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AFT8 Stopped Taking Automated Trades?

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Was AFT8 taking automated trades through your turnkey workspace, but has now stopped—even though signals still appear?

We’ve received reports from traders whose previously working AFT8 setup is no longer taking automated entries. If this describes your situation, an important first check is whether NinjaTrader’s contract symbology display format has changed, particularly following a NinjaTrader update or a change in your Account Dashboard preferences.

AFT8 currently requires Numeric contract symbology. A different display format can prevent it from recognising instruments correctly, so a workspace that previously took trades may stop taking entries.

Some Lifetime license owners have also seen an Optional Annual Maintenance renewal message and assumed this caused the problem. That message alone does not mean your perpetual AFT8 license has stopped working. Check contract symbology, software versions and workspace settings separately from your license entitlement.

AFT8 used to place automated trades through the turnkey workspaces; now it doesn’t take automated signals. 

We’ve received many reports from traders saying “AFT8 is not trading automatically” or “The signal appears, but the trade is not being taken.”

  • There has also been confusion among some Lifetime license owners who see an Optional Annual Maintenance renewal message and assume that it has disabled AFT8.
  • These situations need separate checks: your license entitlement, your installed software versions, and your NinjaTrader workspace settings.

Lifetime owners: Optional Annual Maintenance is optional

An AFT8 Ultimate Perpetual license included with an ATS Ultimate One-Time/Lifetime package does not require an Optional Annual Maintenance renewal to keep the core AFT8 software working.

  • Older AFT8 versions may display renewal messages based on previous licensing rules. A renewal reminder does not, by itself, establish why a trade was missed.
  • Make sure you have the latest supported versions of NinjaTrader 8 and AFT8, and follow our AFT8 renewal notification and license-check instructions.
  • With the correct perpetual license assigned and synchronised, the current software should remain available under that license. Automated entries still depend on your configuration, connections, valid signals and trading controls.

One setting to check first: contract symbology

  • If AFT8 previously worked and has stopped taking entries, check whether NinjaTrader’s contract display format has changed.
  • NinjaTrader supports several contract display styles, but AFT8 requires Symbology Display Style to be set to Numeric.
  • An unsupported format can prevent AFT8 from recognising instruments correctly. Symptoms may include:
    • Signals appearing without an automated entry being taken.
    • Missing Algo Entry values in the Market Analyzer.
    • Trade Manager showing Off.
    • Unknown Instrument errors in the Control Center Log tab.

These symptoms can have other causes, but contract symbology is an important early check.

There are two places to check

1. Your NinjaTrader Account Dashboard

  • The cloud-based Symbology Display Style preference in your NinjaTrader Account Dashboard applies across Web, Mobile and Desktop.

A preference selected in the Account Dashboard overrides the Desktop setting. Set it to Numeric when using AFT8.

2. Your local NinjaTrader Desktop settings

  • A recent NinjaTrader installation or update may also leave your local settings different from the configuration you previously used.

In NinjaTrader Desktop:

  1. Open Control Center → Tools → Options, or Tools → Settings, depending on your version.
  2. Select General.
  3. Set Symbology Display Style to Numeric.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Restart NinjaTrader and reopen your AFT8 workspace.

If the format changes back, recheck the Account Dashboard preference.

For screenshots and detailed instructions, see:

After a NinjaTrader update, repeat your AFT8 setup checks

Installing the latest software is important, but it does not guarantee that every setting still matches your AFT8 workspace requirements.

After an installation or update, work through the AFT8 setup checklist again, including your connections, instrument contracts, session settings and trading controls.

Still not taking trades?

Submit an ATS support request with:

  • Your NinjaTrader and AFT8 versions.
  • A screenshot of your AFT8 Market Analyzer showing the instrument, Algo Entry values and Trade Manager status.
  • The signal and time at which you expected an entry.
  • Any relevant Control Center Log errors or license messages.

This helps us distinguish a license issue from an instrument-format, setup or signal-eligibility problem.

Coming update: compatibility with different contract symbol formats

We are working on an AFT8 update to handle different NinjaTrader contract symbology formats automatically. The update is designed to convert contract symbols internally to the Numeric format AFT8 uses, so instrument recognition remains compatible regardless of the selected display format.

In the meantime, please set Symbology Display Style to Numeric in your NinjaTrader Account Dashboard and Desktop settings, restart NinjaTrader, and repeat the setup checks linked above.

You do not need to wait for this update to address the current symbology issue. Use Numeric now, then verify that Algo Entry values and Trade Manager status appear correctly and test operation in simulation. If entries still are not being taken, follow the troubleshooting guide or submit a support request with the details listed above.