# Scalpel

> Scalpel is a keyboard-first desktop day-trading cockpit for Interactive Brokers. It connects to your own IBKR account through TWS or IB Gateway and puts a Level 2 montage, time and sales tape, chart and order panel for each symbol on one screen, with hotkey entries sized by your risk and stops you drag on the chart.

Scalpel is opinionated: long-only scalping of US stocks, pre-market first, with the keyboard and audio as first-class controls. Day trading this way is hard and carries a significant risk of loss.

## Facts

- Price: $299 once, plus tax where it applies. Lifetime license for one trader on two machines, with every update included. 7-day refund guarantee.
- Platforms: Windows 10 and 11, and Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later).
- Requirements: An Interactive Brokers account with live US stock market data (Level 2 for the montage); TWS or IB Gateway running and logged in on the same machine, with the API enabled; Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac with Apple silicon.
- Data: Your IBKR market data and news, SEC EDGAR, the IBKR borrow file, FINRA short interest and Nasdaq Reg SHO lists. No paid data feed.
- Seller: QUITE RIGHT LIMITED, registered in England and Wales.

What it does:

- Up to six desks, each with a Level 2 montage, time and sales tape, candlestick chart and order panel
- Hotkey entries and scale-outs from the keyboard
- Position size worked out from your stop and dollar risk at the instant you press
- App-monitored working stop, catastrophe net and take-profit, dragged on the chart
- Stop exits that work in the pre-market: a limit sell 5 cents under the last trade, flagged for extended hours
- A momentum scanner on IBKR's own market scanner, pre-market included
- Borrow, dilution and catalyst intel from free public sources
- SIM paper trading against the live book with IBKR commissions, and LIVE order routing
- Daily loss limit, fat-finger and position caps
- Voice callouts and tape sound

What it does not do:

- Short: it is long only, and a sell can never exceed what you hold
- Trade futures, options, forex or crypto: US stocks only
- Trade for you: there is no auto trader or automation
- Rest stops at the broker: stops are watched by the app and only work while it runs with a live feed
- Sell data or need a paid feed: it uses your IBKR data plus free public sources

Scalpel is independent software and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Interactive Brokers LLC.

## Product

- [Home](https://scalpeltrade.com): What Scalpel is, the cockpit and the questions buyers ask
- [Pricing](https://scalpeltrade.com/pricing): $299 once, plus tax where it applies
- [Download](https://scalpeltrade.com/download): The current build for Windows
- [Changelog](https://scalpeltrade.com/changelog): Every release and what changed in it
- [For agents](https://scalpeltrade.com/for-agents): Product facts and correct answers to common questions, for AI assistants
- [About](https://scalpeltrade.com/about): Who writes the site: the Scalpel Team

## Comparisons

- [DAS Trader vs Interactive Brokers (and where Scalpel fits)](https://scalpeltrade.com/compare/das-trader.md): DAS Trader vs IBKR: yes, DAS Pro runs on an IBKR Pro account from $100 a month. Costs, routing, shorting and hotkeys compared with TWS and Scalpel.
- [Scalpel vs TWS: what changes when you add Scalpel to TWS](https://scalpeltrade.com/compare/tws.md): Scalpel vs TWS: Scalpel runs on top of TWS, so you keep your IBKR account, routing and data. What changes, what TWS still does better, who should stay.

## Blog

### Interactive Brokers setup

- [Day trading on Interactive Brokers: the complete setup (2026)](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/day-trading-interactive-brokers.md): Interactive Brokers day trading, set up end to end: 2026 margin rules, Level 2 data costs, TWS vs IB Gateway, hotkeys, Tiered vs Fixed and a checklist.
- [Scalping on Interactive Brokers: can you, and how to set it up](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/scalping-interactive-brokers.md): Interactive Brokers scalping works: routing and fills are fine, TWS is the friction. A step by step TWS scalping setup, and where a cockpit saves steps.
- [A TWS day trading layout for scalpers: the Mosaic setup](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/tws-day-trading-layout.md): A TWS day trading setup step by step: Mosaic windows, color-linked groups, 1 and 5-minute charts, time and sales, saving the layout and settings for speed.
- [IB Gateway vs TWS for day trading: which one to run](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/ib-gateway-vs-tws.md): IB Gateway vs TWS for day trading: memory use, daily auto restart, the weekly login, API ports and two-factor, and which one to run for your setup.

