Common questions,
straight answers.

No. FirstBell is a decision-support system, not an execution bot. It scans, scores, and enforces your rules — but every trade requires your manual approval. You are always in control.

No. FirstBell works alongside the tools you already use — not instead of them. TradingView handles your charts. ThinkorSwim handles your execution. FirstBell adds the decision-structure layer in between: scanning, risk enforcement, conviction audit, and trade review. See exactly how FirstBell fits your current stack →

No. The only requirement is Docker Desktop (free). Double-click the start script and the setup wizard guides you through the rest. No terminal, no coding, no configuration files to edit manually.

Minimum: Windows, Mac, or Linux · Docker Desktop (free, included) · 8GB RAM · Internet for market data.

Recommended: 16GB RAM · NVIDIA GPU with 8GB+ VRAM (for faster local AI via Ollama — optional, not required).

No coding required. No terminal commands. The setup wizard handles everything.

Gabby is your FirstBell AI trading companion — a dedicated chat interface built into the dashboard. She has access to FirstBell’s current session data: your pre-flight status, morning brief, market regime, trade gate, journal, and backtest results. Ask her to explain a setup, surface patterns from your journal, or challenge your trading thesis. Gabby observes, analyzes, and challenges — she never recommends or advises. Every trade decision remains yours. Learn more about Gabby →

No. Gabby is an analytical interface to FirstBell data — not a financial adviser. She explains what the system has calculated, surfaces patterns from your journal, and challenges your thinking. She is not a registered investment adviser and does not provide investment advice. The tagline on her screen says it best: “Every trade decision is yours. Gabby helps you think — she does not think for you.”

No. FirstBell uses Ollama — a free, local AI runner that runs entirely on your machine. No API key. No monthly AI bill. If you have an NVIDIA GPU with 8GB+ VRAM, the model runs there. Otherwise it falls back to CPU. You can optionally configure a cloud AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) in the FirstBell Settings page.

Paper Trading is built-in — start today with no broker account required. For live accounts, FirstBell supports: Charles Schwab / thinkorswim (live OAuth), Alpaca (live and paper accounts), Interactive Brokers (IBKR), TradeStation (preview), Tradier, and Public.com (REST API). Most connections require only your broker’s API key, entered in the onboarding wizard. Full setup instructions are included with the software.

Yes. Your broker API keys, trade data, and all market activity are stored locally on your own machine — we never see them. License verification only contacts our billing provider to confirm your active subscription; no trading data, account numbers, balances, or trade history is ever transmitted.

The key itself has no hard-coded end date. Access is controlled by your subscription status. Active subscription = active key. Cancel and resubscribe later — the same key works again automatically. No reinstall needed.

If your subscription lapses, your license key becomes inactive and FirstBell shows a renewal prompt on next launch. When you resubscribe, that same key reactivates. Your journal and settings are untouched.

Each subscription allows 1 active machine. You can deactivate your current machine and activate on a new one by contacting support@firstbell.trade. License keys are non-transferable to other people.

Yes — every plan includes a 7-day free trial. No charge until day 8. Cancel any time before then and pay nothing. Your license key is delivered immediately at checkout and remains active throughout the trial period.