Get Chart Buddy
Install the Chart Buddy Chrome extension and bring it onto your TradingView charts. A full setup walkthrough is on the way — for now, grab the extension below and you're ready to go.
Install Chart Buddy from the Chrome Web Store — free with full membership.
[Content protected for Micros Trader Member members only]Chart Buddy In Action
Chart Buddy
A custom launcher bar that turns multi-step TradingView tasks into one-click actions — build your own buttons, swap saved layouts, cycle through timeframes, and clean up your object tree from a single floating panel pinned to your chart.
What Chart Buddy Does
Chart Buddy is a custom launcher bar for TradingView that turns multi-step chart tasks into one-click actions. It lives as a floating panel pinned to the side of your chart, ready to fire whatever workflow you have configured behind each button.
Every action TradingView lets you take — switching symbols, changing timeframes, toggling indicators, showing or hiding folders, adjusting chart scaling, switching layouts — normally lives buried in a menu, a dropdown, or a keyboard shortcut you may or may not remember. Chart Buddy lets you bind any combination of those actions to a single button you name, label, and arrange yourself.
The result is a personalized control surface that matches your trading style. Press one button to load your morning scalp setup. Press another to flip to the post-lunch power hour layout. Press another to start cycling through your top-down timeframes automatically. The friction of running a disciplined chart workflow drops to zero.
The Core Idea: TradingView is powerful, but every action takes 3–7 clicks through menus you'd rather not navigate during live trading. Chart Buddy compresses those click chains into single buttons you build once and use forever — so your attention stays on price, not on the platform.
Custom Action Buttons
Bind any combination of symbol, timeframe, indicators, folders, and scaling to a single button. Configure unlimited actions.
Quick Toggles
One-click on/off control for any indicator or folder on your chart — no more hunting through the Object Tree.
Saved Layouts
Swap entire TradingView chart layouts instantly. Scalp layout, swing layout, prep layout — all one click away.
Timeframe Cycle
Auto-rotate through your selected timeframes at any interval. Perfect for systematic top-down analysis.
Object Tree Cleanup
Auto-group your indicators by day, by folder, or however you choose — keeps TradingView's Object Tree organized.
One-Click Screenshot
Capture and download the current chart with a single button press. No menus, no dialogs, no friction.
Cross-Device Sync
Optional Chrome sync carries your buttons, layouts, toggles, and settings to every device signed into the same Chrome account.
Why Click Less, Trade More
Every futures trader has the same recurring micro-frustration: TradingView is a magnificent charting platform, but doing the simple things requires too many clicks. Switching symbols means typing into the search box. Changing timeframes means opening a menu. Turning an indicator on means scrolling through the Object Tree to find it. Loading a different layout means opening yet another dropdown. None of it is hard. All of it is tedious.
Tedium adds up. Over a single trading session, those small clicks accumulate into real time and real distraction. Worse, that distraction lands at the exact moments when your attention needs to be on the chart — during the open, during news, during fast moves where seconds decide outcomes.
The best traders aren't faster clickers. They've simply removed the need to click. Your environment should make the right action effortless and the wrong action obvious. That's what a personal launcher does — it turns every common workflow into a single, deliberate keystroke.
— Chart Buddy Design PhilosophyThe Cost of Hidden Menus
A typical TradingView workflow — loading the right symbol, switching to your trading timeframe, enabling your indicators, hiding the irrelevant ones, and adjusting scaling — can take 15 to 25 clicks across half a dozen menus. None of it is hard. All of it costs you focus.
Chart Buddy treats every one of those workflows as a single button. Build the sequence once. Click it forever.
The Personal Toolbar
Every trader works differently. The futures scalper needs micro-timeframe toggling. The swing trader needs daily and weekly layout swaps. The Battle Plan trader needs morning prep, mid-session checks, and a power-hour reset. No fixed toolbar can serve all of those workflows — but a launcher you build yourself can.
