# Follower protection

> Follower protection closes a follower that stays out of step with the leader. It never opens a position to catch up. Both checks are off until you turn them on.

Last verified: 2026-09-14
Canonical page: https://copilink.com/standalone/user-guide/follower-protection
Product: Copilink Standalone
Markdown of: https://copilink.com/standalone/user-guide/follower-protection


## Quick facts

- Product: Copilink Standalone
- Direct Tradovate and Rithmic desktop workflow
- Windows x64, macOS Intel, and macOS Apple silicon
- Local copying with per-follower sizing, account safeguards, analytics, and journaling

## What it does

Out-of-sync and opposite-position protection: what each checks, the delay, what Copilink does when a follower stays out of step, and the one-instrument limitation.

## Why traders choose Copilink Standalone

- Choose a direct Tradovate and Rithmic desktop workflow on Windows or macOS, or stay entirely inside NinjaTrader 8 with the dedicated add-on.
- Manage exact or ratio-based follower sizing, per-account safeguards, and prop-firm-style risk rules from one focused workflow.
- Keep copying local on the trader's machine while cloud sync powers web analytics and journaling.

## Before you start

- A follower profile. The options are in its editor, under Follower protection.

## The options

_Follower protection options_
| Option | What it does | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Out-of-sync position | Acts when a follower's position differs from the leader's position × its ratio, in size or direction. This includes a follower still open after the leader is flat. A follower that's already flat is left alone. | Off, 10 seconds |
| Opposite position | Acts when the leader is long and the follower short, or the other way round. | Off, 3 seconds |
| Disengage after protection | After Copilink closes the follower, keeps it switched off until you turn it back on. | On |

Each delay can be 1 to 120 seconds.

## What happens when a follower is out of step

1. **Copilink notices.** It records a warning in Activity and starts the delay.
2. **It waits.** Fills often reach accounts at slightly different times. If the mismatch clears during the delay, nothing happens.
3. **It checks again and closes the follower.** If the mismatch is still there, Copilink pauses copying and flattens that follower. The leader and other followers keep their positions and stops, and copying then resumes.
4. **It switches the follower off, if set.** With Disengage after protection on, the follower stays off, even if the close failed. Without it, the follower gets the leader's next trades.
5. **It reports the result.** Activity shows what happened. A failed close is marked critical because the position may still be open.

## One instrument at a time

> **Protection pauses with two instruments open.** Follower protection works only when each account has one instrument and one contract month open. If the leader or a follower has different instruments or expiries open at the same time, protection pauses for it until it's back to one. Copying continues, and account P&L limits still work when current P&L is available.

## What protection can't do

- Open a missing position. If a follower is flat while the leader holds a position, protection leaves it flat.
- Work while Copilink is closed or the accounts are disconnected.
- Guarantee the close fills. It sends a close request; your broker decides.

Common causes of a mismatch are orders placed directly on a follower, fills that differ, a rejected copy, a size that rounds to 0, a disconnect, and a position that was open before the profile started.

## Turning a follower back on

1. **Check both accounts.** Look at the leader's and follower's positions and working orders in your broker platform.
2. **Fix the cause.** Close or match the follower's position at the broker, and deal with whatever caused the mismatch.
3. **Turn the follower on.** Use its switch on the profile card. It copies the leader's next trades; it doesn't catch up on the current one.

## Check it worked

- A short mismatch that clears within the delay causes no action.
- A mismatch that outlasts the delay produces the warning and the close you expect.

## If something goes wrong

- Protection didn't act: check it's on for this profile, the follower is on and connected, and each account has only one instrument open.
- The follower stays off: that's Disengage after protection. Turn it back on once it's safe.
- The close failed: manage the position at your broker now.

## Sources

- https://copilink.com/standalone/user-guide/follower-protection
- https://copilink.com/standalone
- https://copilink.com/standalone/user-guide/safety-and-limitations