Prop firms set rules that a normal broker account doesn't have, and breaking one can close the account even when the trade itself was sensible. Check these before attaching any EA.
Is automated trading allowed?
Firms differ. Some allow EAs, some restrict them, and some ban particular styles such as high-frequency trading or trading around news. Read the firm's current rules, and ask support in writing if they're unclear. Rules change, so check again from time to time.
Daily loss and maximum drawdown
These are the rules most accounts fail on.
- Daily loss limit: how much you may lose in a day. Find out whether it counts open trades and exactly when the firm's day resets.
- Maximum drawdown: how far the account may fall overall. Some firms measure from your starting balance and some from your highest point.
Size your risk against these limits, not your account size. If a strategy's history shows a drawdown of 8R, risking 1% per trade would have meant a fall of about 8%, which may be too close to a 10% limit.
Leverage and margin
Funded accounts often have low leverage on gold and indices. With too little margin, orders are refused and you can miss entries the strategy took.
Copying the same trades
Many firms object when several traders place identical trades. Ask how your firm treats signal services and shared EAs before you start.
A short checklist
- Confirm the firm allows this kind of EA
- Write down the daily loss limit, drawdown limit and reset time
- Choose a risk per trade well inside those limits
- Test on the firm's demo or trial first
- Check that orders fill at your account's leverage
None of this guarantees passing a challenge. It removes the avoidable ways of failing one.