Your TradingView alert fired. The alerts log says the webhook went out. And yet there is no position in MetaTrader 5. The clearest way to find out why is to stop treating "the automation" as one thing. Between the alert and a filled order there are five separate stages, each with its own success condition and its own evidence. Work through them in order and the fault is nearly always in the first stage whose evidence is missing.
This guide is for anyone routing TradingView alerts to an MT5 terminal through a bridge such as PineConnector, whether that terminal runs on your own computer, a Windows VPS, or PineConnector Edge managed MT5 hosting. If you use a broker's own TradingView integration with no MT5 terminal in the chain, stages three and four below do not apply to you, and your broker's integration documentation is the better place to look.
Why "the webhook was received" proves less than it sounds
TradingView sends a webhook as an HTTP POST with the alert message in the body[1]. A receiving service can answer that request in well under a second, long before anything has happened in a terminal, let alone at a broker. So "received" tells you that stage two worked. It says nothing about stages three, four or five. TradingView itself separates these ideas: it notes that "Webhooks may occasionally fail to reach the specified URL" and that "If a remote server takes longer than three seconds to process a request, the request will be cancelled"[1]. An HTTP acknowledgement is not a broker execution, and this article treats them as different facts.
Stage 1: Did the alert actually fire, and with the settings you think?
Success means: a new entry in your TradingView Alerts log at the time you expected, generated by the script and inputs you currently intend to trade.
Where to look: the Alerts panel in TradingView, and the alert's own settings. PineConnector's FAQ points to the same place: "The alerts log can be found at the bottom right corner of your TradingView terminal, with Alerts selected"[2].
Common causes: the alert expired or was paused, the condition did not trigger on the closed bar, or the alert is running an older version of your strategy. That last one catches many people. TradingView's Pine Script FAQ explains that creating an alert "saves a 'snapshot' of the script, its inputs, and the current chart's context on TradingView's servers", that "any changes to the script, its inputs, or the user's chart do not affect that created alert", and that "To update an alert after making changes, delete the existing alert and create a new one"[3]. If you changed your lot size or symbol in the script last week and the alert predates the change, it is still sending the old message.
Next question: if there is no log entry, the problem is upstream of any connector or terminal. If there is an entry, open it and read the exact message text that was sent. You will need it in stage three.
Stage 2: Did TradingView deliver the message to the bridge?
Success means: TradingView's POST reached the bridge's endpoint and got a response in time.
Where to look: the "Webhook status" column in the alerts log, which TradingView provides for exactly this purpose[1]. Then check the URL in the alert. PineConnector's error guide asks you to confirm the webhook address matches exactly, and gives it as https://webhook.pineconnector.com[4].
Common causes: a typo or trailing character in the URL, the webhook option unticked in the alert, or a delivery failure on TradingView's side. Two documented behaviours matter here. First, the three-second cancellation above[1]. Second, resubmission: if the receiver "returns an HTTP response status code between 500 and 599 (except for status code 504)", TradingView resends after five seconds, and "There can be a total of 3 such resends"[5]. That is up to four deliveries of one trigger. It is an engineering inference, not a documented outcome, that a receiver without duplicate handling could turn those into more than one order. It is worth knowing about because it changes the question from "why no trade?" to "why two?" in some cases. PineConnector's own guide also notes that "Occasional delays or missing signals can occur due to TradingView's webhook limitations"[4].
Next question: if delivery shows as failed or the URL is wrong, fix that and re-test with a manual alert. If delivery succeeded, move to stage three.
Stage 3: Did the bridge understand the message?
Success means: the bridge parsed the message, matched it to your licence, and logged a signal for your terminal.
Where to look: the PineConnector Signals Log in the portal. The FAQ describes it as a record "showing when each trading signal arrives at your MetaTrader terminal"[2]. The docs also state the consequence of a malformed message plainly: "Failure to adhere to the syntax may result in the EA rejecting your signal", and rejected signals "will not appear in this log"[6]. So an empty Signals Log after a delivered webhook usually means stage three failed.
Common causes: the message is not in the documented format. PineConnector's syntax page gives the structure as LicenseID,Command,Symbol,Parameters, with the sample 60123456789,buy,AUDUSD,vol_lots=0.1[6]. The error guide lists the mistakes it sees most: the wrong Licence ID, fields out of order (it contrasts LicenseID,buy,EURUSD,risk=1 with the incorrect LicenseID,EURUSD,buy), two operations combined in one message, undocumented command words, misspellings such as rsik for risk, and stray brackets, trailing commas or extra characters[4]. Every entry command also needs a volume parameter such as vol_lots=[6]. A strategy alert that builds the message from placeholders can produce a perfectly valid-looking string with an empty field in it.
