Troubleshooting and FAQ

CLOUDPips Lab develops automated trading software (Expert Advisors, or EAs) for MetaTrader 5. We sell and license the software on cloudpips.io and on the MQL5 Market.

• You install the EA in your own MT5 and control every setting yourself.
• Your trading account and your money stay with the broker you choose. We have no access to your account, we don't hold or accept deposits, and we don't place trades on your behalf.
• We are not a broker or an introducing broker (IB), and we receive no commission or other payment from any broker.
• We don't give investment advice, manage portfolios, or offer copy trading or trade signals.

Our income comes only from software sales and license fees. See the Risk Warning.

There are three today. All trade gold (XAUUSD): Sora and Kumo each run one strategy you can fine-tune, and Hoshi runs both in one ready-made bot.

Neither is "the best" or always the most profitable. Each does well in different markets and has its own kind of losing stretch. Read the highlights, backtests and drawdown on the strategy pages and choose the one you understand and whose risk you can accept. Not sure? Get the free backtest files and try them first (see Can I try it before I pay?).

Every strategy side by side, from entries to backtests and price: Compare strategies.

The EA opens, manages and closes trades by itself following its written rules, so you don't need to watch the chart. You still own the account, though, so check in regularly — once a day, say:

• MT5 is still running and online (a VPS is recommended — see Does my computer have to stay on?)
• The license status on the panel is RUNNING
• Your margin and balance are still at a level you're comfortable with

Press Pause to stop new trades, or CLOSE ALL to close all of the bot's trades, at any time from the EA's panel.

No. CLOUDPips EAs are .ex5 files and run on MetaTrader 5 only. If your account is MT4, create an MT5 account with your broker first (most brokers let you add one to your existing profile). See Open a Trading Account and Choose a Broker.

No. We sell software and give technical support only.

• We don't manage portfolios or run accounts for anyone, and we never ask for your trading password
• No copy trading, and no Buy/Sell signals
• We don't give opinions on whether to buy or sell gold now — the EA enters trades by its strategy's rules

The live Myfxbook results on each strategy page show how the EA really runs. They are not signals to follow.

No, we don't run a group or a chat room for traders. You can still follow how every bot is doing:

• Live results: every bot's live account in one place on Live Results
• News and updates: new versions, presets and articles are posted on LINE, Facebook and Telegram
• Questions about your setup: contact our support team, see Contact

No one can say, and we don't promise any daily or monthly profit or a payback period. Both bots have stretches of several losing trades in a row, and a losing stretch can last weeks or months.

• Sora follows trends, so it does best when gold is clearly trending. When the market goes sideways or keeps changing direction, it can hit several stop losses in a row.
• Kumo trades breakouts. When gold moves inside a range and keeps breaking out falsely, it can hit several stop losses in a row. Most of its profit comes from a few large trends.

From the 2003–2026 backtests of Default.set (1% risk per trade, realistic 24-pip (0.24 USD) spread):

The profit comes from winners being bigger than losers, not from winning often. Our accounts' latest live results are on Live Results. Past results are not a forecast. Only trade with money you can afford to lose. See the Risk Warning.

Yes. Trading forex, gold and CFDs carries a high level of risk, and you can lose some or all of your capital. The EA follows its designed rules, but it can't prevent every loss.

Drawdown is how far the account falls from its previous peak. Every figure is in each strategy's backtest table — always read it next to the profit. For example, over 2003–2026 (largest equity drawdown):

A live account can see a deeper drawdown than the backtest. See the live accounts' drawdown next to their growth on Live Results. How to read the numbers: Reading Backtest Numbers.

No. You choose the broker, how much money is in the account and the risk settings, and you decide when to run or stop the EA. Trading losses are the account owner's risk.

What we are responsible for is the software and the service described in our Terms and Conditions — for example, the license works for the time you paid for, you get new versions while the license is active, and we help with installation and license-check problems. If the software doesn't behave as described, tell us at support@cloudpips.io.

The software minimum is the same for every bot:

• Standard account: 1,000 USD or more
• Cent account: 10,000 USC or more (about 100 USD)

This is a technical requirement of the EA, not advice on how much to invest. How much you keep in your account is your decision, and it should be money you can afford to lose.

Can I use less? We don't recommend it. The EA sizes each trade from a % of your balance (RiskPercent) and always rounds the lot down. With too little capital, the calculated lot is smaller than your broker's minimum lot, so the EA uses the minimum lot instead — each trade then risks more than you set, and results differ from the tests.

Standard or Cent? Both work. A Cent account counts in units 100× smaller, so a small balance can keep the risk you chose more precisely. Go by the account currency, not its name: an account with a similar name whose balance is still in USD (some Micro accounts, for example) won't work with a small balance. Before you install, check with your broker which currency the account uses and the gold contract size. See the CLOUDPips Sora Setup Guide and the CLOUDPips Kumo Setup Guide.

