Overview
An index chart tells you where price has been. It does not tell you how option writers and buyers are positioned around that price, and for an options trader that positioning is often the missing half of the picture. Reading an option chain strike by strike, every few minutes, is slow and hard to do consistently.
HFT Algo Scanner does that work on the chart. It looks at options activity across several strikes around the current price and shows the result as stacked columns in a separate pane, in four colours: call writing, put buying, put writing and call buying. The published description calls it an “options flow sentiment scanner” and says it tries to estimate the capital deployed by what it calls “big money” (quoted from TradingView). You read which side carries more weight.
“HFT” is the product’s name. The scanner runs on your TradingView chart; it does not trade, and it has no connection to any high frequency trading firm.
Since its launch in March 2025 the scanner has grown well beyond the columns: a choice of five models, Buy and Sell labels on the chart with a strength filter, a Fund Flow table, automatic strike settings and a single alert that covers all four flows. This page is also the home of the whole HFT family, including the U.S., commodities and automation editions (see Versions).
Who it suits
- Index option traders in India. It covers Nifty, BankNifty, Finnifty, Midcap Nifty and Sensex, with Bankex added in July 2025.
- F&O stock traders. It covers a wide range of F&O stocks, and the list is kept up to date through release notes.
- Day traders, scalpers and swing traders, the three groups the description names, across “multiple timeframes” (quoted from TradingView).
- Traders who want alerts. Since November 2025 one alert can cover put writers, call writers, put buyers and call buyers together.
Who it does not suit
- Anyone looking for tips or calls. The columns and labels are the output of rules applied to market data, not advice.
- Anyone who wants to read or change the code. It is invite only and the source stays private.
- Anyone trading instruments without listed options. The scanner reads options activity, so it needs an underlying with an option chain.
- Anyone expecting a certain outcome. No tool can promise one.
How it works
The idea, from the description
The description says the script performs sentiment analysis on spot price data and “employs options flow analysis across multiple strikes” to estimate the capital deployed by big money, using “a proprietary activity metric unique to this tool” (quoted from TradingView). The cumulative result is drawn as stacked columns. According to the description, the columns are meant to highlight potential reversals and the presence of large buyers or writers, so you can see the build up of positions and judge “which side holds more weight” (quoted from TradingView).
The old Derivatives Indicators site added the author’s reasoning: in the author’s view, large players mostly write options, so the scanner follows significant call and put writing. It also said the scanner estimates the money behind each position, and that roughly equal positions on both sides can point to a flat market.
How the activity metric is calculated is not published. The script is invite only and its logic is proprietary, so this page sticks to the public description and release notes.
What changed over time
The release notes (full table below) tell the story of how the scanner grew. In plain terms:
- March to May 2025: columns and alerts. After launch and “Update 1.0”, the May update let you set alerts separately for put writing, call writing, call buying and put buying.
- June 2025: models. You can now choose which model the scanner uses for its fund flow analysis. The models were then shortened to M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5.
- July 2025: labels on the chart. The biggest update added Buy and Sell signals on the chart, based on the scanner’s data, followed by a signal strength reading and a threshold so labels only appear above a chosen strength. Then came semi automated settings: you enter the current market price and the script works out the rest, with manual mode still available. By 21 July all F&O stocks were set up for auto settings. The same week brought an option to hide the Fund Flow table, a DD/MM/YY date format and cleaner labels that only show values greater than zero.
- August 2025: fixes. Model M5 was fixed for Sensex, with the note that “it’s still better to go with M1 in Sensex” (quoted from TradingView). Automatic strike differences were fixed for more stocks.
- September to October 2025: dynamic features. Updated alerts and a background colour option, a “Dynamic Alert System”, Dynamic ATM, “Quantum HFT Model 5” working in Dynamic Mode, and “one function alert for everything” (quoted from TradingView). Expiry dates were updated.
- November 2025: one alert. A single alert now covers all four flows, with no need to write JSON alert messages.
Along the way, symbols were added (Solar Industries, Bankex, Amber, KFin Technologies, Kaynes) and renamed (Zomato to Eternal). The F&O stock list changes over time, so check the release notes or ask us for the current list rather than relying on an old one.
