skill does not download or install the runtime for you. If the runtime is missing, the skill will run read-only DB helpers where possible, but status/logs/control actions will fail until the runtime exists.
Install the runtime (recommended)
1) Clone the runtime repo:
git clone https://github.com/PlusGenie/openclaw-on-tradingboat.git
cd openclaw-on-tradingboat
2) Ensure you can start it manually (outside this skill). For Docker Compose based installs, this typically means:
docker compose up -d
3) Tell this skill where the runtime lives (recommended):
- Set
TBOT_COMPOSE_DIRto the folder that containsdocker-compose.ymlorcompose.yaml.
Examples:
export TBOT_COMPOSE_DIR="$HOME/develop/github/openclaw-on-tradingboat"
Or add it to ~/.openclaw/.env / your skill env block in openclaw.json.
Configure runtime secrets (outside this skill)
- TBOT typically uses a
.envfile for broker credentials and webhook keys. - Do not commit secrets to git.
- If you are unsure whether the runtime is set to paper or live, this skill must refuse to execute any trade/action until you confirm which it is.
Install / script permissions
This skill is invoked via a bash entrypoint script. Ensure it is executable:
chmod +x scripts/tbot.sh
Python deps (OpenClaw-native)
This skill uses uv to run Python scripts in an isolated environment and auto-install dependencies from:
- {baseDir}/scripts/requirements.txt
Install uv (macOS):
brew install uv
ClawHub packaging note: if you publish this skill, ensure scripts/ (including requirements.txt) is included at the root of the repo.
IMPORTANT: DB-first, discovery only for status/control
DB queries do NOT require discovery. Discovery is required only before status/logs/control actions.
OpenClaw must NOT hardcode old paths like ~/ib-gateway-docker.
Always prefer discovery output (usually pointing to openclaw-on-tradingboat).
Commands
Entry point (required)
OpenClaw MUST invoke this skill via:
bash scripts/tbot.sh <mode> <args...>
Valid modes:
- ctl — operations control (docker/systemd)
- json — JSON signal generation (schema-validated) and send to TBOT webhook (non-interactive)
- status — read-only inspection (probe & discovery)
OpenClaw must never call python tbot*.py directly.
Probe & Discovery (read-only, only for status/control)
When the user says “open TBOT”, “start TBOT”, “TBOT status”, etc., OpenClaw should:
1) Try discovery first (read-only):
bash scripts/tbot.sh status discover
This step is mandatory because the compose folder may change over time
(for example migrating from ib-gateway-docker to openclaw-on-tradingboat).
2) If discovery returns a resolved runtime, run ctl commands by injecting env vars:
- Docker example:
MODE=docker COMPOSE_DIR="<compose_dir>" bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl status
Example expected compose folder:
~/develop/github/openclaw-on-tradingboat>
- systemd example:
MODE=systemd SERVICE_NAME="<service_name>" SYSTEMD_USER="<0|1>" bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl status
3) Only if discovery cannot resolve a single runtime, ask one precise question: - Docker Compose: “What is the folder containing docker-compose.yml/compose.yaml? (Usually this is the tbot-runtime (example) folder.)” - systemd: “What is the service name (and is it --user)?”
Notes: - Discovery must remain read-only (no starting/stopping). - Use discovery output as the authoritative suggestion for MODE/COMPOSE_DIR/SERVICE_NAME.
Why this matters
If OpenClaw skips discovery, it may incorrectly report TBOT as DOWN because it is checking an obsolete compose folder.
Status (read-only, only if requested)
bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl status
bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl logs --tail 200
Note: With tbot-runtime (example), docker compose typically brings up three containers: ib-gateway-on-tradingboat (gnzsnz/ib-gateway), redis-on-tradingboat, and tbot-on-tradingboat.
Internally:
- Docker: docker compose ps, docker compose logs --tail=200
- systemd: systemctl --user status <service>, journalctl --user -u <service> -n 200
Control (explicit confirmation required)
bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl start --run-it
bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl stop --run-it
bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl restart --run-it
Tip: Use MODE=docker + COMPOSE_DIR pointed at tbot-runtime (example) to control the stack via docker compose.
Internally:
- Docker: docker compose up -d, docker compose down
- systemd: systemctl --user start <service>, systemctl --user stop <service>
JSON signal generation (generate + send)
json mode is non-interactive by design.
OpenClaw MUST NOT ask the user for webhook details or trading intent if they can be inferred.
Inference rules:
- Webhook URL default: http://127.0.0.1:5001/webhook (override with TBOT_WEBHOOK_URL)
- Webhook key is read from the TBOT runtime .env by default (override with WEBHOOK_KEY)
- orderRef is auto-generated when omitted
- Natural language like close 50 NFLX implies strategy.close, contract=stock, qty=50
json mode generates a schema-valid TradingView-style payload and sends it to TBOT via webhook.
Defaults / inference rules (do not ask the user):
- Webhook URL: default http://127.0.0.1:5001/webhook (override with TBOT_WEBHOOK_URL).
- Webhook key: read from runtime .env (override with WEBHOOK_KEY).
- orderRef: if not provided, auto-generate Close_<TICKER>_<QTY>_<epoch_ms>.
- Close intent: inferred automatically; do not prompt the user.
# Example (user: “close 50 NFLX now”)
TBOT_WEBHOOK_URL="http://127.0.0.1:5001/webhook"
WEBHOOK_KEY="WebhookReceived:123456"
bash scripts/tbot.sh json
--ticker NFLX
--direction strategy.close
--contract stock
--metric qty=50
Guarantees:
- Output is validated against alert_webhook_schema.json
- Unsupported directions or metrics fail fast
- No network calls or broker actions are performed
- This generator is independent of the gateway container image (e.g., gnzsnz/ib-gateway).