Rental and VPS costs: see Know the costs first.

Neither, and every trade has a stop loss from the moment it opens — on Sora, Kumo and Hoshi.

• The lot size comes from the RiskPercent you set; it never increases the lot to win back a loss (martingale)
• It never stacks trades to average the price (grid)
• Sora: if no stop-loss method is enabled, the EA won't start

A stop loss limits the loss on each trade, but it doesn't make trading risk-free — see the next question.

The EA follows the same rules in every market, and every trade has a stop loss at the broker. Things to know:

• Around big news or when the market reopens after a weekend, price can jump (a gap) or slip, so a trade can close at a worse price than its stop loss
• Spreads can widen for a while
• If your internet, VPS or the broker's server has a problem, the EA can't trail the stop — but a stop loss already sent stays at the broker

No EA can handle every market. If you're uneasy, press Pause on the panel to stop new trades at any time.

• Default.set and Aggressive.set for Sora, Kumo and Hoshi were tested in the MT5 Strategy Tester on real tick data over 2003–2026 (about 23 years), through rising, falling and sideways markets.

Every test includes a realistic 24-pip (0.24 USD) spread, the average measured on a real Standard account, with tick data by QuantDataManager. 2024–2026 was the strongest stretch in 23 years (a strong gold trend), so always read it next to the 2003–2026 results.

Limits to keep in mind: a backtest can't fully reproduce live conditions such as spreads widening around news, slippage or lost connections, so live results vary by broker and spread.

Two ways to check for yourself:

1. Live Results — our own real accounts running every bot, tracked on Myfxbook
2. Backtest it on your own computer with the full file, free (see Can I try it before I pay?)

All backtests with charts are in the backtest sections of the Sora and Kumo pages, and how to read the numbers is in Reading Backtest Numbers.

Yes — as a backtest, not a live trial.

1. Enter your email in the "Get the backtest file" section on the strategy page. We email you a download link for the full EA file.
2. Add it to MT5 and run it in the Strategy Tester over any period and preset you like.
3. No license key is needed for backtesting.

Step by step: How to Backtest in MetaTrader 5. If you use the same email when you rent, your files and license stay in one place.

Any broker with MetaTrader 5 and gold (XAUUSD). You choose your broker. We don't represent or endorse any broker and receive nothing from them. No special sign-up link is needed, and an account you already have is fine.

What to check in your account:

• A different symbol name works, such as XAUUSDm or XAUUSD.r — just attach the EA to that broker's gold chart
• Chart timeframe: attach every EA to a D1 chart (it only affects how the chart loads; the EA enters on M5 either way)
• Contract size, digits, spread and order execution differ between brokers, and can make results differ
• Both Hedging and Netting accounts are supported (to run several bots on one account, use Hedging — see Can I run two CLOUDPips bots on the same account?)
• You can change broker later with the same key — see Move to another account or VPS

How to choose a broker and open an account: Open a Trading Account and Choose a Broker.

Yes, and it doesn't take long. Follow the guides step by step:

1. Install MetaTrader 5
2. Install the EA in MT5 and enter your License Key
3. Download and Install a Preset
4. To keep it running, Set Up a VPS for 24/5 Uptime

Stuck anywhere? Send us a screenshot by email or LINE and we'll guide you through the technical side. We never ask for your trading password or your VPS password.

Usually not. The EA only enters when its strategy's conditions are met — about 1–2 trades a week on average — so several days without a trade is normal. Check:

1. The Algo Trading button on MT5's toolbar is green, and Allow Algo Trading is ticked on the Common tab of the EA's settings
2. The license status on the panel is RUNNING (other statuses: License Status on the Panel)
3. The panel isn't on Pause
4. The EA is attached to a gold chart and the market is open (gold doesn't trade at weekends or during the daily break)
5. Open the Experts and Journal tabs at the bottom of MT5 (Ctrl + T) and read the EA's latest messages — why it skipped a signal, or an error from the broker
6. MT5 is online (the bottom-right corner doesn't say No connection)

All fine and still unsure? Send a screenshot of the Experts tab and your MT5 account number to support@cloudpips.io.

1. Check the status on the panel and what it means in License Status on the Panel.
2. Open the Experts tab at the bottom of MT5 (Toolbox, Ctrl + T). The EA prints the reason and what to do.
3. Check that this URL is in Tools → Options → Expert Advisors → Allow WebRequest for listed URL, typed exactly, with https: https://api.cloudpips.io
4. Check the key has no spaces before or after it.
5. Press CHECK LICENSE on the panel.
6. Still stuck? Send a screenshot of the Experts tab and your MT5 account number to support@cloudpips.io.