How to read it on the chart
The four colours
The columns sit in their own pane below the price chart. Each colour is one kind of options activity:
| Colour | Column name | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Light red | Call Short | Call writing (calls being sold) |
| Deep red | Put Buy | Put buying |
| Light green | Put Write | Put writing (puts being sold) |
| Deep green | Call Buy | Call buying |
As a general options reading, call writing and put buying (the reds) both lean bearish, while put writing and call buying (the greens) both lean bullish. The description’s own advice is to look at the build up and judge which side carries more weight. When both sides are of similar size, the old site described that as balanced positioning, which can come with a flat market.
These colours describe estimated activity. They are not recommendations, and they say nothing about whether a trade will make or lose money.
Buy and Sell labels
Since July 2025 the scanner can also place Buy and Sell labels on the chart. By default they are based on call and put writing. You can choose to base them on options buying instead, which the author does not recommend.
Each label carries a signal strength, and you set the minimum strength a label needs before it appears. The default is 2. A higher threshold shows fewer labels; a lower one shows more.
The number on a Buy or Sell label is its strength, on a scale of 1 to 10. The numbers shown above the bars are the same 1 to 10 strength values; they have no units.
Inputs and settings
| Setting | What we know |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The index or stock to analyse (from the description). |
| ATM strike price | You enter the current market price once, when you load the indicator. With Dynamic ATM (added in September 2025) the at-the-money strike then follows the market by itself over a wide range, so you don’t keep changing it. |
| Strike difference | From the description. Set automatically for supported symbols in auto settings mode. |
| Number of strikes to analyse | From the description. |
| Expiry | From the description. Expiry dates are updated by the author. |
| Model | M1 is the main model, built to follow big-money activity in the options data. M2 is tuned for scalping (M1 can be used for scalping too). M5, the “Quantum” model, is tuned for very high-frequency algorithmic activity. On Sensex, the author suggests M1. |
| Signal strength | Labels appear above this value. Default 2. |
| Signal source | Sellers’ (writing) or buyers’ fund flow for Buy and Sell labels. |
| ITM analysis | Optional: turn it on in the settings to include in-the-money strikes. |
| Support and resistance zones | Can be turned on or off. |
| Output mode | Four modes, which can be inverted. The columns use the four colours above: deep green for call buying, light red for call writing, light green for put writing, deep red for put buying. |
| Bar labels | Show only values greater than zero. |
| Fund Flow table | On or off. Shows the fund flow from the pane over a period you choose (the last 60 bars by default). |
| Colours, sizes, background colour | Adjustable; background colour option added September 2025. |
Timeframes
It is built around the 1 minute chart, and also used on 3 and 5 minute charts.
Markets
Indices: Nifty 50, BankNifty, Sensex, Finnifty and Midcap Nifty, per the description and the old site, plus Bankex from July 2025. Stocks: the Nifty 50 stocks and many other F&O stocks. Coverage changes over time; see the release notes.
US markets: a separate version, HFT Algo Scanner for US Stocks and Indices, comes with the US market plan. It reads options flow the same way and has all the Indian edition’s features (since the 7 Aug 2025 update). Its symbols include SPY, GLD, SLV, QQQ, NVDA, TSLA, SPX, IWM, PLTR, SMCI, AAPL, VIX, AMZN, BABA, MSTR, TLT, AMD, KWEB, META, INTC, CELH, SPXW, XSP, NDXP, SQQQ and TQQQ.
Getting started
- Get access. Choose a plan on the pricing page and pay online. The order form asks for your TradingView username; we never ask for your TradingView password.
- Access arrives by itself. Once the payment goes through, the script is added to your TradingView username automatically, usually within a few minutes, and we email you when it’s done.
- Add it to a chart. In TradingView, click Indicators, open Invite-only scripts and choose HFT Algo Scanner.
- Set the symbol and strikes. Pick the index or stock. In auto settings mode, enter the current market price and let the script fill in the rest; switch to manual mode if a symbol is not set up yet.
- Start with the defaults. Keep signal strength at 2 and labels based on writing. On Sensex, the author suggests model M1.
- Tidy the pane. If the chart feels crowded, turn off the Fund Flow table in the settings.
- Scroll back and study. Look at how the four columns built up before past moves, in trends and in sideways sessions, before you act on anything.
- Set one alert if you want notifications. A single alert can cover all four flows. TradingView can deliver it by email, mobile, desktop or webhook. If you send alerts to automation software such as Vyuh, test with small quantities. Every order from your account is your responsibility, and broker and SEBI rules on API and algorithmic orders apply.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Options positioning on the price chart. You see estimated call and put writing and buying next to price, without switching to an option chain.
