# Paper before live, same rules

Prove the sleeve’s written rules on paper (or dry-run) before live money — and keep the same size caps, loss limits, and GO gates when you go live; do not loosen rules just because cash is real. Pair with dry-run-before-first-live-place, write-go-before-scale-up, one-venue-one-agent-session, size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope, name-the-strategy-before-connect. Agent Lane does not place trades, hold wallets, or invent broker UI.

Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/paper-before-live-same-rules/

## Answer first

Prove the sleeve’s written rules on paper or dry-run before live money. When you go live, keep the same size caps, loss limits, and GO gates — do not loosen them because cash is real. Enforce at review in the official venue UI.

## Same rules in plain terms

1. **Size caps** — max ticket / % of sleeve you already ran on paper — [size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md](./size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md).
2. **Loss limits** — trade and/or session loss stops — [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
3. **GO gates** — written before place, scale, overnight, or novelty — [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md), [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md).
4. **Not same rules** — “paper was tiny, live can be bigger,” softer stops once cash is in, or skipping GO because “we already proved it.”

## Why loosening for live cash is the failure mode

- **Paper tiny → live fat** — [size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md](./size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md), [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md).
- **Loss stops widen when money is real** — [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
- **GO gates skipped after “we proved it”** — [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md), [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md).
- **Paper and live mixed in one chat** — [one-venue-one-agent-session.md](./one-venue-one-agent-session.md), [paper-before-live.md](./paper-before-live.md).

## Shield stack

1. [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md) — plan that holds size, loss, GO language.
2. [size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md](./size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md) + [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md) — numbers to prove.
3. [paper-before-live.md](./paper-before-live.md) / [dry-run-before-first-live-place.md](./dry-run-before-first-live-place.md) — prove under those numbers.
4. Paper before live, same rules (this page) — keep the same numbers when cash is real.
5. [one-venue-one-agent-session.md](./one-venue-one-agent-session.md) — hard-wall paper vs live.
6. [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md) — only path to change numbers later.
7. [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md).

## How to run paper before live, same rules

1. Write sleeve rules on the named plan — [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md); no invented UI.
2. Prove those rules on paper or dry-run — [paper-before-live.md](./paper-before-live.md), [dry-run-before-first-live-place.md](./dry-run-before-first-live-place.md).
3. Copy the same numbers into the live plan — [size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md](./size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md), [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
4. Hard-wall paper vs live; one venue — [one-venue-one-agent-session.md](./one-venue-one-agent-session.md), [confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md](./confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md).
5. Enforce at review; scale only with written GO — [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md), [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md).
6. Journal overrides; honor overnight — [journal-every-override.md](./journal-every-override.md), [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md), [log-session-end-checklist.md](./log-session-end-checklist.md).

## Practical checklist

- Rules written (size caps, loss limits, GO gates).
- Paper/dry-run used those same numbers.
- Live plan matches paper numbers — no widen-at-go-live.
- Paper vs live hard-walled — one venue / one session.
- Review enforces the same rules in the official venue UI.
- Scale only via write GO before scale-up.
- Overrides journaled.
- No overnight margin without written GO.
- Official paths only — no invented broker UI.

Related: [dry-run-before-first-live-place.md](./dry-run-before-first-live-place.md), [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md), [one-venue-one-agent-session.md](./one-venue-one-agent-session.md), [size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md](./size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope.md), [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md), [paper-before-live.md](./paper-before-live.md), [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md), [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md).

## FAQ

**What does paper before live, same rules mean?**
Prove the sleeve’s written rules on paper or dry-run before live money, then keep the same size caps, loss limits, and GO gates when you go live. Do not loosen rules just because cash is real. Pair with dry-run, write-go-before-scale-up, one-venue, size-from-sleeve, name-the-strategy.

**Do I invent a paper-to-live broker UI?**
No. Official venue balances/positions and your written rules. Agent Lane does not invent UI or set your numbers.

**Does this replace paper before live or dry run?**
No. Paper-before-live proves the pipe; dry-run proves novelty; this page is the continuity rule that paper numbers stay live until a written scale-up GO changes them.

## Sources

- Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/paper-before-live-same-rules/
- Related shelf: https://agentlane.net/resources/
- Site index: https://agentlane.net/llms.txt

Agent Lane publishes checklists. We do not place trades, hold wallets, invent broker UI, or copy paper settings for you.