Contraction Target DTE Max
Setting key
contraction_target_dte_max
Default
21
What it does
Maximum DTE for contraction engine trades. Caps the cycle at 21 days. The sweet spot is around 15 DTE, long enough to manage if needed, short enough that the vol contraction thesis resolves before expiration.
When to change it
Keep at 21 unless your universe lacks expirations in the 7-21 DTE window. Widening to 30 starts to overlap with mechanical engine territory.
Safe range
14 (tight) to 30 (overlaps mechanical).
Example
Vol spike on June 1. Bot looks for an expiration between June 8 (7 DTE) and June 22 (21 DTE).