EA Restriction
A rule that prohibits or limits automated trading on a prop firm account, often banning specific strategy types like arbitrage, HFT, or grid systems.
Definition
An EA restriction is a rule that limits or prohibits the use of automated trading systems on a prop firm account. The restriction can be total (no EAs allowed at all), strategy-based (no arbitrage, no high-frequency trading, no grid or martingale bots), or licensing-based (only firm-approved EAs permitted). Some firms detect EA usage via trade-timing patterns — identical entry and exit timestamps across accounts, sub-second execution, or suspiciously regular spacing between trades. Violations can trigger immediate account closure with forfeiture of all profits.
Example
Why It Matters
EA restrictions are one of the most common hidden rules, and the vague wording invites after-the-fact enforcement. Firms that advertise 'EA allowed' often carve out the most common automation strategies in fine print. Traders planning to automate should check for explicit exclusions (grid, martingale, arbitrage, HFT, copy trading) and assume any strategy with sub-second timing or repeated identical setups will be flagged. Maven Trading and The Funded Trader are among the firms that ban EA trading outright.