How to avoid duplicate EA trades after moving to a VPS

A common migration mistake is leaving equivalent EA instances active in more than one terminal. Two independent copies can both react to the same signal. A Magic Number labels orders; by itself it is not a cross-computer lock.

Inventory the running copies

List the local terminal, hosted terminal, charts, symbols and settings. For MetaTrader virtual hosting, inspect the migration journal and its platform-specific behaviour. A general Windows VPS is a separate machine and needs its own operating plan.

Choose the active owner

Decide which terminal will send new orders. Confirm that the other copy is inactive for execution before the next signal. Do not close or modify existing positions merely to tidy up a migration.

Verify one signal path

Review the next eligible signal’s timestamps and order comments. If there are duplicate trades, compare terminal logs rather than assuming a broker duplicated one request. Preserve both logs for diagnosis.

Build a repeatable handover

Document start, pause, migration and recovery steps. Editable source can support instance identification and clearer logs. A robust design also handles reconnects and pending requests rather than relying only on a chart label.

Reference and further reading

Start with a free editable EA project · Explore MQLume source code

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