config: stop the churn — hold for big moves, wide TP/SL, low leverage

Live decomposition of the losing streak: 23% win rate with avg win +$1.23 /
avg loss -$1.04 on ~0.3-0.5% price moves, where the ~0.14% round-trip fee ate
30-50% of every tiny winner. Death by small-move grinding. The AI was closing
positions on ±0.5% noise after the 60m min-hold, capping winners at ~0.86%.

Redesign to 'few big positions, held for big moves':
- Throttle: min hold 60m->4h, noise-close window 90m->8h, reentry 30m->3h,
  opens/hour 30->3, opens/cycle 6->2. Noise band widened -1%..+2% -> -4%..+6%
  so small moves can no longer trigger a close.
- Exits: stop bypass -2.5% -> -5%, take-profit bypass +5% -> +12% (wide,
  asymmetric — let winners run, cut losers only on a real move).
- Leverage 20x -> 5x: a -5% stop at 20x is instant liquidation; at 5x it is
  -25% of margin, survivable. 2 positions x 2.5x = 5x total (full margin,
  ~20% cushion) instead of 4x5x=20x.
- Prompt now instructs the AI to set wide stops (~-5%) and distant targets
  (~+10-12%), hold multi-hour, and never scalp 0.5% moves.

Live strategy updated (maxPos=2, lev=5, ratio=2.5).

kernel/engine_prompt.go

@@ -215,9 +215,9 @@ func (e *StrategyEngine) buildVergexSystemPrompt(accountEquity float64, variant
 		sb.WriteString("- Ranking alone is not an entry reason; it only defines the candidate pool.\n")
 		sb.WriteString("- Every symbol in Candidate Coins is part of the allowed trading universe; missing detail can lower confidence or trigger waiting, but does not make the symbol non-tradable.\n")
 		sb.WriteString("- If Signal Lab or heatmap is absent from that symbol's Vergex Claw402 Signals, state it in reasoning; if it is present, never claim the symbol lacks that data.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Avoid churn: unless stopping out or taking a strong profit, hold new positions for at least 60 minutes; avoid flat/noise closes until roughly 90 minutes; after closing a symbol, wait 90 minutes before re-entry; open at most 1 new position per hour.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Fees are the main edge killer: a round trip costs roughly 0.1%% of notional (about 1%% of margin at 10x). Only take setups whose expected move to target is at least 3x that cost; fewer, higher-conviction, longer-hold trades beat frequent scalps.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Stops must sit beyond invalidation; targets should prefer heatmap resistance/liquidation zones or valid risk/reward levels.\n\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Hold for BIG moves, do not churn: hold new positions for at least 4 hours; never close inside the -4%% to +6%% noise band before ~8 hours; after closing a symbol wait 3 hours before re-entry; open at most 1-2 new positions per hour. Small in-and-out trades bled this account to death on fees.\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Fees are the main edge killer: a round trip costs ~0.1%% of notional. Only enter setups where the realistic target is a LARGE move: stop-loss around -5%% and take-profit around +10-12%% (roughly 2:1 or better). Do not aim for 0.5%% scalps — they cannot cover fees. Fewer, high-conviction, wide-target, multi-hour holds only.\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Set WIDE stops and targets: place the stop well beyond short-term noise (around -5%%) and the target at a distant heatmap resistance/liquidation zone (around +10-12%%). Give the position room to develop; do not exit on small green or small red.\n\n")
 	} else {
 		sb.WriteString("# You are the NOFX Claw402 auto-trader\n\n")
 		sb.WriteString("Trade only Hyperliquid instruments returned by this cycle's Claw402.ai/Vergex board. You may trade only the current candidate symbols and existing positions; never invent tickers or rotate outside the provided universe.\n\n")
@@ -232,9 +232,9 @@ func (e *StrategyEngine) buildVergexSystemPrompt(accountEquity float64, variant
 		sb.WriteString("- Ranking alone is not an entry reason; it only defines the candidate pool.\n")
 		sb.WriteString("- Every symbol in Candidate Coins is part of the allowed trading universe; missing detail can lower confidence or trigger waiting, but does not make the symbol non-tradable.\n")
 		sb.WriteString("- If Signal Lab or heatmap is absent from that symbol's Vergex Claw402 Signals, state it in reasoning; if it is present, never claim the symbol lacks that data.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Avoid churn: unless stopping out or taking a strong profit, hold new positions for at least 60 minutes; avoid flat/noise closes until roughly 90 minutes; after closing a symbol, wait 90 minutes before re-entry; open at most 1 new position per hour.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Fees are the main edge killer: a round trip costs roughly 0.1%% of notional (about 1%% of margin at 10x). Only take setups whose expected move to target is at least 3x that cost; fewer, higher-conviction, longer-hold trades beat frequent scalps.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("- Stops must sit beyond invalidation; targets should prefer heatmap resistance/liquidation zones or valid risk/reward levels.\n\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Hold for BIG moves, do not churn: hold new positions for at least 4 hours; never close inside the -4%% to +6%% noise band before ~8 hours; after closing a symbol wait 3 hours before re-entry; open at most 1-2 new positions per hour. Small in-and-out trades bled this account to death on fees.\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Fees are the main edge killer: a round trip costs ~0.1%% of notional. Only enter setups where the realistic target is a LARGE move: stop-loss around -5%% and take-profit around +10-12%% (roughly 2:1 or better). Do not aim for 0.5%% scalps — they cannot cover fees. Fewer, high-conviction, wide-target, multi-hour holds only.\n")
+		sb.WriteString("- Set WIDE stops and targets: place the stop well beyond short-term noise (around -5%%) and the target at a distant heatmap resistance/liquidation zone (around +10-12%%). Give the position room to develop; do not exit on small green or small red.\n\n")
 	}
 
 	writeModeVariant(&sb, variant, zh)

kernel/engine_prompt_test.go

@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ func TestBuildSystemPromptUsesVergexClaw402Prompt(t *testing.T) {
 	if !strings.Contains(prompt, "Direction must be data-driven") {
 		t.Fatalf("prompt should explain that direction is data-driven, not long-only:\n%s", prompt)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(prompt, "every open position must use exactly 20x") {
-		t.Fatalf("prompt should force 20x leverage for Claw402 opens:\n%s", prompt)
+	if !strings.Contains(prompt, "every open position must use exactly 5x") {
+		t.Fatalf("prompt should force 5x leverage for Claw402 opens:\n%s", prompt)
 	}
 	if !strings.Contains(prompt, "use the full max notional per position") {
 		t.Fatalf("prompt should force full-size Claw402 opens:\n%s", prompt)