Make the first trade small, manual, and observable
The goal of a first trade is to learn ScreenerBot’s complete buy-to-exit flow, not to maximize profit. Use a dedicated wallet, a small SOL amount, the live quote preview, and manual position management.
Recommended path
Manual buy before automation
Testing size
Start from the 0.005 SOL preset
Default management
Manual management is enabled
Full exit
100% close avoids position dust
Readiness checklist
Use risk capital only
Solana tokens can lose liquidity or become unsellable. A successful quote is not proof that the token is safe. Do not use a primary wallet or funds you cannot afford to lose.
The controlled trade flow
Manual buy, add, and sell actions all use one shared dialog and backend flow across the dashboard.
Choose
Find a token, confirm the mint, and review liquidity, pools, security, and filtering context.
Quote
Enter a small SOL amount and wait for the live route, output, price impact, fees, and minimum received.
Confirm
Keep Auto slippage unless you understand the override and decide who should manage the resulting position.
Manage
Watch the open position, then add, partially sell, or close 100% through the same shared trade flow.
1. Choose and inspect a token
Open the trade from Tokens, search, Featured, token details, or another dashboard action. Always verify the full mint address before spending SOL.
Identity
Match symbol, name, logo, and the complete mint. Symbols alone are not unique.
Market context
Review liquidity, volume, age, pool route, and why filtering accepted or rejected the token.
Security context
Inspect authorities, holder concentration, Rugcheck data, and any blacklist or warning state.
2. Enter a small amount
Start with the 0.005 SOL preset or another intentionally small custom value. Leave enough SOL for network fees and later exit transactions.
If the token already has an open position, ScreenerBot changes Buy into Add to Position so it does not create a duplicate position for the same mint.
3. Read the swap preview
Slippage: prefer Auto first
Auto follows the configured swap slippage and is the same policy used by automated trades. The 1%, 5%, 15%, and custom controls are manual per-trade overrides.
Higher slippage can fill difficult routes at a much worse price. Do not increase it only to make an unsafe quote succeed.
Manual management: keep it enabled
A manual buy defaults to manual management. The Auto Trader will not sell or DCA that position, which keeps the first test under your control. Uncheck it only after reviewing automated exit behavior.
4. Monitor and close the position
A placed buy becomes an open position. Use Positions or token details to follow entry size, current value, P&L, route activity, and management state.
Observe
Confirm the position amount and transaction appear, then watch real-time price and unrealized P&L.
Add carefully
Add to Position increases exposure. Treat it as a new risk decision, not an automatic response to loss.
Exit deliberately
Choose a partial percentage to retain exposure or 100% to submit a full close and avoid leaving dust.
Automation comes after the manual loop
Auto Trader combines filtering, position limits, entry strategies, DCA, stop loss, trailing stops, ROI exits, and time rules. Enabling it before understanding one complete manual position makes failures harder to diagnose and risk harder to contain.
Review Auto TraderA successful first trade
- You verified the exact token and understood the quote.
- The position and transaction were visible in the dashboard.
- You completed a controlled exit without relying on automation.
Manual trading playbook
Go deeper into buy, add, sell, and position-management controls.
Open guideUnderstand token filtering
Learn how ScreenerBot accepts, rejects, and investigates tokens.
Filtering guide