Symbol mapping

Why broker-side symbol names differ from signal-side names, and how the symbol map rule bridges them.

Why it matters

Signal sources typically use standard exchange symbols: XAUUSD for gold, EURUSD for the euro-dollar pair, BTCUSD for Bitcoin. MT5 brokers, however, frequently use their own naming conventions, adding suffixes, prefixes, or completely renaming instruments. For example, one broker might list gold as XAUUSDm, another as GOLD, and a third as XAUUSD. (with a trailing dot).

Without mapping, the MT5 connector is asked to trade a symbol that does not exist in the broker's Market Watch, and the order fails. Symbol mapping solves this at the Flow level: you configure the translation once, and every signal that passes through that Flow has its symbol rewritten before it leaves Signalync.

How it works

Symbol mapping is implemented as the transform.symbol_map Flow rule; there is no separate per-connection mapping table. Add it to a Flow's rule pipeline and configure the map object: keys are the source-side symbols and values are the broker-side equivalents.

The rule rewrites signal.Symbol before any downstream rule or Destination dispatch receives the signal, so the MT5 connector always receives broker-side symbols. Symbols not present in the map are left unchanged, so you only need to list the pairs that actually differ.

Rule configuration

{
  "type": "transform.symbol_map",
  "enabled": true,
  "config": {
    "map": {
      "GOLD":   "XAUUSD",
      "SILVER": "XAGUSD",
      "OIL":    "USOIL",
      "BTC":    "BTCUSD",
      "DJ30":   "US30"
    }
  }
}
json

Place the symbol map before filter rules

If you also use filter.symbol_allowlist or filter.symbol_blocklist, add transform.symbol_map before those rules in the pipeline. That way the filter sees the broker-side symbol, not the raw source symbol. See the rule catalog for ordering guidance.

To configure this rule in the dashboard, open the Flow, click Add rule, choose transform.symbol_map from the picker, and add your source-to-broker pairs in the rule's configuration form. Save the Flow to apply immediately, no restart required.

Common mappings

The table below lists symbols that commonly differ between signal sources and broker platforms. Always verify the exact symbol name in your broker's MT5 Market Watch: naming is not standardized and varies by broker.

InstrumentSource symbolTypical broker symbol
GoldGOLDXAUUSD
SilverSILVERXAGUSD
WTI Crude OilOILUSOIL
BitcoinBTCBTCUSD
Dow Jones 30DJ30US30
S&P 500SPX500US500
Nasdaq 100NAS100USTEC
Natural GasNATGASNGAS

Broker symbols are not standardized

The “typical broker symbol” column above shows common conventions, but your broker may use entirely different names, suffixes (e.g. XAUUSDm), or prefixes. Open MT5, go to View, then Symbols, and copy the exact symbol name before configuring the map.