### Hotkeys

- [TWS hotkeys for day trading: a setup that actually works](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/tws-hotkeys-day-trading.md): Set up TWS hotkeys for day trading: where IBKR hotkeys live, the presets they need, a five-key scalping set with exact settings, and a printable cheat sheet.
- [IBKR hotkeys not working? The causes and how to fix each one](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/ibkr-hotkeys-not-working.md): IBKR hotkeys not working? Go through the checklist: row not selected, no instant transmit, popups, outside RTH unset, unmarketable prices. Exact TWS fixes.

### Level 2

- [IBKR Level 2: which subscription, what it costs and how to read it](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/ibkr-level-2.md): IBKR Level 2 explained: which depth feeds to buy and what they cost today, the TWS limit on books at once, and how to read the book, pre-market included.

### Rules and costs

- [The PDT rule is gone: what changed for day trading on Interactive Brokers](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/pdt-rule-interactive-brokers.md): The IBKR PDT rule changed on June 4, 2026: no $25,000 minimum, no trade count. How intraday margin works, with an example, and what IBKR applies today.
- [IBKR Tiered vs Fixed for scalpers: the math on real trades](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/ibkr-tiered-vs-fixed.md): IBKR Tiered vs Fixed worked out for scalpers: 5, 20 and 50 round trips a day, exchange fees, ECN rebates, the $1 minimum and the 1% cap. Fees checked Oct 2026.

### Momentum and scanning

- [Momentum trading on Interactive Brokers: scanner setup for gappers](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/ibkr-momentum-scanner.md): Interactive Brokers momentum trading starts with the scanner: TWS settings for pre-market gappers, which scans to run, and how to live without a float filter.
- [Small-cap momentum trading on Interactive Brokers: what you need](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/small-cap-momentum-ibkr.md): Small-cap momentum trading on Interactive Brokers: what the Warrior Trading review says, and how to get scanning, hotkeys, fixed risk and pre-market stops.

### Stops and risk

- [Why your stop loss did not trigger in the pre-market on IBKR](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/premarket-stop-loss-ibkr.md): IBKR stop loss pre-market: why a plain stop does nothing before 09:30, how a stop-limit gets jumped in a thin book, and the TWS settings that help.

### Building Scalpel

- [Scalping through the IBKR API: what the TWS API can and cannot do](https://scalpeltrade.com/blog/tws-api-scalping.md): IBKR API scalping, from building a trading app on the TWS API: market data lines, Level 2 and tick-by-tick caps, pacing, scanner limits, pre-market stops.

## Guides

### 1. Getting started

- [Install Scalpel on Windows](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/install-scalpel-windows.md): Download Scalpel for Windows, get past the SmartScreen warning safely, and find where it keeps your settings. Takes two minutes, no installer needed.
- [Install Scalpel on a Mac](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/install-scalpel-mac.md): Download the Scalpel DMG, drag it to Applications and open it. Signed and notarized by Apple, for Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later) only, not Intel.
- [Activate your Scalpel licence](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/activate-licence.md): Find your licence key, paste it into Scalpel's licence screen and start trading. How the two-computer limit, 12-hour check and 72-hour offline grace work.
- [Connect Scalpel to Interactive Brokers](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/connect-interactive-brokers.md): Run TWS or IB Gateway, match the API port and watch Scalpel connect. Which program to use, the ports (7497, 7496, 4001) and what the link banner tells you.
- [Enable the API in TWS and IB Gateway](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/enable-tws-api.md): Turn on Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients in TWS or IB Gateway, set the socket port, allow 127.0.0.1 and switch off read-only API so Scalpel can trade.
- [The IBKR market data you need for Level 2](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/ibkr-market-data-for-day-trading.md): The IBKR market data that gives Scalpel live quotes, Level 2 and the tape, with no third-party feed to pay for, and how delayed or missing data shows.
- [Your first 15 minutes in SIM](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/first-session-in-sim.md): Load a symbol, buy with a hotkey, watch the stop arm, scale out and flatten, all in SIM with no money at risk. The whole Scalpel loop in fifteen minutes.
- [A tour of the Scalpel cockpit](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/cockpit-tour.md): What every part of the Scalpel screen does: the header, VIEW and MODE, account stats, desks, Level 2, chart, order bar, orders panel and the status bar.
- [What Scalpel is for, and what it is not](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/scalpel-philosophy.md): Scalpel is opinionated: long-only scalping of US stocks, pre-market first, by keyboard and sound. What it does, what it never will, and who it is for.

