Choose a bias first — every other item stays locked until you do.
Latest BOS: higher-high → Up, lower-low → Down.
The higher-timeframe trend points the same way.
BOS plus MACD(12,26,9) flipping polarity (crossing the zero line).
Use the swing high and low you just confirmed.
Price has retraced to or beyond the 0.5 fib level (premium / discount).
Golden zone 0.618–0.786 lines up with an order block or fair-value gap.
Up → cross below 50, Down → cross above 50, in line with bias.
A rejection, engulfing or micro-CHoCH on a closed candle.
Crosses the same direction as your bias.
Liquidity sweep, micro-BOS or a confirmed candle close.
XAUUSD: 1.00 lot = 100 oz, so a $1 stop distance ≈ $100 per lot.
How to Use This Checklist
Set your bias first — Buy or Sell. Every other step stays locked until you do, so you can't skip the most important decision.
Work down the five phases in order — Bias, Structure, Fibonacci, Timing (M15 then M5), and Risk. The timing steps unlock one at a time so you confirm M15 before M5.
Fill in the risk inputs — entry, stop, target, risk % and balance. The tool computes your risk:reward and gold lot size live as you type.
Watch the signal bar — it stays grey and locked until every required step passes and RR ≥ 1:2, then turns into a green BUY or red SELL signal.
The Five-Layer SMC Filter
This checklist encodes a Smart Money Concepts (SMC) workflow for trading gold (XAUUSD) into five filters that run in a fixed order. Each layer has to pass before the next one matters — the idea is to force discipline and stop you from entering on half a setup.
The layers, top to bottom, are:
| # | Phase | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bias | Direction from M15 structure, ideally aligned with H1/H4. |
| 2 | Structure | A confirmed swing (BOS) with MACD crossing the zero line. |
| 3 | Fibonacci | Price retraced into the 0.5+ premium/discount zone. |
| 4 | Timing | M15 then M5 stochastic cross plus price action on a closed candle. |
| 5 | Risk | Stop behind structure, target set, RR ≥ 1:2 and risk ≤ 2%. |
MACD "flipping polarity" always means crossing the zero line — the same definition throughout. Price action is only valid on a closed candle; never enter mid-candle.
Why the Entry Button Is Gated
The entry signal only unlocks when three things are true at once: every required item is ticked, a bias is selected, and your reward-to-risk ratio is at least 1:2. Optional items (H1/H4 alignment, OB/FVG confluence) improve the setup but don't block entry.
Gating the button is the whole point of the tool. It turns a mental checklist — the thing every trader means to follow and quietly skips under pressure — into a hard stop. If the button is grey, the setup is not complete, no matter how good the chart looks.