ACondor is an algorithmic options trading bot that sells premium on iron condors, earnings plays, and volatility trades across multiple tastytrade accounts. It manages positions mechanically using a deterministic exit state machine with defined risk on every trade.
ACondor is a mechanical options bot that manages iron condors, earnings plays, and volatility trades across your tastytrade accounts, automatically, with defined risk on every position.
Every 3 minutes during market hours, ACondor scans its universe of liquid underlyings and ETFs. It scores each name against IV Rank, liquidity, and earnings calendar before selecting candidates.
Four independent engines decide structure and timing: Mechanical (neutral premium), Earnings (IV-crush), Volatility Contraction (mean-reversion), and Directional (bias-driven). Each engine uses its own DTE target, delta selection, and minimum IV threshold.
Before any order is placed, a margin dry-run verifies buying power. Circuit breakers halt new entries on VIX spikes, macro events (FOMC, CPI), intraday drawdowns, and daily or weekly loss limits. Existing positions keep running.
A deterministic exit state machine evaluates every open position each cycle. Rules fire in priority order: profit target, delta defense, expiry flatten, earnings avoid, DTE backstop. No discretion. Every decision is logged.
Each engine has its own entry gate, delta target, and exit rules. They run independently and share one risk layer.
The default engine. Sells iron condors at 30-65 DTE when IV Rank is at or above 50. Avoids earnings windows. Short strikes at 20 delta, around the expected move. Closes at 50% of max profit or 21 DTE, whichever comes first. Monthly expirations preferred for liquidity.
Full engine docs →Enters before an earnings report when IV Rank is at or above 50. Holds through the announcement to capture the post-event volatility collapse. Closes the morning after the report. Defined risk only, so the long wing caps overnight binary risk.
Full engine docs →Fires on non-earnings IV spikes (IV Rank ≥ 80 with a confirmed recent jump). Trades short-dated structures (7-21 DTE) to ride the fast mean-reversion. Exits when vol normalizes back below 30 or at 3 DTE.
Full engine docs →The offensive engine. Enters only when a strong directional signal is present, a news-derived bias or explicit chain-skew inference. Prefers credit-funded pair structures. Off by default; operator-enabled.
Full engine docs →ACondor monitors a live news feed using Claude AI to classify headlines by sentiment and market impact. The news pipeline does two things: it flags developing stories against open positions (the defensive news gate may close or reduce a position when a high-confidence opposing signal arrives), and it can trigger new entries on strong directional catalysts. All trade decisions remain deterministic. The AI classifies; the rules execute.
ACondor connects to tastytrade via OAuth. You need a tastytrade account, margin preferred for full structure access. IRA and cash accounts are supported with automatic restriction enforcement.
Get a tastytrade account →The news sentiment pipeline uses Claude (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) to classify headlines. You need an Anthropic API key. Usage is minimal, news classification only, never in the trade path.
Get an Anthropic API key →The plan is a websocket news feed from TradingNews, bundled into your subscription so you never need your own TradingNews account. That bundled feed is still being built out during early access; we'll update this page the moment it's live for customers.
The plan is for ACondor to run on your own dedicated server and dedicated database, with strict separation from every other customer and no shared infrastructure, monitored during market hours (9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET). That per-customer hosting is still being built out during early access; we'll update this page once it's live.
ACondor is in early access. We are still working out the kinks, this is not a finished product. If you are an experienced options trader who wants to run mechanical premium selling across multiple tastytrade accounts, we want to hear from you.
Request Early Access →ACondor is a software tool that automates a defined options trading strategy. It is not investment advice, and it does not guarantee any financial outcome. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past behavior of any strategy does not guarantee future results. Robin Lilly is not a registered investment advisor. Consult a licensed financial professional before trading options.
An iron condor is a four-leg options structure: a short put, a long put below it (the lower wing), a short call, and a long call above it (the upper wing). You collect premium when you enter. You profit if the underlying stays between the short strikes through expiration. The long wings define your maximum loss on either side.
Each engine has a separate entry gate. The mechanical engine enters when IV Rank is at or above 50, a 30 to 65 DTE expiration exists, and earnings are not inside the window. The entry scorer ranks candidates by credit-to-risk ratio, probability of profit, and a directional bias multiplier. The highest-ranked candidate that clears the buying power check gets entered.
Yes. The bot runs a scan-and-manage loop every three minutes during market hours. You set the parameters from the dashboard. The bot places orders, manages open positions, and exits based on fixed rules. You can monitor it on the dashboard or receive SMS notifications on fills and exits.
Multiple circuit breakers protect the book. A VIX level above 35 halts new entries immediately. A daily loss beyond your configured threshold halts new entries for the rest of the session. A weekly loss threshold provides a harder backstop. Existing positions continue to be managed regardless of any halt. The bot never auto-closes positions into a spike, which would lock in losses.
Margin accounts have access to all structures. IRA and cash accounts are restricted to defined-risk structures (iron condors, credit spreads, debit spreads). Custodial accounts have a 5-contract position cap enforced automatically. 401(k) accounts are blocked from all trading by default.
This site provides general information about ACondor, a software tool for automating options trading strategies. Nothing on this site is investment, tax, or financial advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past behavior of any strategy does not guarantee future results. Consult a licensed financial professional before trading options. ACondor may earn a commission from affiliate links at no extra cost to you.