Copy-paste JSON output (expected schema shape)
When asked to “generate a TradingView webhook JSON”, OpenClaw should output JSON exactly like this shape:
{
"timestamp": 1710000000000,
"ticker": "ES1!",
"currency": "USD",
"timeframe": "5",
"clientId": 1,
"key": "WebhookReceived:123456",
"contract": "future",
"orderRef": "Long#1",
"direction": "strategy.entrylong",
"exchange": "CME",
"lastTradeDateOrContractMonth": "202603",
"multiplier": "50",
"metrics": [
{"name": "entry.limit", "value": 0},
{"name": "entry.stop", "value": 0},
{"name": "exit.limit", "value": 0},
{"name": "exit.stop", "value": 0},
{"name": "qty", "value": 1},
{"name": "price", "value": 5032.25}
]
}
Tip (local-first / zero-config examples): it’s OK to use a placeholder key value in docs.
For real TradingView → TBOT delivery, set it to your actual shared secret (TVWB key).
DB inspection (read-only, primary)
- Preferred (via this skill, DB-first):
bash scripts/tbot.sh status db --table orders --format summary --limit 100bash scripts/tbot.sh status db --table alerts --format summary --limit 100bash scripts/tbot.sh status db --table errors --format summary --limit 100bash scripts/tbot.sh status db --table tbot --format summary --limit 100- Use
--format jsonto return raw JSON. - Portfolio/positions are derived from
TBOTORDERS(same as/orders/datain UI).
Read-only helpers (DB-first)
- Portfolio snapshot:
bash scripts/tbot.sh status portfolio --format summary- Errors tail (with grouping):
bash scripts/tbot.sh status errors --format summary --limit 200bash scripts/tbot.sh status errors --group --limit 200- Health checks (HTTP):
bash scripts/tbot.sh status health --base-url http://127.0.0.1:5001
Example output (--format summary, orders):
Totals:
- Market value: 284,103.16
- Unrealized PnL: 134,585.15
- Realized PnL: 0.00
TBOT_TIME | ORD_TIME | TICKER | TV_Close | ACTION | TYPE | QTY | LIMIT | STOP | ORDERID | ORDERREF | STATUS | POS | MRKVAL | AVGF | UnrealPnL | RealPnL
----------------+-------------------------+--------+----------+--------+------+-----+-------+------+---------+-----------+-----------+-----+------------+----------+------------+--------
2026-02-05 20:06 | 2026-02-05 20:06:12.345 | TSLA | 399.4796 | BUY | LMT | 455 | 0 | 0 | 12345 | Ptf_TSLA | Portfolio | 455 | 181,763.22 | 187.9038 | 96,266.98 | 0
- DB path resolution (first match wins):
--db-path /path/to/tbot_sqlite3TBOT_DB_PATH=/path/to/tbot_sqlite3TBOT_DB_OFFICE=/path/to/tbot_sqlite3- DB location notes:
- Inside the container, TBOT may create the DB at
/home/tbot/tbot_sqlite3if no volume is set. - Recommended: bind-mount
./runtime/databaseto/home/tbot/databaseand setTBOT_DB_OFFICE=/home/tbot/database/tbot_sqlite3. - With the bind-mount, the host path is:
tbot-runtime (example)/runtime/database/tbot_sqlite3
- After updating
tbot-runtime (example)/docker-compose.yml, restart TBOT: MODE=docker COMPOSE_DIR="/path/to/your/tbot-runtime" bash scripts/tbot.sh ctl restart --run-it- Container note:
- The
tbotcontainer may not includesqlite3CLI; read the DB on the host (preferred) via bind-mount. - Fallback (manual):
sqlite3 <path> "SELECT ..."
Known gaps & intended fixes (tracked)
- Discovery can miss running docker compose stacks; use DB-first commands for portfolio instead of discovery.
- Add explicit subcommands (planned):
errors --tail(limit),health(HTTP checks for/orders/data+/tbot/data). - Add a single-line summary mode (planned): totals + top 3 positions + biggest losing position.
Data signal: TradingView-style webhook JSON generator
Required fields
This skill generates JSON with fields used by TBOT/TradingBoat style alerts:
- timestamp (ms since epoch)
- ticker (e.g., AAPL, ES1!)
- currency (e.g., USD)
- timeframe (e.g., 1, 5, 1D)
- clientId (integer; IBKR client ID)
- key (TVWB shared key)
- contract (e.g., stock, forex, crypto, future)
- orderRef (string identifier)
- direction (e.g., strategy.entrylong, strategy.entryshort, strategy.exitlong, strategy.exitshort, strategy.close, strategy.close_all)
- exchange, lastTradeDateOrContractMonth, multiplier (mostly for futures)
- metrics (array of {name, value})
Example payload
(Uses a placeholder key value for copy-paste. Replace with your real TVWB shared key in production.)
{
"timestamp": 1710000000000,
"ticker": "ES1!",
"currency": "USD",
"timeframe": "5",
"clientId": 1,
"key": "WebhookReceived:123456",
"contract": "future",
"orderRef": "Long#1",
"direction": "strategy.entrylong",
"exchange": "CME",
"lastTradeDateOrContractMonth": "202603",
"multiplier": "50",
"metrics": [
{"name": "entry.limit", "value": 0},
{"name": "entry.stop", "value": 0},
{"name": "exit.limit", "value": 0},
{"name": "exit.stop", "value": 0},
{"name": "qty", "value": 1},
{"name": "price", "value": 5032.25}
]
}