Next question: paste the exact message from the TradingView log next to the documented format. If it matches and the signal appears in the Signals Log, the bridge did its job. Move to stage four.
Stage 4: Was there a running terminal to receive it?
Success means: an MT5 terminal with the PineConnector EA attached, Algo Trading enabled, and your broker account logged in, awake at the moment the signal arrived.
Where to look: the Experts tab in MT5's Toolbox. If the terminal was closed at the time, the FAQ explains how to reach the log files: "press CTRL+SHIFT+D to open the data folder, navigate to MQL5 → Logs" and read the file for that date[2]. In the portal, PineConnector's error guide describes the "Opened" column: if no account number is visible, the licence has no connected terminal at all; if one is visible, look in the Experts tab for the error[4].
Common causes: this is the stage where most "everything looks fine but nothing happened" cases live.
- The machine was asleep or rebooted. MetaQuotes lists turning off the platform and closing the EA's chart among the ways an Expert Advisor stops[7]. PineConnector's VPS guide puts it in plain terms: "If that computer sleeps or restarts, the EA goes offline and any alert that fires in that window is simply lost", and "Alerts that fire while MT5 is offline are not executed"[8]. The error guide's first recommendation is accordingly to disable sleep mode and power-saving on the network adapter[4].
- Algo Trading is off. MetaQuotes notes that disabling Expert Advisors in settings "only prohibits Expert Advisors from trading"[7], so the EA can appear loaded while being unable to place anything. PineConnector's setup guide says to check the toolbar button: "If it's red, click it. It should turn green", and lists "EA appears but no trades execute" against exactly this cause[9].
- DLL imports are blocked or the EA is not attached. The setup guide requires both "Allow Algorithmic Trading" and "Allow DLL imports" in Tools → Options, and again on the EA's own Common and Dependencies tabs, with the EA attached to any open chart[9]. After a Windows or MT5 update these settings can need re-checking.
- Wrong or missing Licence ID in the EA. The guide's fix for "Connection not showing" is to re-copy the ID and confirm DLL imports are ticked[9].
Next question: if the terminal was offline or the EA was not permitted to trade, the fix is operational, and it is also the one place where where you host MT5 changes the answer. See "Where hosting changes the picture" below. If the Experts tab shows the EA received the signal and attempted an order, move to stage five.
Stage 5: Did the broker accept the order?
Success means: the trade server returned a completed result and the position or pending order appears in your account history.
Where to look: the Experts tab line for the order attempt, and your broker account's history. MetaQuotes documents the return codes a trade server sends back: 10009 means "Request completed", and the ones you will meet most often on a rejection are 10018 "Market is closed", 10014 "Invalid volume in the request", 10019 "There is not enough money to complete the request", 10016 "Invalid stops in the request", 10017 "Trade is disabled" and 10004 "Requote"[10].
Common causes: the symbol name does not match what your broker calls it, including case and suffix. PineConnector's FAQ is explicit: "The symbols are case-sensitive; for example, EURUSD is NOT the same as eurusd", and suggests CTRL+U in MetaTrader to see your broker's exact list[2]. Other causes are a volume below the broker's minimum or off its step, a stop inside the broker's minimum distance, trading disabled on the account or instrument, or an alert that fires outside that instrument's session. The setup guide also lists error 4756 with a non-standard filling mode as a known cause, fixed by setting the filling mode to automatic[9].
Next question: a broker rejection is not a connector fault and not a hosting fault. It is a mismatch between the instruction and the account's rules, and the return code tells you which rule.
The five stages on one page
| Stage | Where to look | Healthy looks like | If not |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alert | TradingView Alerts log; the alert's settings | Entry at the expected time, from the current script version | Recreate the alert after any script change[3] |
| 2. Delivery | Webhook status column; alert URL | Delivered; URL exactly https://webhook.pineconnector.com
|
Fix URL; note 3-second cancel and 5xx resends[1][5] |
| 3. Routing | PineConnector Signals Log | Signal listed for your licence | Compare message to LicenseID,Command,Symbol,Parameters[6]
|
| 4. Terminal | MT5 Experts tab; portal "Opened" column | EA attached, Algo Trading green, account shown | Machine asleep or rebooted, EA off, DLL blocked[4][9] |
| 5. Broker | Experts tab return code; account history |
10009 Request completed |
Read the return code; check symbol, volume, stops, session[10] |
PineConnector's FAQ recommends the same order of reading when your chart entries and your order records disagree: TradingView alerts log first, then the Signals Log, then the Experts output[2].
Where hosting changes the picture, and where it does not
Stage four is the only stage whose failures are about a machine rather than a message. A laptop that sleeps, a VPS that restarts for a Windows update, an MT5 that was never relaunched afterwards: these are the failures that managed MT5 hosting exists to remove. With PineConnector Edge, the MT5 terminal and the PineConnector EA run on infrastructure PineConnector operates, and you restart or terminate the instance from the Settings panel on the Edge page rather than logging into a Windows machine[11]. Recent signals appear on the Connections page and the Bridge page shows signal processing results[11].