- Add as many action buttons as you need.
- Label them whatever makes sense in your head.
- Group them by morning, midday, and afternoon.
- Choose number labels for compact mode or name labels for clarity.
- Pin the launcher exactly where you want it on screen.
Members Only — On Purpose
Chart Buddy is gated to MicrosTrader.com members. The extension verifies your TradingView username against the active member list before unlocking. This is not about being exclusive — it's about being honest with everyone who installs it. Membership-only tools belong to members.
The Floating Launcher Bar
The launcher is a draggable floating panel that sits on top of your TradingView chart. It shows your action buttons, toggles, layouts, and the cycle control, all in one place. Drag it to any corner of the chart — your position is remembered per device.
Example launcher bar with action buttons (gold), toggles (blue), saved layouts (dark blue), and timeframe cycle (light gold).
Button Anatomy
Each button in the launcher is one of four types, color-coded so you can tell at a glance what kind of workflow it triggers.
Action Buttons — Gold
Multi-step workflows. A single press can change the symbol, switch timeframe, toggle indicators on or off, adjust scaling, and more. The headline feature of Chart Buddy.
Toggle Buttons — Blue
Show or hide a single indicator or folder. Each press reads the chart's current visibility state and applies the opposite — your toggles never drift out of sync with what's actually visible.
Layout Buttons — Dark Blue
Swap to a saved TradingView chart layout. Your unsaved changes on the current layout are automatically saved before the swap so nothing is lost.
Cycle Button — Light Gold
Starts or stops the auto-rotation through your configured timeframes. Each tick advances to the next timeframe at the interval you set.
Label Modes
Two ways to label your buttons. Pick whichever matches your screen real estate and reading style.
- Numbers Only — Compact gold buttons numbered 1–N. The action name appears on hover. Best for traders with many actions who want the launcher to stay small.
- Names Only — Wider buttons showing the action name, left-aligned. Best for traders who want to scan and find a button at a glance without hovering.
Font Sizes
Five sizes from Tiny (10px) to Extra Large (19px). Match the size to your screen resolution and how far you sit from the monitor — readability matters more than visual minimalism when you're trading live.
Show / Hide the Launcher
Click the Chart Buddy icon in your Chrome toolbar to toggle the launcher's visibility on the current TradingView chart. Your visibility preference is remembered per device, so hiding the launcher on your laptop won't hide it on your main rig.
Feature Reference
Custom Action Buttons
Build one-click buttons that fire entire chart workflows in a single press. Each button can set the symbol, switch the timeframe, toggle specific indicators on or off, show or hide entire folders, adjust the vertical range, set bars visible, change the right offset, and apply scaling — all in one tap.
What it tells you: Nothing — this feature acts. It's the headline capability of the extension. Configure once, fire forever.
Quick Toggles
One-click on/off control for any single indicator or folder. Unlike action buttons (which fire a multi-step workflow), a toggle does exactly one thing: it flips the visibility of one item.
Why it matters: Toggles read the chart's current visibility state every time, then apply the opposite. You never end up with a button that says "ON" while the indicator is actually hidden — the chart is the source of truth.
Saved Layouts
Bind any of your saved TradingView chart layouts to a button. When you press it, Chart Buddy auto-saves any unsaved changes on the current layout, then switches to the new one. Optionally, the new layout can apply specific scaling, bars-visible, and right-offset values after it loads so your zoom level matches what you expect.
Practical use: Build a layout for each phase of your day — morning prep, RTH open, lunch lull, power hour, post-close review — and switch between them in one click instead of digging through the Layouts dropdown.
Timeframe Cycle
Auto-rotate through your selected timeframes at a configurable interval. Set up a step-through workflow (Daily → 1H → 15M → 5M → 1M) and let Chart Buddy walk you through each timeframe automatically while you read structure.
Practical use: Top-down analysis becomes effortless. Hit Start Cycle, watch each timeframe for a few seconds, and let your eyes build context without your hands leaving the keyboard.
