What the free code needs from you

Python

Install Python 3.10 or later from python.org or your system's package manager. Open a terminal in the folder you unzipped and install the two packages the code uses:

pip install -r requirements.txt

If python --version prints 3.10 or higher, you are ready. You do not need to write any code; reading it helps, and every file is commented.

A daily price file

The code reads a CSV file of daily prices, one row per trading day, with the columns its README lists (Date, Open, High, Low, Close, and a Dividend column for Owl_SPY).

Prices come from a market data provider, or as an export from your broker or charting platform. Whatever the source, its terms must allow your use: check them. We do not supply market data and do not recommend a provider.

The right adjustments

Splits are always adjusted: a two-for-one split must not look like a 50% fall. Dividends depend on the system. Harrier_SPY reads total-return prices, with dividends folded in. Owl_SPY reads prices as traded plus a Dividend column, because it collects a dividend only on the nights it holds. Each README says which it needs.

Check the file

Dates in order, no gaps or repeated days, no zero or empty prices, and the last row is the last completed day. Most surprises come from here, not from the code.

Reproduce the published test

Run each system over its whole test period first and compare the result with the figures in its README. If they are close, your data and setup match ours. If they are far apart, the difference is almost always in the data.

Only then, the status

Add --status to see what the rule says as of the last row of your data. Whether, when and how to trade is your decision alone; the code never connects to a broker or places an order.