### 2. Desks and layout

- [Load symbols onto desks](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/load-symbols-and-desks.md): Type a ticker, pick it from the list and the desk streams Level 2, tape and chart. How desk focus works and why a desk locks while you hold a position.
- [Add, remove and resize desks](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/arrange-desks.md): Run up to six desks, resize them with the grips, even them out, colour them, copy one layout to all, and switch a desk between TRADER and SCAN.
- [Panel settings: Level 2, tape and chart](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/panel-settings.md): Every option behind the Level 2 and chart cogs: rows, colouring, dollar values, the tape column, trade bubbles, gridlines and the warning switches.
- [Set up Scalpel for one, two or three screens](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/multi-monitor-setup.md): Layouts that work on a laptop, one wide monitor or a multi-screen desk: how many desks to run, UI scale and zoom shortcuts, and where TWS fits.
- [Desk badges: DELAYED, NO DATA, STALE and HALTED](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/desk-status-badges.md): What the session dot and the DELAYED, NO DATA and STALE badges mean on a Scalpel desk, what the HALTED banner shows, and what to do about each one.

### 3. Reading the market

- [How to read Level 2 in Scalpel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/read-level-2.md): Read Scalpel's DAS-style Level 2: bids left, asks right, a colour band per price, venues, spread, imbalance and delta, and reading players by behaviour.
- [Spot iceberg orders on Level 2](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/iceberg-orders.md): How Scalpel flags an iceberg: one venue refilling a small size while far more trades there, the exact rule behind the icon, and why it is not a floor.
- [Read the time and sales tape](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/read-time-and-sales.md): Read the time and sales tape in Scalpel: prints coloured by who took liquidity, size bars, dollar values, the size filter, and the tape against Level 2.
- [Hear the tape: tape sound](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/tape-sound.md): Hear the tape, inspired by Aggr.trade: buys in the right ear, sells in the left, block trades by their shape. Set the big print value, gate and volume.
- [The chart: timeframes, VWAP, EMAs, MACD and delta](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/chart-basics.md): Scalpel's chart on IBKR data, no TradingView subscription: 10s to daily bars, scroll-back history, VWAP from 04:00 ET, EMA 9 and 20, MACD and delta.
- [The read line and the chart read bar](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/read-line-and-read-bar.md): What Scalpel's read line and chart read bar say, the three reads that held up in replay (ask-heavy book, bull trap, lost VWAP) and the calls removed.
- [Read the players on Level 2: venues, refills and size](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/read-the-players.md): Read who is doing what on Scalpel's DAS-style montage: venues refilling a price, big size that holds or vanishes, bids stepping up, and the honest limits.

### 4. Placing trades

- [Sizing presets: shares, dollars or risk](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/sizing-presets.md): Set Scalpel's four buy presets to a share count, a dollar clip or a dollar risk from an ATR, swing low or cents stop, and see the size each press will buy.
- [Trade a fixed dollar risk with Risk (Cents)](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/trade-fixed-dollar-risk.md): Risk the same dollars on every scalp: Scalpel works out the shares from your stop as you press. Set Risk (Cents), size your buttons and nudge the stop.
- [Hotkeys: the defaults and how to change them](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/hotkeys.md): Every Scalpel hotkey and its default: buys, scale-outs, breakeven, trailing and cancel, each with a spoken confirmation. Esc's rules and how to rebind.
- [Entries: marketable limits, offsets and partial fills](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/entries-and-fills.md): How a Scalpel buy is priced and filled: the marketable limit, the buy offset, partial fills, and why a buy is refused when the market is closed or halted.
- [Scale out and flatten](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/scale-out-and-flatten.md): Sell half, a quarter or the whole position at the bid, ask or mid, and flatten everything with Esc or Flatten All. What each exit does in SIM and in LIVE.
- [The order bar and orders panel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/order-bar.md): Every button on the order bar under the chart, the method dropdown, offset and stop steppers, and the Positions and Orders tabs with net P&L and fees.

