How-to Alert Triggers Order ATO Kite alerts basket order automated orders price alert

Alert-Triggered Order (ATO) on Kite

From WebNotes, a public knowledge base. Last updated . Reading time ~11 min. Level: Intermediate.

An Alert-Triggered Order (ATO) on Kite is a Zerodha feature that links a basket of up to 20 orders to a price alert , so that when the alert condition is met, those orders are placed on the exchange automatically without any manual action from you. It closes the gap a plain alert leaves: a simple alert only sends a notification, and you still have to open the order window and place the trade before the price moves on. ATO removes that step and the risk of missing the notification.

Zerodha launched ATO on Kite web in September 2024 and extended it to the Kite app soon after. The feature sits inside the same alert builder you already use for price alerts : you set the condition, flip one toggle, and attach the orders. This guide covers what ATO does, the exact setup on web and app, the basket mechanics, the limits and segment restrictions, how market price protection applies, and where ATO can fail so the order you expected never reaches the exchange.

Conflict-of-interest disclosure. This guide is published by the WebNotes Editorial Team for informational purposes and is written independently. WebNotes operates a Zerodha account-opening referral programme, disclosed on the pages that carry the referral link; this guide does not carry it and earns no referral commission from the procedure described here.

What ATO solves

A plain Kite alert fires a notification when the last traded price crosses your level, and nothing else. You then have to read the notification, open the scrip, and place the order yourself. In a fast tape, the price you wanted is often gone by the time you finish, and if you miss the notification you miss the trade outright. Zerodha’s own framing of the feature is that traders “might miss the notification or fail to place the orders,” losing the opportunity. ATO attaches the orders to the alert so the exchange receives them the moment the condition is met.

The difference is mechanical, not cosmetic. A SIMPLE alert ends at the notification. An ATO alert carries a basket; when it triggers, Kite submits every leg to the exchange. The Alerts section labels each alert as SIMPLE or ATO so you can tell at a glance which ones will place orders.

Three things ATO is built for

Zerodha lists three primary use cases, and they map to how most traders set ATOs up.

Level-based basket investing. Set an alert on an index or a stock and attach buy orders for a basket of stocks or ETFs . When the index reaches your level, the whole basket goes in. This is the systematic-entry use: you decide the level in advance and let the alert execute the discipline.

F&O strategy entry on an underlying level. Set the alert on the underlying, attach the option legs. Zerodha’s worked example is a short straddle on the Nifty: set the alert for Nifty 50 at 25,000, and link orders to sell both the call and the put when that level prints. The legs go in together, which a manual two-leg entry rarely manages cleanly.

Risk management and profit protection. Attach exit orders to a level so a move against an open position triggers the de-risking order without you watching the screen.

Step-by-step procedure

The numbered infobox at the top gives the sequence. The detail below expands the trigger-versus-order distinction and the basket and market-protection mechanics, which are where setups go wrong.

1. Open the alert panel for the trigger instrument

Pick the instrument whose price you want to watch, not the instrument you intend to trade. They are often different: the trigger can be the Nifty while the orders are option contracts. On Kite web , hover over the trigger instrument in the marketwatch , click the More icon, then Create alert. On the Kite app , tap the instrument and tap Set alert. You can also start from the Alerts section directly, covered below.

2. Name the alert and set the condition

Kite pre-fills the alert name with the instrument name; rename it to something you will recognise later, for example “Nifty 25000 straddle entry.” Then build the condition from three parts: the data point, the operator, and the value.

The data points available are the open, high, low and close, the day or intraday percentage change, the last traded price (LTP) and average traded price (ATP), total buy and sell quantity, open interest day high and low, volume traded, and last traded quantity. The operators are greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, and equal to. Enter the price by typing it, stepping it with the arrows, or setting it as a percentage of the last price. Most ATOs use LTP with a greater-than or less-than operator.

3. Enable Alert Triggers Order (ATO)

Click the Alert Triggers Order (ATO) control on web, or toggle it on the app. The alert type switches from SIMPLE to ATO and the basket builder opens below the condition. Until you flip this toggle, the alert is a plain notification-only alert with no attached orders.

4. Add orders to the basket

Search for the first instrument you want to trade. Click B for a buy leg, S for a sell leg, or the + icon. The order window opens; set the price, quantity and order type, then click Add to basket. Repeat for each leg. You can attach up to 20 instruments to one alert. The basket here behaves like a standalone basket order : each leg is an independent order with its own parameters, grouped under the one alert.

For an F&O multi-leg strategy, leg order matters for margin. Zerodha advises placing buy option legs before futures or short or written option legs so the margin benefit of the hedge is recognised, which lowers the margin the basket needs. Use the margin calculator to confirm the basket’s requirement before you rely on it firing.

5. Set order type and validity per leg

Each leg can be a market or limit order. For a market leg on web, open the leg’s options, click the pencil icon, and select Market. Market legs place with market price protection (see below). Validity defaults to Day; a Day order is cancelled if it does not execute by the close of the trading day on which the alert fires. Change the validity in the order window if a leg needs a different setting.

