Broker outage playbook: how to flatten without panic
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:28 am
Platform freezes mid-London. Mobile app spins. VPS terminal is a white box. That’s not a “setup” problem — it’s an exit problem.
I keep a written outage playbook so I don’t invent one while stressed.
Pre-committed steps
1. Second path ready: webtrader / second device / phone app already logged in (test monthly).
2. Know the flatten path: one-click close all if it exists; otherwise hotkey sequence practiced when calm.
3. Broker phone / chat: number saved; what to say (“close all market positions on login X”) — no debate about the trade idea.
4. Risk assumption: if I can’t confirm flat in N minutes, I treat exposure as uncontrolled and stop adding for the day even after recovery.
5. Post-mortem: screenshot errors, timestamps, ticket IDs — for the broker and for my journal.
What I don’t do
• Open a “hedge” somewhere else without knowing net exposure.
• Refresh-spam until the session is a mess.
• Pretend it didn’t happen in the journal.
If you’ve had a real outage: what worked, what failed, and did the broker make you whole on obvious platform faults?
Process notes only — not advice.
I keep a written outage playbook so I don’t invent one while stressed.
Pre-committed steps
1. Second path ready: webtrader / second device / phone app already logged in (test monthly).
2. Know the flatten path: one-click close all if it exists; otherwise hotkey sequence practiced when calm.
3. Broker phone / chat: number saved; what to say (“close all market positions on login X”) — no debate about the trade idea.
4. Risk assumption: if I can’t confirm flat in N minutes, I treat exposure as uncontrolled and stop adding for the day even after recovery.
5. Post-mortem: screenshot errors, timestamps, ticket IDs — for the broker and for my journal.
What I don’t do
• Open a “hedge” somewhere else without knowing net exposure.
• Refresh-spam until the session is a mess.
• Pretend it didn’t happen in the journal.
If you’ve had a real outage: what worked, what failed, and did the broker make you whole on obvious platform faults?
Process notes only — not advice.