MT5 has to be running and online whenever the market is open, so the bot can open and manage trades. If your computer is off, open trades keep their stop loss at the broker, but nothing trails the stop or takes partial profit.

If you'd rather not leave your own computer on, use a VPS (a virtual computer that stays on 24 hours a day) that supports MT5 and has a stable connection. See Set Up a VPS for 24/5 Uptime.

Every bot comes with two presets:

• Default.set (1% risk): balanced settings, tested over 2003–2026 — the place to start
• Aggressive.set (2% risk): the same settings at twice the risk, so every win and every loss is twice as big and the drawdown is much deeper (see Can I lose money?) — use it only if you can really sit through that

Not sure? Start with Default.set. The comparison tables are in Sora Presets Compared, Kumo Presets Compared and Hoshi Presets Compared, and how to load a file is in Download and Install a Preset.

One license runs one MT5 account at a time. To run two accounts at once you need two licenses. If you start the EA on a second account while the first is still running, the second shows IN USE.

A new computer, VPS, account or broker doesn't mean buying again — you can move it as often as you like:

1. Usually: remove the EA from the old account's chart; the key frees up at once. Then attach the EA on the new account.
2. Can't reach the old computer: press Deactivate on that license in My licenses, then press CHECK LICENSE on the EA's panel on the new account.
3. VPS down or offline: after 30 minutes the key is released automatically.

Close trades on the old account before moving — trades left open there won't be managed. Details: Move to another account or VPS.

Bought on the MQL5 Market? Then MQL5's system applies: 10 activations counted per computer, and used ones don't come back (see Renting on cloudpips.io or buying on MQL5).

Yes. Each bot tells its own trades apart by its Magic Number (Sora 998877, Kumo 778811, Hoshi 668810–668880) and has its own License Key, so you can put two keys on one MT5 account. CLOSE ALL and the automatic close-outs (equity take profit, target profit, emergency drawdown cut) only close that bot's own trades, and the figures on each panel count only its own trades (except Balance, which is the whole account).

Already running Hoshi? You don't need Kumo too. Kumo's H4 breakout is one of Hoshi's 5 entries, so running both would open the same trades twice and double the risk. Most traders run Hoshi on its own, or Sora with Kumo.

Before you run two bots:

• Use a Hedging account. On a Netting account MT5 keeps one position per symbol, so both bots' gold trades are merged into one position.
• The risk adds up. Two bots at 1% each can have 2% of your balance at risk at the same time, and the account's drawdown can be deeper than with one bot. We suggest RiskPercent 0.5% on each — the 1% default is designed for one bot per account — and keep enough margin for both.
• The automatic close-outs watch the whole account's equity. If you turn on the emergency drawdown cut (off in the presets), the other bot's floating loss counts too, so a bot can close its own trades and stop even when its own trades aren't losing.

Sign in to My licenses with the email you rented with. We send you an 8-digit code, no password needed. Your key is there with a Copy button, and it's also in your receipt email.

• You rent for 3, 6 or 12 months and pay once per period — there's no separate monthly fee. Prices are on each strategy's rental page
• Pay by card or PromptPay in Thai baht, through Stripe on our own page — no USD needed
• Please pay within 10 minutes; a timer on the payment form shows the time left
• Your key appears on screen as soon as you've paid, and arrives by email with your receipt
• No auto-renewal: we email you 7 days and 1 day before the license ends. If you don't renew, it simply ends on its date — nothing to cancel
• Have a discount code? You can use it when renting and when renewing

Full steps: Rent a license.

It depends on where you got it. Either way you get a license to use the software, not ownership of the software or its source code.

• Rent on cloudpips.io: works for the time you paid for (3, 6 or 12 months); renew with the same key
• Buy outright on the MQL5 Market: one payment, no expiry, under MQL5's terms (10 activations)

The details are in our Terms and Conditions.

• The EA's panel shows EXPIRED
• Open trades stay open with their stop loss at the broker; the bot just stops opening new trades, and CLOSE ALL on the panel always works
• Renew in My licenses → Renew with the same key — nothing to change in MT5. The EA starts trading again within 10 minutes (or press CHECK LICENSE to check right away)
• The new time is added after the old end date, or counts from the day you pay if the license had already ended

See Renew and License Status on the Panel.

Payments on cloudpips.io are final, because the license works the moment you pay. That's why you can backtest the full bot for free first (see Can I try it before I pay?). This includes changing your mind, not liking it, or results not matching your expectations.

The exception: if you were charged twice for one order, email support@cloudpips.io with your 12-digit order number and proof of payment, and we return the duplicate charge.

Purchases on the MQL5 Market follow MQL5's refund policy. See the refund policy.

The strategy and presets are the same either way. What differs:

The full comparison: Rent or Buy Outright, and Managing Your License.