Fix a Disconnected Broker
Last updated July 3, 2026
When a broker link expires or disconnects, bots on that broker stop opening new trades and open trades there stop being monitored until you reconnect. Here is how to spot a broken link, decode every status the page can show, and fix each one.
How tradeSteward tells you
- A banner at the bottom of trading pages warns that a broker link needs attention, with a shortcut to Manage your Linked Brokerages.
- On Manage Linked Brokers itself, a notice reports that the link to one or more of your brokerage accounts has been suspended, with a link to recreate it.
- The broker row's Status icon turns to a broken link, and its accounts show Not linked under Link Status.
- For Charles Schwab, you get warned before the break: an expiration banner appears ahead of the deadline and the Schwab rows show Tokens Stale. See Connect Charles Schwab for the 7-day rule.
While a broker is disconnected, bots cannot open new trades on its accounts, and open trades there are no longer monitored for stops, timed exits, or profit targets. Reconnect promptly if you have positions on.
Reconnect the broker
- Go to Manage Linked Brokers.
- On the affected broker's row, click Reconnect Broker (or Update if the link is still active).
- Log in at your broker in the popup and approve the connection. If no popup appears, allow popups for tradeSteward in your browser.
- When the page reloads, confirm the broker row shows Linked and your accounts show Acct Status OK.
- Re-check what was turned off in the meantime: the Enabled switches on your accounts and the enabled state of your bots on View Bots.
Reconnecting restores the data link, but it does not undo anything the outage switched off. Accounts and bots that were disabled along the way stay disabled until you re-enable them, so step 5 is the difference between "linked again" and "trading again".
What Link Status means
| Link Status | Meaning and fix |
|---|---|
| Linked | The authorization is healthy. Nothing to do. |
| Tokens Stale | Schwab only: the weekly reauthorization is due before the next market close. Click Update and log in at Schwab. |
| Not linked | The authorization is missing or expired. Use Reconnect Broker and approve at your broker. |
| Account Closed | The account is no longer part of the linked username, usually after a username change or closing the account at the broker. |
| Not eligible | A legacy account type that can no longer be linked. |
What Acct Status means
Link Status covers the authorization; Acct Status covers whether the account itself can trade:
| Acct Status | Meaning and fix |
|---|---|
| OK | The account is ready to trade. |
| Missing privileges | The account lacks required trading privileges. Sign your broker's exchange agreements, confirm options approval and realtime quotes, then click Refresh Brokerage Accounts. |
| Margin call | The broker reports an active margin call on the account. Resolve it with your broker. |
| Restricted | The broker reports the account as restricted from trading. Contact your broker to clear the restriction. |
| Bots disabled | Bot trading has been administratively disabled on this account. Contact support. |
| Closed | The account is closed or no longer visible under the linked username. |
Common causes when reconnecting does not fix it
- Wrong username: tradeSteward links one username per broker. Authorizing with a different username closes the accounts from the old one and replaces them. Reconnect with the username that owns your trading accounts.
- Account already registered: a brokerage account can be linked to only one tradeSteward login at a time; a second link attempt fails. Remove it from the other tradeSteward account first (its owner must delete the account there), then link it here.
- Changes made at the broker have not shown up: after signing agreements or opening accounts, click Refresh Brokerage Accounts. Refreshes are limited to once every five minutes.
- TradeStation connection keeps dropping: someone is logged into TradeStation's own platform under the linked username, which forces tradeSteward's connection to disconnect until the conflict clears. Use a dedicated secondary username; see Connect TradeStation.
If none of that clears it, reach out through Contact Support with the broker name and what the Link Status and Acct Status columns show.
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