# Size from sleeve not from hope

Position size comes from the sleeve’s written risk rules — max % of sleeve, max loss, open-position cap — not from conviction, FOMO, or “it’ll come back.” Pair with one-strategy-one-sleeve, max-open-positions-per-sleeve, cap-daily-loss-before-session, no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis, no-overnight-margin-without-go. Agent Lane does not place trades, hold wallets, or invent broker UI.

Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope/

## Answer first

Before you approve a place: check ticket size against the sleeve’s written risk rules — max percent of sleeve cash, max loss for the trade or session, and the open-position cap. Conviction, FOMO, and “it’ll come back” are not size inputs. Count balances and opens in the official venue UI at review.

## Sleeve risk rules in plain terms

1. **Max % of sleeve** — largest share of this sleeve’s spendable cash one ticket may use.
2. **Max loss** — most you accept to lose on a trade and/or session — [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
3. **Open-position cap** — simultaneous opens for this sleeve — [max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md](./max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md).
4. **Not size inputs** — conviction, FOMO, chat confidence, or “it’ll come back.”

## Why hope-sized risk is the failure mode

- **Conviction scales past the plan** — [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md), [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md).
- **FOMO stacks size and count** — [max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md](./max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md), [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
- **“It’ll come back” is not a thesis** — [no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md](./no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md).
- **Hope overnight is still open risk** — [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md).

## Shield stack

1. [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md) — plan + write sleeve risk rules.
2. [one-strategy-one-sleeve.md](./one-strategy-one-sleeve.md) — isolate each plan’s cash and stops.
3. [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md).
4. [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md).
5. [max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md](./max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md).
6. Size from sleeve not from hope (this page) — ticket size from written rules.
7. [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md) — enforce at review.

## How to run size from sleeve not from hope

1. Write sleeve risk rules on the named plan — [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md); no invented UI.
2. Isolate one strategy to one sleeve — [one-strategy-one-sleeve.md](./one-strategy-one-sleeve.md), [separate-funding-from-trading-wallet.md](./separate-funding-from-trading-wallet.md).
3. Attach loss stop and position-count max — [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md), [max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md](./max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md), [fund-session-ceiling.md](./fund-session-ceiling.md).
4. At review, size from rules not hope — [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md), [confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md](./confirm-fills-in-broker-not-chat.md), [two-person-rule-for-large-places.md](./two-person-rule-for-large-places.md).
5. Block hope-sized tickets — [no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md](./no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md); overrides: [journal-every-override.md](./journal-every-override.md).
6. Honor overnight and session close — [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md), [log-session-end-checklist.md](./log-session-end-checklist.md), [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md).

## Practical checklist

- Sleeve risk rules written (max % of sleeve, max loss, open-position cap).
- Sleeve mapped — rules apply to this sleeve / strategy.
- Cash ceiling funded; loss stop on; position-count max on.
- Review sizes from rules (venue UI, not conviction or chat).
- Hope / FOMO / “it’ll come back” are not size inputs.
- No averaging down without a new thesis; no overnight margin without GO.
- Any size override journaled.
- Official paths only — no invented broker UI.

Related: [Write max loss before entry](./write-max-loss-before-entry.md), [No scale-in without GO](./no-scale-in-without-go.md), [Write invalidation before entry](./write-invalidation-before-entry.md), [Max slippage or cancel](./max-slippage-or-cancel.md), [no-market-order-without-go.md](./no-market-order-without-go.md), [one-risk-unit-per-idea.md](./one-risk-unit-per-idea.md), [paper-before-live-same-rules.md](./paper-before-live-same-rules.md), [one-strategy-one-sleeve.md](./one-strategy-one-sleeve.md), [max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md](./max-open-positions-per-sleeve.md), [cap-daily-loss-before-session.md](./cap-daily-loss-before-session.md), [no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md](./no-averaging-down-without-new-thesis.md), [no-overnight-margin-without-go.md](./no-overnight-margin-without-go.md), [name-the-strategy-before-connect.md](./name-the-strategy-before-connect.md), [never-skip-review-before-place.md](./never-skip-review-before-place.md), [journal-every-override.md](./journal-every-override.md), [write-go-before-scale-up.md](./write-go-before-scale-up.md)

## FAQ

**What does size from sleeve not from hope mean?**
Ticket size comes from written sleeve risk rules (max % of sleeve, max loss, open-position cap) — not conviction, FOMO, or hope. Pair with one-strategy-one-sleeve, max-open-positions, cap-daily-loss, no-averaging-down, no-overnight-margin-without-go.

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

**Does this replace max open positions or daily loss?**
No. Loss stop, concurrent-open max, and ticket-size-from-rules are different brakes. You need the stack.

## Sources

- Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/size-from-sleeve-not-from-hope/
- 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 set your size rules.