6. Create the ATO

Click Create on web, or swipe or tap to create on the app. The ATO is now active. It appears in the Alerts section tagged ATO, and you can modify, enable, disable or delete it any time until it triggers. To see or edit it later , open Orders, then Alerts.

Creating an ATO from the Alerts section

You do not have to start from the marketwatch. On web, open Orders, then Alerts, then New alert at kite.zerodha.com/orders/alerts. On the app, tap Orders, then Alerts, then the New alert option. Build the condition and basket the same way. This route is convenient when you are setting several ATOs at once or do not have the trigger instrument on a marketwatch.

Market price protection on ATO market orders

When an ATO fires and a leg is a market order, Kite places it with market price protection rather than as a raw market order. Market price protection converts the market order into an aggressive limit capped a set distance from the last price, so a thin order book cannot fill the order far away from where it printed. This matters for ATO because the order is placed by the system the instant the alert fires, often in a fast-moving tape, exactly the condition under which an unprotected market order can fill at a damaging price. The protection is the reason an ATO market leg is safer than the manual market order you would otherwise rush in. The market price protection on ATO page covers the cap mechanics in full.

Limits, segments, and validity

ATO has hard limits set by Zerodha, and they bind at the account level.

ConstraintValueSource
Maximum alerts per account500Zerodha support, as of June 2026
Maximum ATOs per account200Zerodha support, as of June 2026
Instruments per ATO basket20Zerodha support, as of June 2026
Segments supportedNSE and BSE equity and F&OZerodha support, as of June 2026
Segments not supportedCurrency, commodityZerodha support, as of June 2026
Order leg validityDay by default, changeable per legZerodha support, as of June 2026
Alert validity365 days, then auto-disabledZerodha support, as of June 2026
Charge to createFreeZerodha support, as of June 2026

Once you hit the 500-alert or 200-ATO cap, Kite will not let you create another until you delete an existing one. The 365-day alert validity means an ATO you set and forget is auto-disabled a year later if it never fires; the alert-disabled conditions cover the other auto-disable triggers, including corporate actions.

What ATO does not do

An ATO places your orders; it does not guarantee they execute. Once the basket reaches the exchange, every leg is subject to the same checks as any order you place by hand: available margin, RMS limits , price bands, and the order book. A limit leg can rest unfilled if the price does not reach it. Any leg can be rejected at placement, for instance for short margin or a price-band breach, and a rejected leg does not stop the others. Treat an ATO as automated placement, not automated execution.

The alert also fires on a recorded LTP tick. If the trigger price prints only as a missed tick, the alert can fail to fire at all, which means the basket never reaches the exchange; the alert-not-triggered diagnosis covers that case.

See also

External references

References

  1. Zerodha support, What is Alert Triggers Order (ATO)? (basket limit 20, market price protection, segment restrictions, validity; as of 21 June 2026).
  2. Zerodha support, What are Kite alerts and how do I use them? (data points, operators, 500-alert and 200-ATO caps, 365-day validity; as of 21 June 2026).
  3. Zerodha Z-Connect, Introducing Alert Triggers Order (ATO) feature on Kite, September 2024 (feature launch and use cases).
  4. Zerodha Z-Connect, Alert Triggers Order (ATO) now available on the Kite app (app availability).

Related articles

Frequently asked questions

What is an Alert-Triggered Order on Kite?
An Alert-Triggered Order (ATO) links a basket of up to 20 orders to a Kite price alert. When the alert condition is met, Kite places those orders on the exchange automatically, so you do not have to react to the notification and place them by hand.
How many ATOs and alerts can I create on Kite?
Zerodha caps an account at 500 alerts and 200 Alert-Triggered Orders. To add more once you hit either cap, delete existing alerts or ATOs from the Alerts section at kite.zerodha.com/orders/alerts.
Which segments support ATO on Kite?
ATO works for equity and futures and options on NSE and BSE. It is not available for the currency or commodity segments, so an alert on an MCX or CDS contract cannot carry an attached order basket.
Are ATO market orders protected against bad fills?
Yes. When an ATO fires and a leg is a market order, Kite places it with market price protection, which converts the market order into a limit at a capped distance from the last price so a thin order book does not fill it far away.
What validity does an ATO order carry?
Each order leg defaults to Day validity and is cancelled if it does not execute by the end of the trading day on which the alert fires. You can change the validity per leg in the order window before creating the ATO.
Does an ATO guarantee my order executes?
No. The ATO places the order on the exchange when the alert fires, but execution still depends on the order book, your available margin, and exchange and RMS checks. A limit leg can rest unfilled, and any leg can be rejected at placement like a normal order.
How do I know an ATO has fired?
Zerodha sends push and email notifications both when the ATO triggers and when the order is placed. On the order history page an ATO-placed order carries a bell icon, and the Alerts section moves the ATO out of the active list.

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