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DRY_RUN and the paper-trade checklist

DRY_RUN=true is the switch that keeps create_order off the wire. If that flag is optional, misspelled, or defaulted to live, you are not paper trading.

Going live with $50 “just to see” is still live. Size does not turn a market order into a simulation.

The flag

DRY_RUN=true
# in code: live only when explicitly false
if os.environ.get("DRY_RUN", "true").lower() != "false":
    log.info("DRY FILL %s %s @ %s", side, symbol, price)
    return FakeOrder(...)

Default must be dry. Missing env should not mean live. systemd EnvironmentFile= is how the service sees the flag — a shell export in an old SSH session does not count.

What to log while dry

• Time UTC, symbol, side, size, mark, assumed fee.
• Would-have PnL and drawdown.
• Zero real create_order in journalctl.

Print the checklist

The free setup list is VPS, keys, alerts, paper, kill switch. Do not flip DRY_RUN=false until every box is boring.

Use Checklist in the header for the printable list. The paper-trade guide is the longer why.

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