The Journaling System is a fully automated trading journal designed to help you analyze performance, identify patterns, and improve execution using AI-powered insights. Every trade is captured automatically, summarized intelligently, and visualized clearly so you spend less time journaling and more time trading.
Estimated read time is five minutes.
1. What Is the Journaling System?
The Journaling System automatically records every trade you take and transforms raw execution data into actionable insights.
Automatic Trade Capture
All fills from Rithmic are captured in real time.
No manual entries are required.
AI Powered Analysis
Receive daily AI generated summaries that highlight:
Strengths in your trading
Recurring mistakes
Behavioral and timing patterns
Clear improvement suggestions
Visual Analytics
Instant access to:
Calendar based profit and loss view
Equity curves
Win and loss distributions
Performance metrics at a glance
Interactive AI Chat
Ask questions about your trades and receive contextual coaching based on your actual execution data.
Key Benefit
What normally takes more than thirty minutes of manual journaling is completed automatically in seconds.
2. Getting Unlimited AI Access
By default, the system includes limited AI usage. Uploading your own API key unlocks unlimited summaries and deeper analysis.
Why Upload Your Own API Key?
Without your own key:
Five AI requests per day
Shared system resources
Basic model quality
Zero monthly cost
With your own key:
Unlimited AI requests
Dedicated access
Ability to choose your preferred model
Approximately five to fifteen dollars per month based on usage
Supported AI Providers
OpenAI Recommended
Best suited for high quality analysis and consistent results.
Steps:
Go to platform.openai.com
Sign in or create an account
Navigate to the API Keys section
Click Create new secret key
Copy the key which starts with sk proj
Paste it into your journaling settings
Important note:
A payment method is required. Typical usage costs range from ten to fifty cents per daily summary.
Grok by xAI
Best suited for alternative perspectives and real time market context.
Steps:
Go to console.x.ai
Sign in using your X account
Navigate to API Keys
Create a new key
Paste the key into your journaling settings
How to Upload Your API Key
Navigate to Settings then AI Configuration
Select your provider
Paste your API key
Optionally click Test Key
Click Save
Security
API keys are encrypted using AES 128 encryption
Only the last four characters are visible in the interface
Keys are never stored or transmitted in plain text
Recommended Models
OpenAI GPT 4o mini - Approximate cost per summary is $0.10
OpenAI GPT 4o - Approximate cost per summary is $0.30
Grok grok beta - Cost varies based on xAI pricing
3. Daily Summary Workflow
What You Receive
Each daily AI summary includes:
Overall assessment of performance
What went well
Areas for improvement
Patterns noticed in behavior or execution
One clear focus for the next trading session
How to Generate a Daily Summary
Open the Journaling page
Select a date from the calendar
Review the captured trades
Click the Daily AI Summary button
Wait ten to fifteen seconds
Read your personalized analysis
First-time users without an API key will see a reminder about the five summaries per day limit.
What the AI Analyzes
For each trade:
Symbol traded
Long or short direction
Profit or loss in dollars
Entry and exit prices
Entry and exit timestamps
Trade duration
Contract quantity
Daily aggregated statistics include:
Total number of trades
Win and loss count and win rate
Total profit or loss
Largest winning trade
Largest losing trade
Average win compared to average loss
Interactive Follow-Up Questions
After your summary is generated, you can continue the conversation.
Examples:
Why did my afternoon trades perform worse
Should I have held that MNQ trade longer
What is the most common mistake in my losing trades
Do I trade better in the morning or the afternoon
The AI retains the full context of the conversation and all trades from that day.
Saved Summaries
Once generated, summaries are saved permanently. Visiting a past date loads the summary instantly without using additional AI requests.
4. Navigating Your Data
Calendar View
The calendar provides a monthly performance overview:
Green days indicate profitable sessions
Red days indicate losing sessions
Gray days indicate breakeven days or no trades
Daily profit or loss is displayed directly on each date
Click any date to view detailed trade data.
Trade List Table
For each selected date, the table displays:
Symbol
Side long or short
Quantity
Entry and exit prices
Entry and exit times
Duration
Profit or loss
Charts and Visualizations
Account Performance Chart
Displays:
Daily profit and loss bars
Cumulative equity curve
Dual-axis layout for clarity
Win and Loss Distribution
Displays:
Win percentage versus loss percentage
Total trade count in the center
Clear color-coded segments
Trade Details Modal
Clicking a trade opens a detailed view containing:
Full execution details
Performance metrics including ticks, R multiple, MAE, and MFE
Notes editor for personal observations
Trade tags such as A plus setup or revenge trade
Trade-specific AI coaching insights
Historical Data Sync
When you first access the journaling page, the system:
Detects your account creation date
Identifies missing historical trading days
Fetches data directly from Rithmic
Displays sync progress in real time
Caches data locally for instant future access
Final Takeaway
The Journaling System removes friction from trade review and replaces guesswork with structured, data-driven insight. If you trade consistently, this tool becomes one of your strongest performance advantages.