Object Tree Cleanup
Auto-group your TradingView indicators inside the native Object Tree. Three modes available: off (no grouping), group by day (indicators added today vs. earlier), or group into a specific folder of your choice. The cleanup runs automatically as you work — no manual organization required.
Why it matters: TradingView's Object Tree fills up with dozens of indicator clones over time. Chart Buddy keeps the tree organized in the background so you can find what you're looking for without scrolling.
One-Click Chart Screenshot
Trigger TradingView's native chart screenshot capture with a single press. The screenshot downloads instantly to your downloads folder — no right-click menus, no share dialogs.
Practical use: Drag the resulting PNG into your trading journal, Discord, or notes app. Most useful when you want to capture a setup before it plays out so you can review it later.
Cross-Device Sync
Optional Chrome sync via chrome.storage.sync. When enabled, your action buttons, toggles, layouts, cycle setup, included indicator pool, and settings roam across every device signed into the same Chrome account. Window position and per-device caches stay local.
Why it's optional: Sync stays off by default. Many traders only use Chart Buddy on one machine and don't need to add a sync layer. Flip the toggle in Settings when you want it, flip it off when you don't.
Complete Settings Guide
Membership Group
| Setting | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TradingView Username | — | Enter the username your MicrosTrader.com membership is tied to. Click Verify to check status. Chart Buddy re-verifies silently every 30 days. |
| Verified Status | — | Shows ✓ Verified with date when active, or "✗ Not a current member" if verification fails. Re-enter and click Verify if you change usernames. |
Launcher Bar Group
| Setting | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Label Mode | Numbers Only | Numbers Only = compact gold buttons numbered 1–N with hover tooltips. Names Only = wider buttons showing the action name. |
| Font Size | Medium (15px) | Five sizes: Tiny (10px), Small (12px), Medium (15px), Large (17px), Extra Large (19px). Match to your monitor and viewing distance. |
| Launcher Position | Top-left of chart | Drag the launcher header to reposition. Position is saved per device — moving on your laptop won't affect your main rig. |
| Visibility | On | Click the Chart Buddy toolbar icon to toggle. Per-device preference. |
Auto-Grouping Group
| Setting | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-Group Mode | Off | Off = no grouping. Day = group indicators added today into a "Today" folder. Folder = move new indicators into a specific named folder. |
| Auto-Group Folder | — | Used only when Auto-Group Mode is set to Folder. Pick any existing folder from the dropdown. |
Sync Across Devices Group
| Setting | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sync Settings Across Devices | Off | When on, your action buttons, toggles, layouts, cycle setup, and settings sync via your Google account. Window position and local caches stay on this device. |
Action Editor — Per-Button Settings
| Setting | Notes |
|---|---|
| Action Name | What the button is labeled. Keep it short for Names Only mode (e.g. "ES 3M", "Scalp", "Morning Prep"). |
| Symbol | Optional. Leave blank to keep the current symbol. Enter a full TradingView symbol (e.g. ES1!, MES1!) to switch. |
| Timeframe | The chart timeframe this action sets (1m, 3m, 5m, 15m, 30m, 1H, 4H, D, W). |
| Right Offset (bars) | How many bars of empty space to leave on the right of the chart after the action runs. Default 100. |
| Vertical Range (pts) | The price-range height for the chart. Sets the zoom level after the action runs. Default 300. |
| Bars Visible | The number of bars visible on the chart after the action runs. Combined with vertical range, controls your zoom precisely. |
| Indicators (checkboxes) | Pick which of your included indicators to turn on. Anything unchecked is turned off if visible. |
| Folders (checkboxes) | Pick which indicator folders to show or hide. Useful for grouping related tools. |
Building Action Buttons
Action buttons are the heart of Chart Buddy. Each button is a saved workflow that can change your symbol, timeframe, visible indicators, folders, and chart scaling — all in one click. This section walks through how to build one from scratch.
