# Pulse Quick Start

> Use Pulse Focus for live charts with GEX, Net Flow, VWAP, moving averages, drawings, and futures live ticks.

Source: https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/pulse/quick-start (updated 2026-08-04)

Get oriented in one session. **Pulse** is the dashboard Focus chart - a single-ticker candle view with dealer overlays, session tools, and drawing tools. It covers equities, indices, and CME futures roots (ES, NQ, and the rest). It is **not** the full [Futures Echo Map](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/futures/echo-map-guide) heatmap.

## Dealer Edge first, Pulse second

**Dealer Edge** is the research-desk view: every strike and expiration on a grid. **Pulse** is the trading-desk view: the same dealer information plotted on price while you trade.

Recommended workflow:

1. **Dealer Edge (GEX)** - Anchor, Flip, Defense, GEX Rating
2. **Dealer Edge (Charm)** - strongest Charm strike above/below price
3. **Pulse** - confirm GEX + Charm Drift on the chart, then add filters

Full template, playbooks, and daily worksheet: [Charm + Pulse Workflow](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/dealeredge-charm-pulse-workflow).

## Open Pulse

1. Sign in at [app.tradeecho.com](https://app.tradeecho.com).
2. In the left sidebar, click **Pulse** (route `/pulse`).
3. You can also open Pulse from the **Hub** Pulse tile - same Focus chart.

Type a ticker in the toolbar search (same SymbolSearch as Dealer Edge). Examples: `SPY`, `QQQ`, `/ES`, `NQ`. Favorites and recents sync with Dealer Edge.

Timeframes run from scalp to swing: **1m, 3m, 5m, 15m, 30m, 1H, 2H, 4H, D, W**.

## Pulse vs Dealer Edge Focus vs Echo Map

| | **Pulse** | **Dealer Edge Focus** | **Futures Echo Map** |
|---|-----------|----------------------|----------------------|
| **Best for** | One chart with candles, overlays, and drawings | Per-ticker dealer positioning deep-dive | Full futures dealer map with heatmap + CVD |
| **Symbols** | Equities, indices, futures roots | Equities / index underlyings | CME futures only |
| **Core view** | Candlestick Focus chart | Focus panel + heatmap context | Price-by-time heatmap, volume profile, gamma lines |
| **Live data** | Auto: Live (equity Focus SSE or futures Echo Map SSE) | Focus SSE + heatmap refresh | Echo Map SSE (mapDelta, quotes, cursor) |
| **Drawings** | Yes - left gutter toolbar | No | No |

Use Pulse when you want a clean chart with GEX, flow, and your own levels. Use Echo Map when you need the full pressure heatmap, value area, and CVD strip on futures.

## Modes and overlays

Open **Modes** on the toolbar to toggle overlays. Active modes show as chips on the bar.

| Overlay | What it adds |
|---------|----------------|
| **GEX** | Dealer gamma levels (Anchor, Flip, walls) on the chart. On equities, levels update from Focus SSE while **Auto: Live** is on. |
| **Gravity Path** | Forward dealer-gravity arc toward the anchor through 1D/2D/3D window (with expiration lens pills). [Setup and read guide](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/pulse/gravity-path). |
| **Net Flow** | Session call vs put premium bias as a histogram pane (intraday minute timeframes). |
| **Charm Drift** | Time-decay drift lens from the same gamma snapshot (equities only). Can render with or without GEX level lines. |
| **VWAP** | Session VWAP line (under BT Cloud in Modes). |
| **Moving Avg** | Up to four EMA or SMA lines (defaults EMA14, SMA50, EMA50). Master toggle plus per-line type, period, and color. |
| **Hover OHLC** | Top-left legend under the crosshair: OHLC plus active overlay values (GEX, Net Flow, Charm, VWAP, MAs). Toggle off to hide. |
| **Drawing tools** | Enables the left gutter draw toolbar (see below). |

Equity-only extras in Modes include **Dark Pool** levels and **BT Cloud** (EMA/SMA cloud fills). Futures roots hide GEX, Net Flow, Dark Pool, and Charm - the chart is price and session tools only.

**Style** (toolbar): switch the GEX render between **Lines**, **Bubbles**, and **Channels** when GEX is on.

**Auto: Live / Off**: Live streams forming-bar updates. Off freezes the frame (shows FROZEN). Required for tick-by-tick futures updates on Pulse.

## Drawing tools

Turn on **Drawing tools** in Modes. The toolbar docks in a **left gutter** beside the plot (it does not cover candles).

