Before you start
Everything about syncing your broker, tracking a prop-firm challenge, and what the AI features actually do.
What is Birr Journal?
A trading journal that logs your trades automatically from a synced broker or exchange, tracks your prop-firm challenge rules live, and reads the news and market conditions before you open a trade — so you can see what’s actually working instead of guessing.
Do I need a live broker account to start?
No. You can add trades manually or import a CSV while you’re still deciding on a broker, then turn on live sync whenever you’re ready.
How long does setup take?
For a supported broker or exchange, a few minutes — connect once and both past and future trades start populating your journal automatically.
Is there a paid plan?
Not right now — Birr Journal is free while we build it. If pricing is introduced later, anyone journaling with us today keeps free access.
Do I need a credit card to sign up?
No. Early access is free and doesn’t require a card.
Which brokers and exchanges can I connect?
MT5 syncs live for any MT5-compatible broker or prop firm. Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, and Bitget sync live via API key. You can also import a CSV from Tradovate, MetaTrader, Bybit, or Binance, or add trades manually.
How does MT5 syncing work?
Connect your MT5 account once and every fill — past and future — lands in your journal the moment it happens, with no manual entry.
Which exchanges sync live via API key?
Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, and Bitget. Connect a read-only API key and new fills sync automatically.
Can I import trades with a CSV instead?
Yes — CSV exports from Tradovate, MetaTrader, Bybit, and Binance import directly into your journal.
What if my broker or exchange isn’t supported yet?
Add trades manually in the meantime — every other feature (Challenge Tracker, P&L breakdown, psychology tags) works the same on manually entered trades.
Can I manage more than one trading account?
Yes — personal, funded, and paper accounts side by side, or merged into one combined equity curve.
What does the P&L breakdown actually show?
Performance broken down by session, setup, asset, day of week, hour, and position size — so you know exactly what’s making or costing you money, not just your total.
Can I see performance by setup or tag?
Yes — every trade can carry a setup, a mindset tag, and a discipline tag, and the P&L breakdown can be sliced by any of them.
Does Birr Journal track prop-firm challenge rules?
Yes — profit target, max drawdown (static or trailing), daily loss, trading days, consistency rule, and scaling limits, checked live against real rule sets.
Which prop firms have built-in rule templates?
FTMO, Apex, TopStep, MyFundedFutures, The5%ers, Bulenox, FundingPips, and FundedNext, with more added as coverage expands.
Does it handle trailing drawdown as well as static drawdown?
Yes — the Challenge Tracker supports both, matched to the rule set of the firm you selected.
Does it track the consistency rule and scaling limits?
Yes — trading days, the consistency rule, and scaling limits are all checked live alongside profit target and drawdown.
Will I get warned before I breach a rule, or only after?
The Challenge Tracker checks your live numbers against the rule set continuously, so you can see how close you are before a breach — not read about it after your challenge is already over.
How does the Pre-Trade Risk Advisor work?
Before you open a trade, it scans live news, upcoming high-impact economic events, and broad market sentiment to score current conditions, then tells you whether it’s a high-risk or low-risk window so you can decide whether to trade or wait.
How does the daily loss limit warning work?
Set your daily loss limit once. Birr Journal watches your day’s realized P&L and warns you before you cross it, not after.
Does Birr Journal size my positions for me?
It helps you size a position against your own risk parameters before you take the trade — you stay in control of every entry.
What does the psychology tagging feature do?
It lets you tag your mindset, your setup, and your discipline on every trade, so you can see exactly which one is quietly costing you money instead of guessing from the P&L alone.
What is the playbook?
A place to write down your setups and their rules once. Every trade you log can then be checked against the plan you actually made, not just remembered after the fact.
Can I set and track trading goals?
Yes — set a target and watch your real trade data move toward, or away from, it automatically.
How does AI trade analysis work?
It reads your own logged trades — not generic forum advice — and surfaces the patterns actually sitting in your data, like which session bleeds you or which setup you break your own rules on.
What is screenshot & rule extraction?
Paste a prop firm’s rules page, or screenshot your dashboard or a trade confirmation, and Birr Journal reads it and fills in the Challenge Tracker or a new trade entry for you.
Is my trading data used to train AI models on other people’s data?
No — the AI features read only your own account’s trades to generate your analysis; your data isn’t pooled with anyone else’s.
Is my trading data private?
Your data is scoped to your account only and enforced at the database level. Nobody else can query it, including us, outside of support requests you initiate.
Will pricing ever be introduced?
Possibly, once more features ship — but anyone journaling with us during early access keeps free access regardless.
When is the live chart / portfolio manager launching?
Multi-broker portfolio management with live charts is on the active roadmap. Sign up now to be notified and keep free access when it ships.