The Action Editor
Open the Chart Buddy options page, click the Actions tab, then click "+ Add Action" to open the action editor. You'll see a form with every option you can configure for the button.
Fill in only what you want this button to change. Anything you leave blank stays as it is when the button fires — so an action that only sets the timeframe will leave the current symbol and indicators alone, while an action that sets everything will completely reconfigure the chart.
Don't try to make one button do everything. Build small, purposeful actions and arrange them in the order you actually use them during the day. A button that just switches to 3-minute is more useful than a single button that does fifteen things you might not always want.
— Chart Buddy Action DesignCommon Action Patterns
- Timeframe-Only Actions — Bind 3M, 10M, 30M as three separate buttons. The fastest way to switch timeframes without leaving the keyboard.
- Symbol-and-Timeframe Combos — "ES 3M" sets the symbol to ES1! AND the timeframe to 3-minute. Useful when you trade multiple instruments and want one button per setup.
- Full Workspace Reset Actions — "Morning Scalp" sets symbol, timeframe, turns on Essentials and Battle Plan indicators, turns off everything else, and applies a specific zoom level. One click and you're ready for the open.
- Indicator Pack Toggles — Build an action that only flips a group of related indicators on without changing anything else on the chart. "Show Volume Pack" or "Show News Pack" patterns.
- Scaling-Reset Actions — A button that just applies your preferred vertical range and bars-visible values. Use after exploring a chart to snap back to your standard view.
Reordering and Editing
The Actions tab shows every button you've created in order. Drag the handle on the left to reorder. Click Edit on any action to reopen its editor and change configuration. Click Delete to remove an action — the button is removed from the launcher immediately and your other actions renumber accordingly.
The Included Pool
Chart Buddy reads your TradingView Object Tree and shows every indicator and folder available on your account. From the Object Tree tab, check which indicators you want to make available to your actions. Only items in your included pool show up as options in the action editor — keeps the editor focused on what you actually use.
Saved Layouts & Timeframe Cycle
Two of Chart Buddy's most powerful features manage chart context at a higher level than individual actions — saved layouts switch your entire workspace in a click, and the timeframe cycle walks you through multiple timeframes automatically.
Saved Layouts
A TradingView layout is the entire saved state of your chart — symbol, timeframe, indicators, drawings, scaling. Most traders have several layouts saved for different purposes but rarely use them because the Layouts dropdown is buried and slow.
Chart Buddy lets you bind your favorite layouts to launcher buttons. Press the button and the layout swaps instantly. Before the swap, Chart Buddy auto-saves any unsaved changes on the current layout — so jumping between layouts never loses your work.
Layout Post-Load Settings
Each layout button can apply specific scaling values after the layout finishes loading. Useful because TradingView sometimes doesn't restore the exact zoom level you saved. Specify your preferred vertical range, bars visible, and right offset and the button will apply them after a brief delay to ensure the new layout has settled.
The Timeframe Cycle
The cycle automatically rotates through a list of timeframes (or actions, in advanced mode) at a configurable interval. Press the Cycle button to start; press it again to stop.
Auto Mode vs. Manual Mode: Auto mode picks timeframes for you (1m → 5m → 15m → 30m → 1H → D). Manual mode lets you define the exact list of steps — useful if you only want to cycle through 3M and 30M back and forth, or if you want each step to fire a full action (with indicators and scaling, not just a timeframe).
Cycle Settings
- Interval — How many seconds each timeframe stays on screen before advancing. Default 1800 (30 minutes), but most traders prefer 30–60 seconds for active review.
- Mode — Auto (default list) or Manual (your custom list of steps).
- Steps — When in Manual mode, the list of timeframes or actions to cycle through.
Practical Cycle Workflows
- Pre-Open Top-Down — Cycle Daily → 4H → 1H → 30M → 15M → 5M at 20-second intervals while you read structure. By the time you've made one full loop, you have full multi-timeframe context.