- A clear four colour scheme. Two reds, two greens, each with one meaning.
- Broad Indian coverage. Five main indices plus Bankex, and many F&O stocks.
- Simpler setup over time. Auto settings, automatic strike differences and Dynamic ATM reduce manual input.
- Flexible alerts. One alert for all four flows, or separate alerts per flow.
- Actively maintained. More than thirty updates between March and November 2025, including symbol additions and expiry date updates.
Limitations
- It is an estimate. The activity metric is the tool’s own and is not published. It cannot see who placed a trade; “big money” is the description’s term for what it infers from options data.
- Settings matter. Strike, strike difference and expiry inputs drive the result. Wrong values, or a symbol not yet set up for auto mode, will give a misleading picture.
- Choices take testing. Several models, four output modes and the dynamic features change what you see; picking between them takes some testing on your market.
- Index flow is not your option’s premium. Positioning across strikes does not tell you how one specific option will move, with time decay and liquidity in play.
- Choppy markets are hard. When writers and buyers are balanced, labels and columns can shift back and forth.
- Buying based labels. The option to base labels on options buying exists, but the author does not recommend it.
- Closed code. Invite only with private source; you can only observe the output.
- No published performance. No figures are given on TradingView or on this site.
Versions
The HFT Algo Scanner exists in several published editions. This page covers the main Indian edition above; the others are listed here.
| Version | Status | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| HFT Algo Scanner | Published, invite only | The main edition for Indian indices and F&O stocks, covered on this page. |
| HFT Algo Scanner For U.S. Stocks & Indices | Published, invite only | U.S. edition, first published 7 Apr 2025. |
| HFT Algo Scanner: Commodities | Published, invite only | Commodities edition, first published 1 Sep 2025. |
| HFT Algo Scanner(Private) | Published, invite only | A private build, first published 13 Nov 2025. |
| HFT Indicator Automation Mode | Published, invite only | “Made for automation”, first published 16 Dec 2025. Has its own guide. |
HFT Algo Scanner For U.S. Stocks & Indices
The U.S. edition (TradingView page) uses the same four colour columns and the same core inputs. Since the 7 Aug 2025 update it has all the Indian edition’s features (models, labels, the Fund Flow table). Its symbols include SPY, GLD, SLV, QQQ, NVDA, TSLA, SPX, IWM, PLTR, SMCI, AAPL, VIX, AMZN, BABA, MSTR, TLT, AMD, KWEB, META, INTC, CELH, SPXW, XSP, NDXP, SQQQ and TQQQ.
| Date (IST) | Note (from TradingView) |
|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2025, 23:47 | First published. |
| 27 May 2025, 19:47 | “Bug Fixes.” |
| 4 Jun 2025, 11:59 | “NDX Added” |
| 7 Aug 2025, 03:05 | “A Major update to all the new features.” |
| 2 Sep 2025, 23:17 | “Bug Fixes.” |
| 3 Sep 2025, 00:21 | “Bug Fixes.” |
| 3 Sep 2025, 00:48 | “Data source changed for NDX and SPX.” |
| 8 Sep 2025, 02:55 | “GLD added.” |
| 13 Sep 2025, 03:27 | “SQQQ & TQQQ Added.” |
| 15 Sep 2025, 20:19 | “Bug fixes” |
| 26 Sep 2025, 02:29 | “Dynamic ATM and other updates.” |
| 26 Jan 2026, 15:57 | “SLV Added.” |
HFT Algo Scanner: Commodities
The commodities edition (TradingView page) uses the same columns and inputs. As context, the member scanner desk uses alerts from it on a CRUDEOIL 15 minute chart.
| Date (IST) | Note (from TradingView) |
|---|---|
| 1 Sep 2025, 05:33 | First published. |
| 27 Sep 2025, 07:27 | “Dynamic ATM and other updates.” |
| 28 Oct 2025, 17:23 | “Added SILVER.” |
| 28 Oct 2025, 17:59 | “Added SILVERM.” |
It covers MCX contracts, including CRUDEOIL, SILVER and SILVERM.
HFT Algo Scanner(Private)
A private build made on request. Its description reads only “This is a private script.” Its one release note (13 Nov 2025, 09:49 IST) says “Removed the logo on special request.”
