Sentinel Node — The Immortal Guardian
Sentinel is external monitoring infrastructure that runs alongside MetaTrader 5 on your Execution Node. It ensures your Algorithm never dies — watching the process, syncing to the cloud, and executing recovery protocols automatically.
🐉 Why External?
The Algorithm runs inside MT5. If MT5 crashes, the Algorithm dies with it. Sentinel runs outside MT5 as an independent process — it's the guardian that restarts the system, reports status, and enforces cloud-mandated actions.
Versions
| Edition | Target | Features | |---------|--------|----------| | Sentinel Lite | Standard operators | Process monitoring, heartbeat sync, remote C&C, HWID lock | | Sentinel Pro | Sovereign operators | All Lite features + advanced risk monitoring, automated trade management |
Both editions share the same core architecture:
Core Rules (R1-R4)
| Rule | Name | Action | |------|------|--------| | R1 | Process Monitor | Detect if MT5 is running | | R2 | Heartbeat Check | Verify EA is alive (file age < timeout) | | R3 | Daily Loss Flag | Monitor EA's internal loss detection | | R4 | Trading Status | Ensure AutoTrading is enabled |
Immortal Mode
Sentinel implements Immortal Mode — a philosophy where MT5 is never intentionally left dead:
- MT5 process stops → Sentinel restarts it (R1)
- EA stops writing heartbeat → Sentinel kills + restarts MT5 (R2)
- AutoTrading disabled → After 3 checks, Sentinel kills + restarts MT5 (R4)
- Execution Node reboots → Sentinel + Protocol Phoenix auto-login MT5
ℹ️ Immortal Philosophy
The Algorithm is designed to be always-alive. Human intervention should never be required for the system to recover from standard failure scenarios. Sentinel ensures this.
Cloud Integration
Sentinel synchronizes with the Alpha Draconis cloud every 10 seconds:
Outbound (Node → Cloud)
- Equity, balance, daily loss metrics
- Trading status (enabled/disabled)
- Heartbeat timestamp
- IP address (for Doppelganger detection)
Inbound (Cloud → Node)
- Remote commands (KILL, START, RESTART)
- Risk parameter updates (hard stop levels)
- Emergency stop status
- Clone detection flags
Remote Command & Control (C&C)
Sovereigns can issue commands from the Dashboard that execute on the Execution Node:
| Command | Action | |---------|--------| | KILL | Emergency stop — kills MT5 immediately | | START | Resume operations — starts MT5 | | RESTART | Clean restart — kill, wait, start |
⚠️ Emergency Stop
The KILL command halts MT5 immediately. All open positions remain at the broker level. Use this only in genuine emergencies. Issue START to resume.
HWID Armoring
Sentinel Lite v2.1+ includes hardware binding:
- On startup, Sentinel collects your machine's HWID
- Validates against the cloud license database
- First run: Registers HWID automatically
- Subsequent runs: Verifies HWID matches
- Mismatch: Refuses to start with clear error message
Deployment
Sentinel Lite (Standard)
python sentinel_lite.py \
--mt5 "C:\Program Files\MetaTrader 5\terminal64.exe" \
--supabase-url "https://project.supabase.co" \
--supabase-key "YOUR_SERVICE_KEY" \
--license-key "AD-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"
Sentinel as Windows Service
For production Execution Nodes, run Sentinel as a Windows Service or Scheduled Task to ensure it survives reboots:
# Using Task Scheduler (recommended)
schtasks /create /tn "SentinelLite" /tr "python sentinel_lite.py ..." /sc onstart /ru SYSTEM
Packaged Executable
Sentinel Lite is also available as Sentinel_Lite_v2.exe — a standalone executable that requires no Python installation. See your Dashboard downloads.
Monitoring
Sentinel logs are written to sentinel_lite.log in the same directory. Cloud status is visible at Dashboard → Terminal.
Next Steps
- 📖 Hydra Network — Cross-exchange infrastructure
- 📖 Risk Protocols — The 24-Hour Oath
- 📖 Protocol Phoenix — Auto-login recovery