Aug 11, 2025 • 14 min read

Top 10 Pine Script Patterns Every Trader Should Know

These building blocks appear in countless robust strategies. Learn them once, reuse them often.

Quick-reference list

MTF Confirmation
Use request.security() to bring HTF trend filters into LTF entries with lookahead_off and confirmed bars.
ATR-based Stops
Size stops/takes by volatility to normalize risk across regimes.
Session Windows
Trade only during liquid hours using the session input or time checks.
Breakout with Regime Filter
Combine Donchian/HH/LL with trend filters to avoid chop.
Momentum Crossovers
EMA/SMA crossovers plus an ADX or slope constraint.
Divergence Checks
Basic RSI divergences for reversals; confirm with structure.
VWAP Anchors
Anchored VWAP around sessions or events to guide pullbacks.
Liquidity Filters
Ignore signals below a volume threshold or around news windows.
Partial Profit Ladders
Scale out at 1R/2R to lock gains and reduce variance.
MTF Volatility Regimes
Adjust position size by HTF ATR or realized volatility.

Example snippets

//@version=6
// 1) MTF confirmation (HTF EMA filter)
emaHtf = request.security(syminfo.tickerid, "60", ta.ema(close, 50), barmerge.gaps_off, barmerge.lookahead_off)
ok = barstate.isconfirmed and close > emaHtf

// 2) ATR stops
atr = ta.atr(14)
stop = close - 1.5 * atr
take = close + 2.5 * atr

// 3) Session window (NY)
inSession = time(timeframe.period, "0930-1600")

Pattern combos that work well

  • Donchian breakout + ADX trending filter + ATR stop + partials at 1R/2R.
  • EMA cross with HTF EMA gate + NY session window + VWAP proximity filter.
  • Mean-reversion RSI + Bollinger bands + no-trade during news (time windows).

Anti-patterns to avoid

  • Unconfirmed HTF signals in LTF execution (repaint risk).
  • Over-plotting too many diagnostics on heavy symbols/timeframes.
  • Optimizing to a razor-thin parameter spike with no OOS validation.

Further reading

Continue with our deep dives on MTF design andbacktest optimization.

Tools to speed up pattern assembly

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