Aliases & user variables

The CLI gives you three kinds of named values plus aliases for shorthand commands. Read this page once and you'll know which one to reach for.

Need	Use
Snapshot a value right now and reuse it later	set
Re-evaluate a formula every time you read it	sets
Track the high-water or low-water mark of a live value	track
Give a multi-step chain a short name	alias
Capture the ID of the order you just placed, for later cancel/wait	@name = body

set, sets, and track share a single namespace: at any moment a given @name is exactly one of (static, reactive, tracker). Reusing the name clears whichever kind held it before.

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set

Snapshot a value. The expression on the right is substituted once, at the time you run set, and frozen into a static variable.

set @x $entry        # @x := today's entry price
set @size 100$       # @x := 100$
echo @x              # prints the frozen value

Static variables persist to ~/.tealstreet/vars.json (standalone) or a jotai atom (web). They survive restarts.

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sets

Reactive — the source expression stays literal and is re-evaluated every time you read the variable.

sets @spread $ask-$bid
sets @stopline $entry -1%

echo @spread          # re-reads bid/ask now
sleep 5s; echo @spread # re-reads again

Reactive vars are session-scoped — they don't persist across CLI restarts.

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track

Aggregator. Stores a high-water or low-water mark that ratchets in one direction. Ratchets on every echo or other ratcheting read; never on print.

Form	Effect
track max @hi $pnl	@hi only ever increases
track min @lo $pnl	@lo only ever decreases
track list	List all active trackers

track max @peakpnl $pnl
echo @peakpnl       # ratchets if $pnl is higher than stored
print @peakpnl      # read-only, no ratchet

Trackers are session-scoped. Use them for trailing stops + peak-PnL trips. See Recipes → Trailing stop.

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untrack / unset

Form	Effect
untrack @hi	Remove a tracker by name
untrack all	Remove every tracker
unset @x	Remove whichever kind holds @x
unset all	Remove every user variable

unset is the kind-agnostic remove — it doesn't care whether @x was a set, a sets, or a track. untrack is tracker-only.

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print / vars

Read-only inspection. Never ratchets a tracker.

Form	Effect
print @x	Value of @x (any kind)
print all	All vars across kinds
print list	Same — alias
vars / vars list	Alias for print list
vars @x	Alias for print @x

vars is just an alias for print — they share the same handler. Use whichever feels natural.

echo @x does the same substitution but does ratchet if @x is a tracker. Pick print when you want to inspect without side effects.

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Aliases

Aliases are just named command bodies. The body is resolved at use time, so $ constants and @ vars re-evaluate on every call.

alias                                # list
alias z "buy at $entry -50; sleep 5s; close"
z                                    # runs the body

Multi-statement bodies splice back into the outer chain — so chain operators (;, &) inside an alias work as if you'd typed them at the prompt.

Form	Effect
alias	List all
alias list	Same
alias z "buy at $entry -50"	Create / overwrite
unalias z	Remove one
unalias all	Remove all

Aliases persist to ~/.tealstreet/aliases.json (standalone) or jotai atom (web).

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Capture syntax

The capture form attaches a writeback to a command head. Useful when you need the order ID the command produced — to cancel, move, or wait for it.

@o1 = buy $100 at 50000; cancel @o1

1. buy $100 at 50000 runs.
2. When it lands, the runner writes result.data.orderIds.join(',') into @o1 via setVar.
3. The next segment (cancel @o1) substitutes @o1 after that writeback.

Forward references later in the chain get a deferredSubstitution field so the runner finalises them after the prior step's writeback.

@o = buy $100 at 49500; wait fill @o; close

Source: packages/cli-core/src/preprocess/preprocess.ts:38-39, 165-172.

Why this matters: chain operators are fire-and-don't-await (see Workflow → Chains). Capture is the escape hatch for the rare case where you need to wait on a specific order.

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Storage at a glance

Kind	Lives in	Survives restart?
set (static)	~/.tealstreet/vars.json / jotai	yes
sets (reactive)	in-process	no
track (aggregator)	in-process	no
alias	~/.tealstreet/aliases.json / jotai	yes

Persistent ones round-trip through export / import. Session-scoped ones do not — they vanish on REPL exit.