Roll Settings
9 settings on this page.
Roll Ladder Enabled
What it does
Master toggle for the roll ladder. When ON, ACondor will attempt to roll a tested short strike out in time and further OTM when the defend delta is breached. When OFF, the bot closes the position instead of rolling. Rolling applies to the mechanical rule set, which also governs an earnings position once its report has passed: a post-report tested side gets the same roll ladder and delta defense as a mechanical position.
When to change it
Turn OFF if you prefer clean closes over rolls, or if you want to avoid the complexity of multi-leg roll orders.
Safe range
ON or OFF.
Example
Short put at $480 tested, delta reaches 0.45. With roll enabled, bot attempts to roll the put to next month at $460 for a net credit. With roll disabled, bot closes the entire iron condor.
Roll To DTE
What it does
Target DTE when rolling the tested short out in time. The bot rolls to the nearest expiration at or near 45 DTE, buying more time for the position to recover. tastytrade's standard is rolling to the next standard monthly cycle.
When to change it
Lower to 30 to roll to a nearer cycle and reduce duration risk. Raise to 60 for more time but more capital tied up in the rolled position.
Safe range
30 (shorter extension) to 60 (longer extension).
Example
Iron condor tested at 15 DTE. Roll fires to the next monthly expiration at 42 DTE, gaining 27 more days while moving the short strike further OTM.
Roll Max Rolls
What it does
Maximum number of rolls allowed per position. Once this limit is hit, the position is closed regardless of whether a credit roll is available. Prevents accruing duration indefinitely on a position that has been wrong multiple times. At some point, close and move on.
When to change it
Lower to 2 to accept that a twice-rolled position is a loss and close it. Raise to 4 only if you have evidence that additional rolls consistently recover the position.
Safe range
1 (no rolling allowed effectively) to 5. Above 3 is unusual.
Example
Iron condor rolled once on week 3, again on week 6. On week 9 it is tested again. With max_rolls=3, a third roll attempt is the last. If that roll is also tested, the position closes at the defend trigger.
Roll Fee Buffer
What it does
Minimum net credit required per contract after commissions to justify executing a roll. If the available roll credit is less than $0.25, the bot falls back to closing the position instead. This prevents rolling for near-zero credit: collecting $0.01 after commissions is not worth the additional complexity and duration.
When to change it
Raise to $0.50 to require more meaningful credit for a roll to proceed. The default was increased from $0.00 to $0.25 after finding that near-zero rolls are not worth the added duration.
Safe range
$0.10 (accept thin credits) to $0.75 (require meaningful credit).
Example
Short put tested. Calendar roll available for $0.18 credit net of fees. With roll_fee_buffer=$0.25, the roll is rejected and the position closes instead. A roll offering $0.30 credit proceeds.
Ladder Defend Delta
What it does
Delta threshold that forces a close (defend) instead of a roll. When the tested short's absolute delta reaches 0.45, the bot evaluates whether to defend (close the position) or attempt a roll. Combined with ladder_defend_move_ratio, this is the 'defend vs roll' decision point.
When to change it
Lower to 0.40 to defend earlier and accept smaller losses. Raise to 0.50 to attempt to roll closer to the money, accepting more risk.
Safe range
0.35 (defend early) to 0.55 (defend late, more risk).
Example
Short put delta reaches 0.46. The ladder checks: is move_ratio also above 1.5 (abnormal move)? If yes, defend (close). If not, attempt a credit roll.
Ladder Defend Move Ratio
What it does
Underlying move ratio (absolute move since entry divided by the implied move at entry) that forces a close instead of a roll. A ratio above 1.5 means the underlying has moved 1.5x the implied move, which indicates an abnormal catalyst, not just noise. In that case, close rather than roll. The move ratio arm also requires the tested short to be at least 0.30 delta to avoid closing healthy condors after a whipsaw.
When to change it
Lower to 1.2 to defend earlier on strong moves. Raise to 2.0 to roll through more of the move.
Safe range
1.0 (defend any move above implied) to 2.5 (only defend very abnormal moves).
Example
Implied move at entry was 3%. Stock has moved 4.8% since entry (ratio = 1.6). Short put delta is 0.38. With ladder_defend_move_ratio=1.5 and ladder_move_ratio_min_delta=0.30, defend fires: close the position.
Vertical Roll Enabled
What it does
Enables the vertical roll maneuver for tested iron condor positions. When a short strike is tested, the vertical roll brings the untested side closer to the money, collecting additional credit to offset the tested side's loss. For example, if the short put is tested, the vertical roll moves the short call and long call closer to the current price, collecting more premium. This technique is popular in the tastytrade community but increases the risk of a loss on the untested side if the underlying reverses. Off by default pending live-fill validation.
When to change it
Turn ON after you have analyzed live roll performance data and confirmed the bot's roll behavior in your account. Do not enable until you understand how the roll affects your position's risk profile.
Safe range
ON or OFF. Default OFF; enable only after validating roll behavior with real fills.
Example
Iron condor: short 480P/short 610C. QQQ drops, 480P now at 0.42 delta (tested). Vertical roll enabled: short call rolled from 610C to 590C, collecting $0.35 additional credit. Now short 480P/short 590C, tighter risk but more premium to work with.
Defend Min DTE
What it does
Sets how close to expiration the roll ladder treats a tested position as out of time. At or below this many days to expiration, a tested short closes on the delta trigger alone. Above it, with no abnormal move, the bot prefers to roll the tested side further out for credit, or hold.
When to change it
Lower it to give tested positions more time to recover before the bot bails. Raise it to exit earlier and accept less gamma risk into expiration. This is the single dial that decides whether a breach becomes a roll or a close.
Safe range
14 to 30. Below 14 leaves tested positions exposed to accelerating gamma near expiration. Above 30 closes positions that still had time to recover.
Example
Set to 21 and a tested position with 25 DTE gets rolled or held, while the same breach at 18 DTE closes.
Tested-Side Roll Target Delta
What it does
Sets where the tested short re-sells when the ladder rolls it further out of the money. Leave it blank to reuse the vertical roll target of 0.30. A lower value rolls further away for less credit but more breathing room. A higher value stays closer for more credit.
When to change it
Set it explicitly when you want the tested side handled more defensively than the untested side. Leaving it unset is the right choice unless you have a specific reason to split the two.
Safe range
0.15 to 0.30. Below 0.15 the roll often cannot be done for a credit at all, which defeats the purpose.
Example
Set to 0.20 and a tested 0.46-delta short call rolls out to the strike nearest 0.20 delta instead of 0.30.