XAUUSD 4,082Live chart →
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AK FlowBook for TradingViewGetting startedAK FlowBook for TradingView: overviewGet access to AK FlowBook Lite and FullQuick start: your first chart with AK FlowBookAK FlowBook Lite: complete guideChart componentsVWAP map: daily, weekly and monthly VWAPVolume profiles: POC, VAH and VAL (D/W/M)Naked levels: nPOC, nVAH, nVAL and nVWAPIntrabar flow estimates: delta, absorption, CVDFootprint panel (developing bar)Liquidity: pools, sweeps and 15-minute levelsLiquidity sequences: LQ-B*, LQ-S* and the chainStructure zones: FVG, order blocks, breakersSessions and killzonesHigher-timeframe context: HTF, MTF, IchimokuSetup context: AK score labels, long and shortFlowBook X confluence markerDashboard: every row explainedSettingsMarket presetsDisplay mode, Marker mode and event switchesAlerts: setup, context and liquidity messagesSettings reference (AK FlowBook Full)GuidesGuide: your first session with AK FlowBookGuide: futures levels on an XAUUSD CFD chartGuide: reading absorption (A~) at a levelHelpTroubleshootingFAQ
Docs › TradingView (Full and Lite) › Getting started

Quick start: your first chart with AK FlowBook

On this page
Before you startStep 1: open the recommended chartStep 2: add the indicatorStep 3: keep the defaultsStep 4: what you see on first loadStep 5: the first five things to checkStep 6 (optional): show the flow markersNext steps

After this page you will have AK FlowBook Full running on a 5-minute gold chart with the recommended defaults, and you will know which five things to check first. Using Lite? The steps are the same; see the Lite guide for what Lite shows.

Before you start

  • You need a TradingView account and access to the script. See Get access.
  • Nothing in this guide is a recommendation to trade. The indicator shows levels and context; decisions stay yours.
SettingRecommendedWhy
SymbolOANDA:XAUUSD (spot gold CFD) or COMEX:GC1! (gold futures, front month)The indicator was built and tuned on gold.
Timeframe5 minutesSetup context markers run on XAU/GC 5-minute by default. The liquidity layer needs a 1- to 5-minute chart.
Chart typeStandard candles or barsHeikin Ashi, Renko and similar chart types change the price data the indicator reads.
Note: COMEX futures data on TradingView may be delayed unless your account has a real-time data subscription for that exchange. Check your TradingView data settings.

On a 5-minute chart the intrabar engine uses 1-minute bars inside each candle. It does that on any chart up to 1 hour. See Intrabar flow estimates.

Step 2: add the indicator

Open Indicators, go to Invite-only scripts and click AK FlowBook Full. It appears as AKFB Full on the price pane. It draws on the price chart itself; there is no separate pane.

Step 3: keep the defaults

The defaults are set for gold. Leave these as they are for your first session:

  • Market preset: XAU/GC Intraday. See Market presets.
  • Display mode: Clean. See Display and marker modes.
  • Marker mode: Elite. Small diagnostic markers stay hidden until you ask for them.
  • Confirm on bar close: On. Setup markers are fixed when the bar closes.

Step 4: what you see on first load

With the defaults, the chart shows the map first and only a few markers:

  • Daily (blue), weekly (gold) and monthly (white) VWAP with their bands, the previous period's VWAP and the prior day's high and low.
  • Daily, weekly and monthly POC, VAH and VAL lines, plus the developing profile levels at the right edge.
  • Level names and prices at the right edge of the chart.
  • Naked levels (nPOC, nVAH, nVAL, nVWAP) that price has not revisited.
  • EQH and EQL lines and the London and New York session high and low lines.
  • The 15-minute liquidity layer: m, L2 and MAJ swing levels, x take marks, SWP sweep marks, LQ-B*/LQ-S* labels and the origin chain labels.
  • The footprint panel (middle right) and the dashboard (top right).
  • Top-tier AK setup context markers and FLOWBOOK X markers, when their conditions occur.
AK FlowBook Full on a 5-minute XAUUSD chart with default settings
AK FlowBook Full on a 5-minute XAUUSD chart with default settings

Step 5: the first five things to check

  1. Dashboard header. The top-right cell should read XAU/GC Intraday • IB 1. IB 1 means 1-minute intrabars are in use. If you see PROXY or CHECK XAU/GC • 5m, read Troubleshooting.
  2. Price versus the day's value. Is price above, inside or below the day's value area (D VAH to D VAL), and above or below D VWAP? Inside value usually means two-sided, balanced trade. Trade away from value tells you the market is testing a new price area.
  3. Nearest naked levels. The dashboard row Naked ↑ / ↓ shows the closest untested level above and below price.
  4. The bigger picture. Where are W VWAP, M VWAP and the weekly and monthly value areas? The MTF row shows the 15-minute, 1-hour, 4-hour and daily direction arrows.
  5. Liquidity near price. Which session highs and lows, EQH/EQL lines and MAJ or L2 15-minute levels sit close to price? Those are the places where stops and resting orders often cluster.

Then watch what price does when it reaches one of those levels. That is where the flow estimates and the setup context markers become useful.

Step 6 (optional): show the flow markers

The flow markers (D~, BV~, A~, CVD~ and others) are hidden in Elite mode. To see them, do one of the following:

  • set Marker mode to Normal, or
  • turn on Show enabled events in Elite mode too in the Event Markers group.

See Display and marker modes for what each switch does.

Next steps

PreviousGet access to AK FlowBook Lite and FullNextAK FlowBook Lite: complete guide

Education only. Not financial advice. Trading futures and CFDs carries a high risk of loss.