START HERE
From first read to first working session.
A practical path through Meridian, from understanding market context to building a careful paper workflow.
ORIENT
Choose the question before the tool
Meridian is easier to use when the question comes first. A research model, a chart, a strategy graph and an automation answer different parts of the same decision loop.
Start with the smallest surface that can answer the question, then carry the same symbol, timeframe and assumptions forward. That keeps a good read from becoming an untraceable collection of screens.
- Need context?Read Research before choosing an instrument or a trade idea.
- Need a working view?Open Chart and make the market context explicit before adding studies.
- Need repeatable logic?Use Strategies to turn an assumption into a versioned document.
- Need an observable run?Use Automations as the paper or live execution record, with state and evidence attached.
THE SHORT ROUTE
A first session in six moves
You do not need to configure every surface on day one. This sequence creates a useful baseline without hiding the assumptions.
Read one model page
Choose a Research model that matches the question. Note what it measures, its historical window and the limits of the interpretation.
Open ResearchSet the chart context
Open the Chart, confirm the symbol and timeframe, and wait for the history/live state to settle before reading a mark as evidence.
Open ChartAdd only named evidence
Use the Indicators catalog to inspect a pane, overlay or composite before placing it on the chart. Every visible channel should answer a question.
Browse IndicatorsMake the logic explicit
Build a Strategy document with sources, indicators, operations and execution settings. Resolve compile review before treating the document as executable.
Open StrategiesReplay it before you run it
Backtest the revision over the history you intend to trade. Read the trade count and the drawdown before the return figure, and keep the result if you will want to cite it later.
Open BacktestRehearse before you operate
Start with a Paper automation or alert. Use the detail record to inspect activity, drawdown, provenance and durable alerts before considering a live environment.
Open Automations
EVIDENCE HYGIENE
Keep the context visible
The most useful habit is to leave the conditions of a read attached to the read. When the context disappears, a correct number can still lead to a bad decision.
- Market contextSymbol, venue, timeframe and whether the data is historical, live or synthetic.
- Model contextWhat the model measures, how it is normalized and whether the result is descriptive or conditional history.
- Execution contextStrategy revision, compile state, automation mode, portfolio and environment.
- Account contextWhether the workspace is local-only, synced to an account or connected to an exchange.
It makes market state, assumptions and execution records easier to inspect. It does not decide what you should buy, sell or risk, and no historical result guarantees a future outcome.
CONTINUE