# Risk checks and the kill switch

> The explicit pre-trade check every order passes, and the master-admin control that halts new decisions.

![image](https://zmscvxdouuytwoutqtfa.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/docs-media/744c56ba-5ca7-4a62-bd1a-0f46c9c0b88e.jpg)
## The risk check

No order reaches Alpaca without passing an explicit check first. It verifies,
among other rules, that the structure is a defined-risk vertical, that the
per-trade maximum loss and the aggregate open risk are within their caps, that
the entry slippage is sane relative to the spread's credit, and that no gate
(term structure, macro event, VIX extreme) is tripped.

A failed check is not swallowed. It is written to the decision log with the
rule that failed and the numbers behind it, and it appears in the dashboard
next to the fills.

## The kill switch

The master-admin account can pause the agent from **Dashboard → Controls**. It
sets a single flag the runner reads at the top of every cycle and obeys
fail-closed: a paused agent produces no new decisions, only a heartbeat. Every
pause and resume is recorded in an audit trail. Unpausing lets the next cycle
run normally.