How to install backtest
npx skills add https://github.com/marketcalls/vectorbt-backtesting-skills --skill backtestFull instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from marketcalls/vectorbt-backtesting-skills.
name: backtest description: Quick backtest a strategy on a symbol. Creates a complete .py script with data fetch, signals, backtest, stats, and plots. argument-hint: "[strategy] [symbol] [exchange] [interval]" allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep
Create a complete VectorBT backtest script for the user.
Arguments
Parse $ARGUMENTS as: strategy symbol exchange interval
$0= strategy name (e.g., ema-crossover, rsi, donchian, supertrend, macd, sda2, momentum)$1= symbol (e.g., SBIN, RELIANCE, NIFTY). Default: SBIN$2= exchange (e.g., NSE, NFO). Default: NSE$3= interval (e.g., D, 1h, 5m). Default: D
If no arguments, ask the user which strategy they want.
Instructions
- Read the vectorbt-expert skill rules for reference patterns
- Create
backtesting/{strategy_name}/directory if it doesn't exist (on-demand) - Create a
.pyfile inbacktesting/{strategy_name}/named{symbol}_{strategy}_backtest.py - Use the matching template from
rules/assets/{strategy}/backtest.pyas the starting point - The script must:
- Load
.envfrom the project root usingfind_dotenv()(walks up from script dir automatically) - Fetch data via
client.history()from OpenAlgo - If user provides a DuckDB path, load data directly via
duckdb.connect(path, read_only=True)instead of OpenAlgo API. Auto-detect format: Historify (market_datatable, epoch timestamps) vs custom (ohlcvtable, date+time). See vectorbt-expertrules/duckdb-data.md. - If
openalgo.tais not importable (standalone DuckDB), use inlineexrem()fallback. - Use TA-Lib for ALL indicators (EMA, SMA, RSI, MACD, BBands, ATR, ADX, STDDEV, MOM)
- Use OpenAlgo ta for specialty indicators (Supertrend, Donchian, Ichimoku, HMA, KAMA, ALMA)
- Use
ta.exrem()to clean duplicate signals (always.fillna(False)before exrem) - Run
vbt.Portfolio.from_signals()withmin_size=1, size_granularity=1 - Indian delivery fees:
fees=0.00111, fixed_fees=20for delivery equity - Fetch NIFTY benchmark via OpenAlgo (
symbol="NIFTY", exchange="NSE_INDEX") - Print full
pf.stats() - Print Strategy vs Benchmark comparison table (Total Return, Sharpe, Sortino, Max DD, Win Rate, Trades, Profit Factor)
- Explain the backtest report in plain language for normal traders
- Generate QuantStats HTML tearsheet if
quantstatsis available - Plot equity curve + drawdown using Plotly (
template="plotly_dark") - Export trades to CSV
- Load
- Never use icons/emojis in code or logger output
- For futures symbols (NIFTY, BANKNIFTY), use lot-size-aware sizing:
- NIFTY:
min_size=65, size_granularity=65(effective 31 Dec 2025) - BANKNIFTY:
min_size=30, size_granularity=30 - Use
fees=0.00018, fixed_fees=20for F&O futures
- NIFTY:
Available Strategies
| Strategy | Keyword | Template |
|---|---|---|
| EMA Crossover | ema-crossover | assets/ema_crossover/backtest.py |
| RSI | rsi | assets/rsi/backtest.py |
| Donchian Channel | donchian | assets/donchian/backtest.py |
| Supertrend | supertrend | assets/supertrend/backtest.py |
| MACD Breakout | macd | assets/macd/backtest.py |
| SDA2 | sda2 | assets/sda2/backtest.py |
| Momentum | momentum | assets/momentum/backtest.py |
| Dual Momentum | dual-momentum | assets/dual_momentum/backtest.py |
| Buy & Hold | buy-hold | assets/buy_hold/backtest.py |
| RSI Accumulation | rsi-accumulation | assets/rsi_accumulation/backtest.py |
Benchmark Rules
- Default: NIFTY 50 via OpenAlgo (
symbol="NIFTY", exchange="NSE_INDEX") - If user specifies a different benchmark, use that instead
- For yfinance: use
^NSEIfor India,^GSPC(S&P 500) for US markets - Always compare: Total Return, Sharpe, Sortino, Max Drawdown
Example Usage
/backtest ema-crossover RELIANCE NSE D
/backtest rsi SBIN
/backtest supertrend NIFTY NFO 5m
Related skills
More from marketcalls/vectorbt-backtesting-skills and the wider catalog.
vectorbt-expert
VectorBT backtesting expert. Use when user asks to backtest strategies, create entry/exit signals, analyze portfolio performance, optimize parameters, fetch historical data, use VectorBT/vectorbt, compare strategies, position sizing, equity curves, drawdown charts, or trade analysis. Also triggers for openalgo.ta helpers (exrem, crossover, crossunder, flip, donchian, supertrend).
optimize
Optimize strategy parameters using VectorBT. Tests parameter combinations and generates heatmaps.
strategy-compare
Compare multiple strategies or directions (long vs short vs both) on the same symbol. Generates side-by-side stats table.
quick-stats
Quickly fetch data and print key backtest stats for a symbol with a default EMA crossover strategy. No file creation needed - runs inline in a notebook cell or prints to console.
setup
Set up the Python backtesting environment. Detects OS, creates virtual environment, installs dependencies (openalgo, ta-lib, vectorbt, plotly), and creates the backtesting folder structure.