- Indicator Refresh — Set a cycle that alternates between two timeframes every 10 seconds during slow markets so your eyes stay engaged with new visual information.
- Multi-Setup Scan — Use Manual mode to cycle between three full actions: ES 30M Scalp, MES 5M Lotto, ES Battle Plan View. One full cycle reviews all your active setups.
Object Tree Cleanup
TradingView's Object Tree is a powerful way to manage indicators and drawings — but it gets messy quickly. Chart Buddy's auto-grouping feature keeps the tree organized in the background so you can find what you need without scrolling through dozens of clones.
Three Modes
Off
No auto-grouping. New indicators land at the top of the tree wherever TradingView puts them. Use this if you prefer to organize the tree manually.
Day
Indicators added today are auto-grouped into a "Today" folder. Older indicators stay in their existing locations. The Today folder is recreated daily so yesterday's experiments don't clutter today's tree.
Folder
Indicators added to the chart are automatically moved into a specific folder of your choice. Useful for traders who maintain a permanent organizational structure (e.g. "Daily Setup" folder that contains your core indicators, "Experimental" folder for things you're testing).
How It Works
Chart Buddy watches TradingView's Object Tree in the background. When a new indicator appears, it's moved to the configured target folder within seconds. Existing indicators are not touched unless you explicitly drag them — your established organization stays intact.
When to enable: If you frequently add and remove indicators while testing setups, enable Day mode. If you have a permanent set of indicators you always want grouped, enable Folder mode and point it at your designated folder. If you rarely add new indicators, leave it Off.
Combining With Action Buttons
The cleanest workflow combines an action button (to toggle indicator visibility) with auto-grouping (to organize the tree). Your action button hides indicators you don't currently want to see; auto-grouping keeps the underlying tree organized so when you do open it, you can navigate cleanly.
Daily Trading Workflow
How to integrate Chart Buddy into a typical futures trading day — from pre-market preparation through RTH close, with concrete examples of action buttons that earn their place on your launcher.
Initial Setup (One-Time)
- Verify your membership. Open Settings, enter your TradingView username, click Verify. Wait for the green check.
- Visit the Object Tree tab. Refresh and check the indicators and folders you want to use across your actions. This becomes your "included pool" — the items available when you build actions.
- Build your first three actions. Start simple — pick three timeframes you use most (e.g., 3M, 10M, 30M) and bind each to its own action button. No indicator toggling, no scaling — just timeframe changes.
- Position the launcher. Drag the launcher to your preferred corner of the chart. Position is remembered per device.
- Pick your label mode. Numbers Only if you want maximum compactness; Names Only if you want at-a-glance readability.
Pre-Market Workflow (~7:00–9:30 AM ET)
- Load your "Morning Prep" layout — A saved layout containing your overnight session indicators, news heatmap, and the daily timeframe. One click sets the entire workspace.
- Start the cycle for top-down review — Daily → 4H → 1H → 30M → 15M → 5M at 20-second intervals. Read structure while it runs.
- Stop the cycle and lock in your bias — Once you've seen the full hierarchy, stop the cycle and pull up your trading timeframe.
RTH Open (9:30–10:30 AM ET)
- One-click to "Open Setup" — A full action that switches symbol to ES (or MES), timeframe to your open-trading timeframe, turns on Essentials + Battle Plan + Volume indicators, hides everything else, and applies a specific zoom.
- Use Quick Toggles for clutter control — If you want to hide an indicator mid-trade, one click on its toggle. One click to bring it back.
- One-click screenshot when a setup forms — Capture the chart at the moment of decision so you can review later regardless of outcome.
Midday and Lunch (11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET)
- One-click to "Midday Review" layout — Wider zoom, longer-timeframe focus, news indicators visible. Lets the market chop while you read deeper structure.