### 5. Stops and targets

- [How Scalpel's stops work](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/how-stops-work.md): Why Scalpel holds your stops in the app, not on the book: pre-market rules, the working stop, catastrophe net and take-profit, and what if Scalpel closes.
- [Move your stop and target on the chart](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/drag-stops-and-targets.md): Drag the stop or take-profit line (or its axis tag) on Scalpel's chart, add a target with the + TP handle, reset with a double-click, and know the limits.
- [Breakeven and trailing stops](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/breakeven-and-trailing-stops.md): Move the stop to breakeven with one key, trail it by your stop, cents, percent or 1-minute candle lows, and make both start by themselves at a set R.
- [R multiples: how Scalpel measures a trade](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/r-multiples.md): What R is, how Scalpel shows P&L in R on the chart and in the orders panel, how take-profit at N x R works, and why R makes trades on any stock comparable.
- [Stops in the pre-market: why they cannot sit on the book](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/premarket-stops.md): US exchanges take only limit orders before 09:30, so a plain stop cannot guard a pre-market trade. How Scalpel's app stops fill the gap, and their limits.

### 6. SIM and LIVE

- [Paper trading with SIM](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/paper-trading-sim.md): SIM fills your orders against the live Level 2 book, with partial fills, slippage and commissions. How it works, its paper ledger, and how to reset it.
- [Switch to LIVE safely](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/go-live.md): The checklist before your first live order in Scalpel, how to switch modes, what happens to stops in the other mode, and the LIVE ORDERS badge.
- [Commissions: pick your IBKR plan](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/commissions.md): Match Scalpel's SIM fees to your Interactive Brokers plan: Pro Tiered, Pro Fixed, Lite or custom, plus exchange and clearing fees, and the FEE column.
- [Analytics: review your trading](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/analytics.md): Scalpel's Analytics view: equity curve, win rate, expectancy, profit factor, R distribution, every trade, results by symbol and hour, and a trader grade.

### 7. Risk controls

- [Set a daily loss limit (the kill-switch)](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/daily-loss-limit.md): Set a max daily loss in Scalpel: when your P&L hits it, new entries stop, a RISK LOCK banner shows, and it can flatten everything. How to resume trading.
- [Fat-finger and max-position caps](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fat-finger-and-position-caps.md): What Scalpel's fat-finger cap and max-position cap block, how they interact with risk sizing, and sensible values for small, medium and larger accounts.
- [Why Scalpel is long-only](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/long-only.md): Scalpel is long-only by design: every sell is capped to the shares you hold, so a double press never puts you short. No shorts, futures, options or crypto.

### 8. Scanner

- [Set up the IBKR scanner](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/set-up-ibkr-scanner.md): Turn on Scalpel's IBKR scanner: switch a desk to SCAN, set price, change, volume and share filters, and know how many market data lines the list uses.
- [Scan types: momentum, running up and setups](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/scan-types.md): What Scalpel's high-of-day momentum, running up and setups scans find, the running up filters, setup letter chips, and when each scan announces a name.
- [Scan the pre-market](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/premarket-scanning.md): Scan pre-market movers from 04:00 ET in Scalpel: what the gainers, volume spike and gap scans show before the open, gap and go, and what changes at 09:30.
- [Shares out, short interest and the squeeze score](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/shares-out-short-interest-squeeze.md): Why Scalpel shows shares outstanding instead of float, how FINRA short interest and days to cover are dated, and what goes into the 0 to 100 squeeze score.
- [Arrange scan panels](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/scanner-panels.md): Add, remove, resize and drag scan panels, change their scan, switch LIVE and LOG views, mute the bell, send a row to a desk, and every option in the cog.

### 9. Intel: borrow, dilution and catalysts

- [Turn on intel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/set-up-intel.md): Set the SEC contact email and an optional OpenAI key so Scalpel reads filings, dilution, shares outstanding and news. What each source needs and costs.
- [Check a stock for dilution before you buy](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/check-dilution.md): Spot a company about to sell stock into your move: S-1, S-3 shelves, 424B prospectuses, ATMs, warrants and cash runway, read into one dilution verdict.
- [Borrow, short fees and squeeze setups](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/borrow-and-short-squeezes.md): Read borrow like a squeeze trader: shares left to short, the borrow fee, the Reg SHO threshold list and short volume, combined into Scalpel's borrow chips.
- [Why is it moving? Catalyst grading](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/catalyst-grading.md): How Scalpel grades each headline by kind and strength, from fluff to explosive, why an offering is never good news, and how news timing compares to EDGAR.
- [Every intel chip, explained](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/intel-chips.md): Each intel chip on Scalpel's scan rows and desk strips, from Selling and Warrants near to FDA, Can't short and Short fee: what it means for a long trade.
- [Warrant and offering lines on the chart](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/warrant-and-offering-lines.md): Scalpel draws the prices where new sellers can appear: warrant strikes, the last offering and note conversions, read from filings. What they need and mean.
- [The dilution entry guard](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/dilution-entry-guard.md): After a financing filing or offering headline, Scalpel holds your first buy on it and asks for a second press within 4 seconds. How the guard works.

