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EA risk management checklist for MT5

An EA can execute perfectly and still be dangerous if the account risk model is weak. Use this checklist before putting a strategy on a live or prop firm account.

EA risk8 min readJul 3, 2026
FIG 01 - EA risk management combines sizing, account rules and monitoring.

Most EA failures are not pure code failures. They come from oversized lots, missing alerts, correlated positions, VPS interruptions or strategy settings that were changed without tracking.

The checklist

  • Define maximum daily and account drawdown before launch.
  • Set lot size from account risk, not from backtest excitement.
  • Track magic number, symbol and EA version.
  • Monitor margin level and free margin.
  • Use heartbeat alerts for stale terminals.
  • Keep a rollback copy of the working EA settings.

Before going live

Forward test the EA on a small or demo account, but do not only watch closed P/L. Watch the equity curve, floating drawdown and behavior around sessions or rollover. If the EA performs well but creates deep floating pain, size it accordingly.

After going live

Review weekly. Compare the current version to prior settings and check whether risk stayed inside the expected envelope. Pair this checklist with How to track EA performance.

Run EAs with account-level visibility.

xTriel helps monitor drawdown, margin and heartbeat while your EAs run on MT5.

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