- Cycle through your active charts — If you trade multiple instruments, use Manual cycle mode to rotate through all of them at 30-second intervals so you don't miss a setup on a chart you're not actively watching.
Power Hour and Close (3:00–4:00 PM ET)
- One-click to "Power Hour" layout or action — Tighter timeframe, your closing-session indicators, your preferred scaling. Be ready when the last hour starts.
- Screenshot every trade — Use the screenshot button generously. Capture entries, capture exits, capture missed setups. Drag them into your trading journal at end of day.
Post-Close (4:00–5:00 PM ET)
- One-click to "Review" layout — Full RTH session view, all your indicators visible, daily timeframe in a sub-pane if you have one. Walk through the day.
- Open the Battle Plan layout for tomorrow if you have one prepared — One click and you're ready to take notes for tomorrow's setup.
The Test: If you find yourself using TradingView's native menus more than the launcher during a session, your launcher isn't doing its job. Audit which workflows you're still doing manually and convert each one into an action. Within a week, your hands should rarely leave the launcher.
Quick Reference Card
Button Color Legend
| Color | Type | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Action | Multi-step workflow — symbol, timeframe, indicators, folders, scaling all in one press |
| Blue | Toggle | Show or hide a single indicator or folder — flips the chart's current visibility |
| Dark Blue | Layout | Swap to a saved TradingView layout — auto-saves current changes first |
| Light Gold | Cycle | Start or stop auto-rotating through your configured timeframes/actions |
Toolbar Icon States
| Appearance | Meaning | Click Action |
|---|---|---|
| Full color (gold lightning bolt) | You're on a TradingView tab and Chart Buddy is ready | Toggle launcher visibility on the current chart |
| Grayed out | You're not on a TradingView tab — Chart Buddy is inactive | Disabled — switch to TradingView to use Chart Buddy |
Action Button Building Blocks
| Field | What It Controls | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | What instrument loads (ES1!, MES1!, etc.) | Leave blank to keep current symbol |
| Timeframe | Chart period (1m, 3m, 5m, 15m, 30m, 1H, etc.) | Required — every action sets a timeframe |
| Indicators | Which indicators to show (checked) or hide (unchecked) | Builds your "visible set" — what's in stays, what's not goes |
| Folders | Which folders to show or hide | Faster than toggling individual indicators when you group them |
| Right Offset (bars) | Empty space on the right of the chart | Default 100 — increase for more breathing room |
| Vertical Range (pts) | Price-range height of the chart | Smaller = more zoomed in. Default 300 for ES |
| Bars Visible | How many bars on screen | Combined with vertical range, controls the precise zoom |
Setup Time vs. Time Saved
| Time Spent Building | Time Saved Per Session | ROI |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min building 5 core actions | ~3 minutes of clicks avoided per session | Pays back in 5 sessions, free forever after |
| 30 min building 3 saved layout buttons | ~2 minutes of layout-swap friction avoided | Pays back in 15 sessions, frees focus on trades |
| 10 min configuring the cycle | Daily top-down analysis becomes effortless | Compounds — disciplined prep becomes automatic |
Daily Workflow Snapshot
| Phase | Chart Buddy Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Open | Load "Morning Prep" layout + start cycle | Multi-timeframe top-down read in one minute |
| RTH Open | "Open Setup" action button | Workspace ready in one click — no hunting |
| Mid-Session | Quick Toggles for clutter control | Hide and show indicators on demand without menus |
| Lunch | "Midday Review" layout | Wider context while market chops |
| Power Hour | "Power Hour" action | Tight timeframe + close indicators ready |
| Post-Close | "Review" layout + screenshots | Walk through the day, capture lessons |
The Bottom Line: Chart Buddy is a tool you build into your edge. The first hour you spend configuring action buttons pays back every trading day for the rest of your career. Start with three buttons. Add a fourth when you find a click chain you keep doing manually. Within a month, the launcher will run your session — and your focus will live where it belongs: on price.
