The 30-minute TrendSpider onboarding
Skip TrendSpider's tutorials and the YouTube rabbit hole. This is the exact setup we'd give a new active trader on day one. Total time: 30 minutes. End state: a fully wired TrendSpider workspace with charts, scanners, alerts, and your first backtest running.
Minute 0-3: Sign up & apply SET25
Start the 7-day free trial (no credit card needed). When you decide to upgrade, apply code SET25 for 25% off any annual plan. We recommend Elite — it's the sweet spot for 90% of active traders.
Minute 3-6: Configure your first chart
Open a chart of SPY. Toggle on:
- Auto-trendlines (left toolbar → Smart Drawings)
- Auto-Fibonacci levels
- Volume profile (right toolbar)
- 20-day and 50-day SMAs
Save this as your "default chart layout" so every new ticker opens with the same setup.
Minute 6-10: Build your first watchlist
Top menu → Watchlists → New. Add 20-30 names you actually trade. Don't overload — quality over quantity. We run separate watchlists for:
- Mega-cap tech (AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, META, etc.)
- High-momentum mid-caps (rotate weekly)
- Sector ETFs (XLK, XLE, XLF, XLV)
- Hedges (TLT, GLD, VIX-related)
Minute 10-15: Set up the multi-timeframe scanner
Top menu → Scanner. Build your first scan:
- Universe: your watchlist
- Timeframes: Daily + Weekly
- Conditions:
- Daily: Price above 20-day SMA AND RSI(14) above 50
- Weekly: Price above 20-week SMA
Save it as "Trending Up — Daily + Weekly Confirmation". Run it. You should now see a filtered list of names that pass both filters.
Minute 15-20: Configure alerts
Pick the top result from your scanner. Right-click on the chart → Add Alert. Build a multi-condition alert:
- Price closes above today's high AND
- Volume > 1.2x 30-day average
Choose delivery: SMS, email, or webhook. Save. You've now got a real-money-relevant alert running.
Repeat for 2-3 more names. Don't go past 5 alerts on day one — you'll spam yourself.
Minute 20-25: Run your first backtest
Top menu → AI Strategy Lab. Type:
"Buy SPY when RSI(14) crosses above 30 and price closes above the 50-day SMA. Exit at 8% profit or 4% stop. Maximum 1 position at a time."
TrendSpider will translate to TS Script, run the backtest, and show you a tearsheet (equity curve, win rate, profit factor, drawdown).
Don't trade off this backtest yet — it's a starting point. Iterate by tightening the entry rules, varying exits, or expanding the universe to the S&P 500.
Minute 25-30: Connect your broker (optional but powerful)
Settings → Broker integrations. TrendSpider supports 11+ brokers — Interactive Brokers, Tradier, TradeStation, Webull, and others. Once connected, you can:
- Trade directly from the chart (1-click order placement)
- Auto-execute alerts as orders (Advanced plan)
- Pull execution data into Sidekick for trade journal queries
Day 2 onward
Now that you're set up:
- Add 1-2 new watchlists per week, retire stale ones
- Refine the scanner conditions monthly based on what's actually printed
- Build one new strategy per month in the AI Strategy Lab
- Layer alerts on broken-out names from your scanner so you don't miss follow-through
Common day-1 mistakes to avoid
- Watchlist of 200+ names: Useless. Quality over quantity.
- 20+ alerts on day one: You'll mute them by day three.
- Trying to learn TS Script before TS Script: Use the AI Strategy Lab first; you'll absorb the syntax naturally.
- Skipping the broker connection: The platform is 3x more powerful when broker is wired in.
What you'll know in 30 minutes
You'll know how to: open a charged-up chart, run a multi-timeframe scan against your universe, build an alert, run a backtest, and (optionally) execute. That's the full TrendSpider stack. The remaining depth — TS Script, trading bots, raindrop charts — you can layer in over weeks.
Lock in 25% off before upgrading
The 7-day trial doesn't require a card. When you upgrade, code SET25 saves you 25% on any annual plan. Elite drops to $40.50/mo, Advanced to $60.75/mo.
Start the trial here and follow this guide. By the end of your first session, you'll know if TrendSpider fits your workflow.