Your First Backtest (Web App)
Walkthrough of building and backtesting a strategy in the Keel web app. CLI-first users should follow Getting Started instead.
Your First Backtest (Web App)
The web app at app.usekeel.io is the visual alternative to the CLI. Same backend, same strategies, same backtests — different surface. In the app you build by talking to the AI agent or by editing the strategy directly on a canvas; there is no drag-and-drop node graph to wire up.
CLI-first users — read Getting Started instead. That's the v1 install path:
pipx install keel-trade+keel auth login+ your agent has full access. This page is for users who'd rather work in the browser.
Prerequisites
- A Keel account (sign up free)
Step 1: Get a Strategy
Three ways, pick one:
- Ask the agent. Every strategy has a chat panel. Describe what you want — "build a momentum strategy on the top 25 perps" — and the agent composes the pipeline for you, explains it, and keeps editing it as you refine the idea.
- Fork from the Library. Open Library in the app, pick a published strategy, and fork it into your account. You get the exact code behind the published run — re-run it yourself to verify.
- Start blank. From Strategies, click New strategy and build in the editor.
Step 2: Understand the Editor
The editor has two views, toggleable in the toolbar:
- Visual — the pipeline as an ordered stack of components (data → signals → sizing → execution). Components run top to bottom; there are no edges to connect.
- Code — the same strategy as Keel DSL source, editable directly.
Both views validate continuously. Errors and warnings appear inline — fix anything red before running. The agent can fix validation issues for you if you ask.
Step 3: Run the Backtest
Click Run Backtest in the toolbar (or just ask the agent to run one). Pick the strategy version, set the date range, and run. Backtests execute server-side against Keel's cached Hyperliquid price + funding history — you can keep working while it runs.
Step 4: Read the Results
The backtest report shows an equity curve plus the core metrics:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Sharpe | Risk-adjusted return — return per unit of volatility |
| Return | Percentage gain/loss over the period |
| Max drawdown | Largest peak-to-trough decline |
| Win rate | Closed trades that made money |
| Trades | Number of trades placed |
A run that placed no trades says so explicitly — the numbers on such a run describe idle capital, not a working strategy. Ask the agent "why didn't this trade?" and it will read the run's own warnings.
What's Next?
- Switch to the CLI / agent flow for keyboard-driven and AI-driven iteration
- Agent Setup — wire your strategy into Claude Code, Cursor, etc.
- Deploy live once you're satisfied with the results — see "Going live" in Getting Started