> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shekel.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Obstacle Course

> Stress-test a strategy prompt in minutes — a PASS/WEAK/FAIL verdict on how it behaves in the market moments that matter

The Obstacle Course is the fast first gate for any strategy-prompt change. Instead of simulating a full price path like a [backtest](/backtesting/overview), it replays your prompt against a curated battery of frozen market **stations** — trend tops, parabolic pullbacks, short squeezes, choppy ranges, trend refuels — and grades the decision your prompt produces in each one.

It answers one question: **does this wording produce the right *actions* in the moments that matter, consistently?** — in a few minutes instead of hours.

<Note>
  Use it as the first step of the testing loop: **Obstacle Course (minutes) → a short backtest → a full backtest.** If the course says FAIL, fix the prompt before you spend a backtest on it.
</Note>

***

## Running it

1. In the app, open **Backtesting** and switch to the **Obstacle Course** tab.
2. The strategy prompt and notes from your current agent are prefilled — edit them freely, or paste any prompt. Only the prompt is tested.
3. Pick a **decision model**. The cost updates with the model — that's the only thing that changes the price.
4. Click **Run Obstacle Course**. Results are ready in \~3–10 minutes.

<Warning>
  The course only ever replays its own curated snapshots. It never touches your live whitelist or your funds, and it never places a trade.
</Warning>

***

## Reading the report

### Verdict — the gate

| Verdict  | Meaning                                                                                                 |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **PASS** | Clears every critical situation, consistently.                                                          |
| **WEAK** | Too many sub-optimal decisions, or inconsistent behavior in a critical situation.                       |
| **FAIL** | Took a forbidden action in a critical situation — e.g. failed to protect a large winner at a trend top. |

The **verdict is the gate.** There's also a 0–100 **course score**, but it's a *trend metric only* — never compare two prompts by subtracting scores. Compare them cell-by-cell.

### Cell matrix

A heatmap of every **station × position-context** (for example `top / winner`). Each cell shows pass/miss/fail counts, a consistency bar, and the full mix of actions your prompt chose — *"WAIT 2 of 6 at the top"* is exactly the kind of intel you're looking for. Click any cell to drill in.

### Decision drill

Click any graded decision to read the **full reasoning**, the raw model response, and the exact frozen market state the model was shown — no re-running required.

***

## Cost

Each run is charged a flat, **model-aware** credit fee, shown before you launch:

* A cheaper model is a cheaper run.
* The test battery itself is fixed, so **nothing other than the model changes the price**.
* The fee is charged at launch and **refunded automatically** if the engine can't start the run.
* You can have **one run in progress at a time**.

<Tip>
  Iterating on a prompt? Start on a fast, cheap model to find obvious failures, then confirm your final wording on the model you actually trade with.
</Tip>

***

## From chat / MCP

You can also run the course from [Agent Chat](/chat/overview) or the [MCP connection](/chat/mcp) with the `shekel_run_obstacle_course` tool, and read results with `shekel_obstacle_course_report` — same verdict, cell matrix, and per-decision drill.