Create an alert for an exact option

Monitor one supported numeric field

A contract alert belongs to one exact option and a supported numeric input. Depending on available fields it can monitor trade/quote price, volume, daily OI, IV or a Greek. Open the contract drawer to create or inspect its saved alerts. A rule is a server-side condition, not a prediction and not an instruction to place an order when it fires.

Save the rule deliberately

Name the condition so the field and direction remain clear in history.

1. Open the intended contract and verify all identity fields.
2. Choose the supported metric or numeric field.
3. Choose above, below or the required crossing condition.
4. Enter a threshold in that field's units.
5. Choose the offered session and priority. The contract drawer creates an enabled rule with a 60-second cooldown.
6. Choose Create alert, then open Alerts to inspect the saved rule's evaluation status or edit its settings.
7. Use Alerts to review firing history or pause the rule later.

Freshness and crossings are independent requirements

A crossing needs observations on the appropriate sides of the threshold; a new rule does not replay old chart points to invent a crossing. An above/below condition can qualify from a fresh current value. Stale, missing, historical or replay inputs cannot trigger a live rule. Invalid IV/Greek solves remain ineligible even if another field is valid. Cooldown restricts repeat firing, while session settings decide which observations are eligible in the first place.

Worked example: bid alert versus last-trade alert

Create a bid-based threshold and compare it with a last-trade threshold on a quiet contract. Bid can update while last trade remains old, so the two rules can legitimately have different eligibility and firing times. A daily OI rule is another different case: it waits for eligible dated OI, not every execution. Read the field and observed value in firing history instead of assuming any current-looking drawer means every metric is fresh.

Troubleshoot a rule waiting for data

Confirm the exact contract is still eligible and has current source coverage. Check the selected session, account access and current active-alert quota. Review whether the threshold is in premium dollars, contracts, IV or a Greek unit. If the contract expired, a previous chart does not establish live input. For support include rule name, exact identity, field, condition, threshold, status and source times; never send session cookies or API keys.

Read each field's date and freshness

Last trade, NBBO bid/ask, quote sizes, volume, daily open interest, IV and Greeks need not share one timestamp. A quote can change while no trade occurs, and a last trade can remain old while the current market moves. Daily OI is not an intraday execution counter. Read its OI date separately from the volume date and quote source time. Reopening the drawer or receiving another HTTP response does not renew the original observation's freshness.

Unavailable is different from a valid numeric zero. An unsolved IV can remain unavailable while a finite reported zero Greek is still displayed. Invalid solves or stale inputs cannot authorize a live Greek alert. GTH-capable roots have conservative overnight-access guards for unfiltered exact-contract history/detail reads; a daytime-looking selection does not necessarily remove that requirement. Check the visible access and quality messages before assuming a blank field is a rendering error. Record original field times when comparing a drawer with a chain or another market-data source.

Match thresholds to units and saved-rule behavior

A price threshold uses option premium units, not the underlying strike or a mapped futures coordinate. Volume and OI thresholds use contract counts with their own dates. IV and Greek thresholds require the selected field's convention and valid solve. Write the unit in the rule name or notes when it would otherwise be ambiguous. Priority changes how the browser presents a firing; it does not create fresher inputs or expand provider access. Cooldown limits repeats but does not change the metric's sampling semantics.

Inspect the saved rule after creation instead of relying only on a success toast. Review condition, enabled state, session and evaluation status. If you edit the threshold, a crossing rule seeds from eligible current evidence rather than replaying every old point in the displayed chart. Firing history records the actual value and condition used. This is the best comparison for a disputed alert. Keep any source gap explicit: two observations on opposite sides separated by unavailable evidence do not justify inventing a continuous path or a historical alert that never occurred.