Guide 13.4
Beginner, 4 min read. Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on .
In short
All of Scalpel's market data comes from your own Interactive Brokers connection, so these messages point at your IBKR subscriptions or limits. DELAYED means IBKR is sending 15-minute delayed prices because that username has no live subscription for the stock's exchange. NO DATA means nothing has arrived since the symbol loaded, and STALE means no tick for 12 seconds or more. Depth unavailable means IBKR refused the Level 2 book, most often because the account's 3 depth books are already in use.
Scalpel uses no third-party data feed: quotes, Level 2, the tape and the charts all come through TWS or IB Gateway. When a desk looks wrong, the badge in its header says which part is missing.
The badge sits after the session label (PRE, RTH, AFTER or CLOSED) in the desk header. A live, healthy desk shows no badge.
| Badge | What it means for your trade | Usual cause |
|---|---|---|
| DELAYED | Prices are about 15 minutes old. Do not trade off them. | No live subscription for that exchange on this username |
| NO DATA | Nothing has arrived since you loaded the symbol | The link is down, the symbol is wrong, or IBKR refused the data |
| STALE | No tick for 12 seconds or more | A quiet stock (common in the early pre-market), a halt, or the feed stopped |
IBKR sends delayed prices when the username logged in to TWS or IB Gateway lacks a live market data subscription for the exchange the stock trades on. It is per stock: one desk can be live and another delayed.
STALE is not always a fault. A thin pre-market stock can go 12 seconds without a trade or quote change, and a halted stock stops ticking. If every desk goes STALE together, the feed has stopped:
A toast that starts Depth unavailable for and ends with IBKR's own reason means the desk's Level 2 book was refused. The desk keeps its quote, tape and chart; only the book is empty.
| IBKR's reason mentions | Fix |
|---|---|
| A maximum number of market depth requests | Your account allows a set number of Level 2 books at once (3 for most accounts), and every desk with a symbol asks for one. Run 3 trading desks, close Level 2 windows open in TWS, or ask Interactive Brokers about more depth lines. |
| Not subscribed, or no market data permissions | Add the depth subscription for that exchange (guide 1.6). |
| A competing session | Log out of the other login using your username, such as the mobile app. |
To free a book, clear a desk you are not using, or switch it to SCAN: a scan desk gives its data line back (guide 2.2). Then load the symbol again on the desk that had no book: Scalpel asks for depth when a symbol loads, not later.