HFT Indicator Automation Mode
Now has its own guide: HFT Indicator Automation Mode. Its description says “This version of the HFT Indicator has been made for automation” (quoted from TradingView). “HFT Automation” and the old site’s “HFT Algo Scanner Automation Mode (For Model 5)” are the same script, now called HFT Indicator Automation Mode.
| Date (IST) | Note (from TradingView) |
|---|---|
| 16 Dec 2025, 15:18 | First published. |
| 18 Dec 2025, 19:03 | “Update on the Buying signals.” |
| 17 Feb 2026, 08:15 | “Updated the alerts.” |
Release notes
Main edition. All times in IST.
| Date | Note (from TradingView) |
|---|---|
| 13 Mar 2025, 05:29 | First published. |
| 15 Mar 2025, 04:25 | “Update 1.0” |
| 26 May 2025, 03:36 | “Now you can set alerts for individual put writing, call writing, call buying, and put buying.” |
| 28 May 2025, 00:51 | “1. Zomato changed to Eternal.” |
| 3 Jun 2025, 03:03 | “Now you can choose the model to analyze the Big Institutional presence in real-time with fund flow.” |
| 6 Jun 2025, 10:02 | “Model Names Shortened as M1, M2, M3, M4, M5.” |
| 2 Jul 2025, 02:04 | “SOLARINDS Added…” |
| 8 Jul 2025, 03:31 | “Bankex Added” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 00:47 | “All F&O stocks are updated for auto settings mode.” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 01:35 | “Table Updated.” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 13:11 | “Bug fixes.” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 13:13 | “Bug fixes.” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 14:15 | “Option to not show the Fund Flow table. Uncheck it in the settings to remove it.” |
| 21 Jul 2025, 14:36 | “Date to DD, Month to MM, Year to YY.” |
| 22 Jul 2025, 13:04 | “Labels above bars will now be cleaner, only showing values that are greater than zero.” |
| 4 Aug 2025, 11:45 | “M5 for Sensex Is Fixed, but it’s still better to go with M1 in Sensex.” |
| 4 Aug 2025, 13:09 | “Some more stocks auto strike differences fixed.” |
| 8 Aug 2025, 03:03 | “AMBER Added.” |
| 22 Aug 2025, 10:24 | “Bug Fixes.” |
| 17 Sep 2025, 02:25 | “Alert Function updated and background color option added.” |
| 19 Sep 2025, 07:32 | “Dynamic Alert System.” |
| 24 Sep 2025, 03:01 | “Dynamic ATM and much more.” |
| 27 Sep 2025, 19:40 | “Quantum HFT Model 5 now works in Dynamic Mode.” |
| 1 Oct 2025, 08:45 | “Dynamic alert, one function alert for everything.” |
| 30 Oct 2025, 09:22 | “KFINTECH, KAYNESS added.” |
| 30 Oct 2025, 09:40 | “Expiry dates updated.” |
| 3 Nov 2025, 06:45 | “Minor changes.” |
Frequently asked questions
What do the four colours mean? Light red is Call Short (call writing), deep red is Put Buy, light green is Put Write, and deep green is Call Buy. Reds lean bearish and greens lean bullish; you compare which side carries more weight.
Which indices and stocks does it cover? Nifty 50, BankNifty, Sensex, Finnifty and Midcap Nifty, plus Bankex, and many F&O stocks. The stock list changes over time through the release notes, so ask us for the current list.
Does “HFT” mean it trades at high frequency? No. HFT Algo Scanner is a product name. It is a TradingView indicator that reads options data and draws columns and labels. It places no trades and has no link to any high frequency trading firm.
Which model should I use? M1 is the main model, built to follow big-money activity in the options data. M2 is tuned for scalping, though M1 can scalp too. M5, the “Quantum” model, is tuned for very high-frequency algorithmic activity. On Sensex, the author suggests M1.
What are the Buy and Sell labels based on? By default, on call and put writing. You can switch them to options buying, which the author does not recommend. A strength threshold, 2 by default, controls how many labels appear.
Can I get alerts? Yes. You can set one alert for all four flows or separate alerts for each, delivered by email, mobile, desktop or webhook.
Is there a version for U.S. markets or commodities? Yes. See Versions for the U.S. and commodities editions and the automation builds.
Does it tell me what to trade? No. We are not SEBI registered and do not give recommendations, tips or calls. Every decision is yours.