### 10. Audio and alerts

- [Voice callouts and sounds](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/voice-callouts.md): What Scalpel says and plays: fills, exits, stops, the risk lock, mode switches, session times, exit warnings and scanner alerts, and how to mute each.
- [Alerts and toasts](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/alerts-and-toasts.md): Every toast and alert Scalpel shows, from fills and rejections to dilution, catalyst, borrow and connection alerts: what each colour means and what to do.

### 11. Settings reference

- [Settings: Connection](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-connection.md): Every option on Scalpel's Connection tab: the IBKR host and port, the IBKR scanner's filters and data recording, with defaults and when to change them.
- [Settings: Trading](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-trading.md): Every option on Scalpel's Trading tab: SIM or LIVE, header P&L, buy and sell offsets and extended-hours fills for entries, with defaults and examples.
- [Settings: Stops](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-stops.md): Every option on Scalpel's Stops tab: ATR multiples and period, stop floors, take-profit R, the Risk (Cents) stop and trailing, with defaults and ranges.
- [Settings: Risk](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-risk.md): Every option on Scalpel's Risk tab: SIM balance and slippage, the commission plan, fat-finger, position and daily loss caps, auto-flatten and SIM reset.
- [Settings: Sizing](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-sizing.md): Scalpel's Sizing tab: the four buy presets on Shift+1 to Shift+4, each a share count, dollar clip or dollar risk, with the default ladder and examples.
- [Settings: Appearance](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-appearance.md): Scalpel's Appearance tab: the five themes, stop and target returns in R or percent, UI scale from 70% to 125% with its shortcuts, and zebra stripes.
- [Settings: Audio](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-audio.md): Scalpel's Audio tab: the master switch, sound effects, voice callouts and volume, what each one mutes, and where tape sound is switched on instead.
- [Settings: Hotkeys](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-hotkeys.md): Scalpel's Hotkeys tab: every trading action and its default key, how to rebind one by pressing a new chord, and the fixed keys such as Esc and Enter.
- [Settings: Intel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-intel.md): Scalpel's Intel tab: source status, the SEC contact email, the optional OpenAI key, catalyst alerts, the dilution entry guard and news history days.
- [Settings: About](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/settings-about.md): Scalpel's About tab: your version and build, licence status and managing computers, the update channel, automatic downloads, checking and going back.

### 12. Licence, updates and account

- [Move your licence to a new computer](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/move-licence-new-computer.md): Free a computer on your scalpeltrade.com account and activate Scalpel on the new one. How the two-computer limit and the monthly reset allowance work.
- [Updates: how Scalpel updates itself](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/updates.md): Scalpel downloads updates in the background and installs only when you choose: Update ready, What's new, restart or install on quit, and going back.
- [Try new features early: the beta channel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/beta-channel.md): Switch Scalpel to the Beta channel to get new builds before everyone else, what to expect from a beta, and how to go back to Stable when you want to.
- [Refunds, invoices and billing](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/refunds-and-billing.md): What a Scalpel licence costs, how VAT and sales tax are added, where your receipt and invoice are, and how the 7-day refund guarantee works.
- [Earn with the referral program](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/referral-program.md): Choose your own referral code, share your link, give buyers a discount and get paid through Stripe. How commission, the holding period and currencies work.
- [Get help on Discord](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/discord-support.md): Link your Discord on scalpeltrade.com to get the Customer role and the support channels, then ask with your version and the exact message you saw.