- **Pan** and **Select** stay as primary buttons.
- **Flyouts** group tools: **Lines** (h-line, h-ray, v-line, trend line, parallel channel, measure), **Fib**, **Shapes** (rectangle, ellipse), **Position** (long/short), **Annotate** (arrow, text, callout), and **View**. Each flyout remembers your last-used tool.
- **Undo / redo**: Cmd/Ctrl+Z and Shift+Z (or Y). Right-click a drawing for duplicate, lock, z-order, delete.
- **Per-timeframe visibility**: context menu or style bar - **All timeframes** vs **This TF only** (`tfScope`). Drawings can show on every interval or only the one you drew on.
- **Keys** panel: Pulse-local shortcuts (draw tools, undo, duplicate, delete).

Drawings save to your account per ticker and **sync between web and the mobile app** - draw a level on desktop and it is there on your phone. A local copy keeps working offline. Magnet snap, multi-select, and style (color, opacity) are available from the style bar and context menu.

### Alerts from your levels

Your drawn levels can watch the tape for you:

- **Right-click a drawn line** and choose **Add alert on this drawing** - the alert arms at the line's price.
- **Right-click empty chart** to set an alert at that price without drawing first.
- The **bell icon** on the draw toolbar opens the **alerts manager** panel - list, edit, re-arm, and delete your alerts in one place.
- A server-side scanner checks your alerts roughly **every minute** - you do not need to keep the chart open.
- Alerts work on **web and the mobile app**, and alerts created on one platform show on the other.

## Chart types

Use the **Style** control on the toolbar (separate from overlay Style):

- **Candles** (Trade Echo default)
- **Line**
- **Area**
- **Heikin-Ashi**

Theme can stay Trade Echo or switch to **BT Cloud** candle styling when BT Cloud mode is on.

## Futures on Pulse

Search a futures root - `ES`, `NQ`, `MES`, `MNQ`, `RTY`, `YM`, `CL`, `GC`, `ZN` - and Pulse loads Globex-session candles from the futures bars API.

- **Auto: Live** opens the same Echo Map SSE stream used on `/futures` (`/futures/echo-map/:root/stream`). Last ticks update the **forming bar** (cursor and mapDelta price bar when available).
- **Best feel on minute timeframes** (1m, 3m, 5m, 15m, 30m). Hourly and daily use REST backfill only.
- Equity overlays (GEX, Net Flow, Charm, Dark Pool) are hidden on futures roots.
- For the full dealer map - pressure heatmap, volume profile, gamma walls, CVD, replay, and session lenses - open **Futures** and use the [Echo Map](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/futures/echo-map-guide).

Globex closed or a quiet tape means little movement on the forming bar even with Live on.

## Recommended starting overlays

Turn on **GEX + Charm Drift first** (equities). Add **Net Flow**, **Dark Pool**, or **BT Cloud** only when you need confirmation - not by default.

| Overlay | When to add |
|---------|-------------|
| **GEX + Charm Drift** | Always (equities) - structure + time pressure on the chart |
| **Net Flow** | Confirm or challenge dealer bias with session premium |
| **Dark Pool** | Reaction zones at institutional prints |
| **BT Cloud** | Trend context over dealer levels |

**Style (toolbar):** **Lines** for fast intraday reads, **Bubbles** for magnitude, **Channels** for streaming and zone trading.

**Session defaults:** **RTH**, **5m** timeframe, **Auto: Live**. Use **Fit** after reviewing earlier price action.

## 60-second first session

1. Complete the [Dealer Edge 60-second GEX read](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/quick-start) and [Charm location check](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/charm-lens) for your symbol.
2. Open **Pulse** from the sidebar and enter the same symbol (`SPY`, or `/ES` for futures).
3. Pick **5m** and turn **Auto: Live** on.
4. Open **Modes** - enable **GEX** and **Charm Drift** (equities) or skip overlays on futures.
5. Hover the chart - confirm levels match Dealer Edge Key Levels.
6. Optionally add **Net Flow** or **Dark Pool** as a filter.
7. Enable **Drawing tools** if you want trigger/invalidation lines on structure.

## Related

- [Gravity Path](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/pulse/gravity-path) - forward dealer arc setup and read template
- [Charm + Pulse Workflow](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/dealeredge-charm-pulse-workflow) - full daily routine and live read template
- [Reading the Echo Map](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/futures/echo-map-guide) - full futures heatmap, CVD, and gamma on `/futures`
- [Futures Quick Start](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/futures/quick-start) - Echo Map in five minutes
- [Dealer Edge Quick Start](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/quick-start) - heatmap and Focus panel behind Pulse overlays
- [Net Flow](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/net-flow) - what the Net Flow overlay measures
- [GEX Heatmap Guide](https://tradeecho.com/docs/features/dealeredge/gex-heatmap-guide) - gamma levels Pulse draws on equities

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*Trade Echo docs are for product education only - not financial advice.*