Two honest limits. First, hosting does nothing for stages one, two, three or five. An alert built on an old snapshot, a mistyped URL, a malformed message or a broker rejecting an invalid volume will fail identically on a hosted terminal. Second, PineConnector Edge is in early access, and the evidence you can read at stages four and five is different from the self-hosted case. Here is what the Edge Guide says is supported today and what remains fixed for now[11]:
- Supported now: connection status and recent signals on the Connections page; a Bridge page where you can "send test signals and view their processing results"; "controls for manually restarting or terminating your Edge MT5 instance" in the Settings panel; and the Experts and Journal logs themselves, viewable directly in Portal → Edge without opening MT5 or a remote desktop. If your stage-four evidence is missing, a test signal from the Bridge page and, if needed, a restart from Settings are the equivalent of walking over to the machine. For a stage-five rejection on Edge, check the Experts and Journal logs in Portal → Edge first, then the broker's own account history.
- Fixed for now: "EA settings currently use a fixed default configuration and cannot be edited." The guide adds that "Support for customising these settings is planned for a future update."
Edge also runs only PineConnector's own EA: "Edge does not support custom or other third-party EAs"[11], and it is MT5 only. If your setup needs another EA, MT4, or non-default EA settings, self-hosting remains the supported route.
Whichever way you host, the Edge guide's advice applies to everyone: test with a demo account first and verify trades appear in your broker account before relying on live automation[11].
Frequently asked questions
The webhook status says delivered. Doesn't that mean PineConnector got my order?
It means the HTTP request reached the endpoint and got a response within TradingView's window. Whether the message was valid, whether a terminal was online, and whether the broker accepted the order are three further checks, covered in stages three to five.
I changed my strategy's lot size but the trades still use the old one. Why?
TradingView alerts are snapshots. Changes to the script or its inputs do not affect an existing alert, and the documented fix is to delete it and create a new one[3]. No connector or hosting can update an alert on TradingView's side.
Can a webhook produce two trades from one alert?
TradingView documents resending a webhook, up to three extra times, when the receiver answers with most 5xx errors[5]. Whether repeated deliveries become repeated orders depends on how the receiving service handles them. That is a question to put to any provider, PineConnector included; this article does not claim a specific answer. PineConnector's setup guide separately suggests alerting on bar close rather than intrabar to avoid a strategy re-triggering within one candle[9], which is a different mechanism.
The Experts tab shows error 10018. Is my setup broken?
No. 10018 is "Market is closed" from the broker's trade server[10]. The alert reached the terminal and the EA tried to trade. The instrument was simply not open for trading at that moment, which is a strategy scheduling question, not a connection fault.
Would PineConnector Edge have prevented my missed trade?
Only if the cause was in stage four: a terminal that was asleep, rebooted, or not relaunched. If the cause was the alert, the URL, the message syntax or the broker's rejection, the same failure would occur on a hosted terminal.
If you want the full self-hosted setup sequence that this article checks against, read How to Connect TradingView to MT5: The Complete 2026 Guide. If your failures keep landing in stage four, What is PineConnector Edge? explains what managed MT5 hosting does and does not take off your plate, and the Edge Guide lists its current early-access scope. For a dedicated look at why terminals go offline overnight, see Is a VPS Still the Right Way to Host MetaTrader 5?
Reviewed 9 September 2026. Facts and prices were checked against the linked sources on that date. The Edge Experts/Journal-log availability above was corrected 18 September 2026: the Edge Guide now documents these as viewable directly in Portal → Edge, a change from the "not yet available" status this guide previously reported. The separate "account balance not yet available" claim was removed the same date: the current Edge Guide no longer states this either way, so this guide no longer asserts a status for it.
Sources
- TradingView Help Center – How to configure webhook alerts, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – FAQ, accessed 9 September 2026.
- TradingView Pine Script documentation – FAQ: Alerts, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – Error guide: EA not taking trades, accessed 9 September 2026.
- TradingView Help Center – Webhook resubmission, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – Syntax guide, accessed 9 September 2026.
- MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: Algorithmic trading, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector – Do You Need a VPS for Automated Trading?, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector – How to Connect TradingView to MT5: The Complete 2026 Guide, accessed 9 September 2026.
- MetaQuotes – MQL5 Reference: Trade server return codes, accessed 9 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – Edge Guide (Early Access), accessed 9 September 2026.
PineConnector executes the instructions you send it. It does not select trades, manage money, or hold funds. Trading carries risk, and past performance of any strategy does not indicate future results.