### 13. Troubleshooting

- [Scalpel says Disconnected: fix the IBKR connection](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-disconnected.md): Scalpel cannot reach TWS or IB Gateway? Check the program is running and logged in, the API is on and the port matches, and use the banner's fix.
- [TWS is running but not accepting the connection](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-not-accepting-connection.md): The banner says TWS or IB Gateway is running but not accepting the connection: enable the API socket, allow Scalpel or trust 127.0.0.1, and reconnect.
- [TWS signs out when IB Gateway starts](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-tws-signed-out.md): Interactive Brokers allows one trading session per username, so TWS and IB Gateway sign each other out. Three ways to run Scalpel, and a second username.
- [Delayed data, NO DATA or STALE, or Depth unavailable](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-delayed-data.md): A desk shows DELAYED, NO DATA or STALE, or a Depth unavailable toast: which market data subscription or IBKR limit causes each one and how to fix it.
- [A LIVE order was rejected](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-order-rejected.md): A LIVE order came back rejected: read IBKR's reason in the toast, then check Read-Only API, trading permissions, buying power and Scalpel's own caps.
- [An order did not fill, or only part filled](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-order-not-filled.md): Why a marketable limit can miss or part-fill in a fast book, what happens to the rest in SIM and LIVE, and how to clear a stuck exit or a stop exit.
- [Scan panels say the IBKR scanner is off or waiting](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-scanner-off.md): Scan panels say IBKR scanner is off, Waiting for TWS or No matches: switch the scanner on, connect TWS, or widen its filters. Each fix, step by step.
- [Licence: machine limit reached](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-licence-machine-limit.md): Scalpel says your licence is already active on two machines: free one on your scalpeltrade.com account page, then activate the computer you are on.
- [Licence: Scalpel cannot reach scalpeltrade.com](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-licence-offline.md): Scalpel cannot check your licence: how the 72-hour offline grace keeps you trading, what a firewall or proxy can block, and when to contact support.
- [Windows protected your PC: installing Scalpel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-smartscreen.md): Windows SmartScreen shows Windows protected your PC the first time you open Scalpel. Why it appears, how to check the download, and how to run it.
- [An update did not install, or Scalpel went back a version](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-update-failed.md): Why an update can wait, fail or roll back: the trading guard, a folder Scalpel cannot write, a failed start. How to check, retry or go back.
- [The chart or app window is blank](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-charts-blank.md): A blank chart or window in Scalpel: WebView2 on Windows and the built-in chart fallback, graphics drivers, UI scale, and what to send support.
- [The order bar is greyed out](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-order-bar-greyed-out.md): The order bar greys out only when the US market is fully closed; pre-market and after-hours trade normally. Which hotkeys still work, and extended hours.
- [No callouts or tape sound](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-no-sound.md): No voice, sound effects or tape sound: check the Audio tab's switches, the tape sound switch in the Level 2 cog, volumes and your output device.
- [Intel shows nothing or SEC filings are off](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-intel-off.md): Intel chips, shares outstanding or the dilution read are empty: set the SEC contact email, check the Intel tab's source status and the 40-symbol limit.

### 14. Tips and tricks

- [40 Scalpel tips for faster, safer scalping](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/tips.md): Forty practical Scalpel tips on desks, keys, sizing, stops, the scanner and intel, each linked to its full guide. Small habits that save seconds and money.
- [A pre-market routine with Scalpel](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/premarket-routine.md): A step-by-step routine from 04:00 ET to the open: connect, scan for gappers, check dilution and borrow, load your desks and set your risk before the bell.
- [Trade without touching the mouse](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/keyboard-only-workflow.md): Load symbols, move between desks, enter, scale out, manage stops and flatten using only the keyboard: a full hotkey workflow for scalping in Scalpel.
- [Settings for a small account](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/small-account-setup.md): Settings that suit a small account: risk-based presets, tight caps, a daily loss limit you will respect, the right commission plan, and what to watch for.
- [Your first week: a SIM practice plan](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/first-week-in-sim.md): A day-by-day SIM plan for your first week with Scalpel: keys, sizing, stops, scanning and review in Analytics, so you go live with habits, not hope.
- [The momentum method Scalpel is built around](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/momentum-method.md): The small-cap momentum style Ross Cameron teaches, from stock selection to gap and go and micro pullbacks, mapped to Scalpel's scanner, intel and stops.

### 15. Glossary

- [Day trading glossary](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/glossary.md): Plain definitions of the day trading and Scalpel terms used in these guides, from Level 2, VWAP and R multiples to float, borrow, dilution and LULD halts.

## Optional

- [Full text](https://scalpeltrade.com/llms-full.txt): Every guide, post and comparison in one markdown file
- [Glossary](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/glossary.md): Day trading and Scalpel terms in plain words
- [Terms](https://scalpeltrade.com/legal/terms): License terms
- [Risk](https://scalpeltrade.com/legal/risk): Risk disclosure