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Support & FAQ

Answers to the most common questions from FirstBell™ subscribers.
Can't find what you need? Email our support team →

⏰ Response Time: Our lead engineer reviews all support tickets post-market, after 4:30 PM EST (Mon–Fri). You will receive a reply the same evening in most cases. Weekend tickets are answered Saturday morning. For urgent issues, include "URGENT" in your subject line.
Getting Started
Q1 I downloaded the zip — what do I do first?
  1. Unzip the file to a folder on your computer (e.g. C:\FirstBell on Windows or ~/FirstBell on Mac/Linux).
  2. Open the FirstBell folder and run the start script: start.bat on Windows, or start.sh on Mac/Linux.
  3. The setup wizard will launch in your browser at http://localhost:8501
  4. Enter your license key when prompted — it was emailed to you on purchase.
  5. Follow the 7-step wizard to enter your account size, connect a broker, and configure risk settings. This takes about 5 minutes.
💡 The full step-by-step install guide (INSTALL.md) is included at the top level of your download folder.
Q2 I can't find my license key. Where is it?
Your license key was emailed to the address you used during checkout, with the subject line "Your FirstBell™ License Key + Getting Started".

If you can't find the email:
  • Check your spam/junk folder — automated emails sometimes land there.
  • Search your inbox for support@firstbell.trade
  • If still missing, email support@firstbell.trade with your order number from your Whop purchase confirmation and we'll resend it within 24 hours.
Broker Connection
Q3 How do I connect my broker (Schwab, Alpaca, Tradier, etc.)?
During the setup wizard (Step 4), you will select your broker. Here's what each one requires:

Charles Schwab: You need an approved Schwab Developer account at developer.schwab.com. Enter your App Key and App Secret in the wizard. FirstBell will walk you through the OAuth token flow.

Alpaca: Create a free paper or live account at alpaca.markets. Copy your API Key and Secret Key from the dashboard. Enter them in the wizard.

Tradier: Create an account at tradier.com and generate a developer access token. Note: Tradier does not support native OCO bracket orders — FirstBell will warn you when a bracket order is placed.

Paper Trading (no real money): Select "Paper" in the broker dropdown during setup. No API keys required — ideal for testing before going live.
💡 You can change your broker at any time in the Settings panel inside the app.
Technical Issues
Q4 The pre-market scan didn't run / Morning Briefing is empty.
The scheduled scan runs automatically at 8:45 AM EST on trading days. A few things to check:
  • Is the scheduler running? Check the scheduler status indicator in the Settings panel inside the app. If it shows "Not Running", click Restart Scheduler to start it.
  • Was your computer on and awake at 8:45 AM? The scan requires your machine to be running. If your PC was asleep, the scan was skipped for that day — this is normal. You can trigger a manual scan from the Morning Briefing tab inside the app.
  • Is today a market holiday? FirstBell automatically skips scans on NYSE holidays.
  • API rate limit? If yfinance returns no data, wait 30 minutes and try the manual scan button.
💡 The application log is accessible from the Settings → View Logs panel — useful if you need to share details with support.
Q5 I'm getting a Python error or the app won't start.
Most startup issues are resolved by re-running the included setup script. On Windows, run setup.bat; on Mac/Linux, run setup.sh from your FirstBell folder.

Common issues and quick fixes:
  • App won't open / startup error — re-run the setup script to repair any missing components automatically.
  • Configuration not found — open the settings.env.example file in your FirstBell folder, fill in your details, and save it as settings.env. The included INSTALL guide walks through this step.
  • "Database is locked" — another instance of FirstBell is already running. Close it and try again.
  • Port conflict on startup — another application is using the default port. Contact support — we'll send you a one-line fix for your OS.
If none of these apply, email support@firstbell.trade with a screenshot or copy of the error message. We'll diagnose it within one business day.
Updates & Upgrades
Q6 How do I update FirstBell when a new version is released?
When a new version is available, you will receive an email from support@firstbell.trade with a download link.

To update:
  1. Download the new zip file from the link in the email (or from firstbell.trade after logging in).
  2. Unzip it to a new folder (e.g. FirstBell-v1.1).
  3. Copy your existing settings.env configuration file into the new folder — this preserves all your settings and API keys.
  4. Your trade journal and history are stored in journal.db — copy that file to the new folder too if you want to keep your history.
  5. Run the start script (start.bat on Windows, start.sh on Mac/Linux) from the new folder.
💡 Your license key works across all versions — no need to re-enter it as long as your settings.env configuration file is copied to the new folder.
Q7 Billing, cancellations, and refunds
FirstBell subscriptions are billed monthly at $97/month through Whop.
  • Cancel: Log into your Whop account and cancel your subscription there, or email support@firstbell.trade. Access continues through the end of your paid period.
  • Refund: We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers. See the full Refund Policy.
  • Receipt / invoice: Whop emails a receipt on every charge. If you need a formal invoice, email support@firstbell.trade.
  • Update payment method: Log into your Whop account to update your payment method.

🔔 Still need help?

Email our support line and include: your order number, the version of FirstBell you're running, your operating system, and the exact error text if any. We'll get back to you post-market, after 4:30 PM EST the same day.

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