Build A Setup Playbook Before You Backtest It
If a setup has no entry rule, invalidation rule and review tags, a backtest only measures hindsight.
Backtesting feels scientific. It stops being scientific the moment the rule set changes trade by trade. A setup playbook is the contract that keeps your test honest.
Write the playbook first, then let the sample argue with it.
Define the setup in verbs
A setup is not 'looks clean'. It is a sequence: context appears, trigger confirms, invalidation is placed, target or management rule is known. If you cannot repeat the sentence, you cannot repeat the trade.
Record invalid examples
A vault full of winners teaches overconfidence. Save trades you rejected and explain why. The edge often lives in what you refuse to trade.
Connect test and live review
Use the same tags in backtests and live journaling. Then you can compare the promise of the setup with its live execution instead of wondering where the edge disappeared.
Turn this into a system in MKSTVEFX
The trading journal & analytics platform turns these ideas into a process you actually follow. Create your account and log your first trade today.