MACD Momentum Entry Engine

A crossover tells you two lines met. It does not tell you the move is worth taking.

The idea

Four event types, three independent score engines, one composite grade — and only then a three-target trade model.

Free & open-source · All markets, all timeframes · Signals confirmed on bar close; HTF bias uses completed candles · A structured momentum-analysis and review tool — not a signal service, not financial advice, and no performance guarantee.

MACD MomentumCategory

MACD Momentum · Multi-TargetStyle

XAUUSD, Crypto, IndicesMarkets

All timeframesTimeframes

Free · open-sourceAccess

What it does

An open-source MACD workflow: every confirmed event is classified as Reversal, Continuation, Zero-Line Reclaim or Momentum Expansion, then scored three ways — a 0–100 momentum score (alignment, strength, expansion, slope, acceleration), a 0–100 anti-chop regime score (ADX, efficiency, EMA separation, volatility) and a 0–100 entry-qualification score (candle, separation, persistence, impulse, trigger) — blended into one composite grade A+ / A / B / C, then projected as Entry, SL and three take-profit levels with one active trade at a time.

MACD is the most used momentum tool and the most misused. Every crossover looks the same on the chart, so a turn inside dead chop reads identically to a genuine momentum expansion in a trending market. The line relationship is only the trigger. Everything that decides whether it matters — histogram expansion, slope, acceleration, market regime, candle response — sits outside the crossover itself.

MACD Momentum Entry Engine puts that context in front of the trigger. First it classifies the event: a crossover below zero is a Reversal, above zero a Continuation, a confirmed zero-line cross with aligned histogram is a Zero-Line Reclaim, and renewed histogram expansion after contraction is a Momentum Expansion — each individually switchable. Then three independent engines score it: momentum quality (alignment, histogram strength vs its adaptive baseline, expansion, MACD slope, acceleration), an anti-chop regime score (ADX, price efficiency, EMA separation, volatility expansion), and entry qualification (candle body, close location, MACD separation, momentum persistence, price impulse, trigger context).

Those combine into one composite score and an A+ / A / B / C grade, each with Off / Loose / Balanced / Strict gates. Optional chart or confirmed higher-timeframe EMA bias, a zero-line filter, an ATR-normalized minimum strength and an eight-bar cooldown finish the filtering. Accepted setups open one visual trade at a time: Entry at the confirmed close, an ATR or fixed-pip stop, and TP1 / TP2 / TP3 zones that brighten as each target is reached — TP3 keeps its model and prints FULL TARGET, while SL, Closed TP1 and Closed TP2 clean up to a single result label. Open-source and free — read every rule.

What you get out of it

Know which of four MACD events you are actually looking at
Read momentum, market regime and entry quality as three separate 0–100 scores
Filter out chop before the crossover ever becomes a signal
Gate every setup on a composite A+ / A / B / C grade
Get Entry, SL and three take-profit levels with one active trade at a time
Choose an ATR risk model or fixed XAUUSD pip distances
Free & open-source — inspect and adapt every line of the logic

Best for

Traders who already use MACD and want the context that decides whether a crossover is tradeable

Inside the engine

8 components, one output

Four setup families

Reversal and Continuation crossovers are treated differently by their side of zero, plus confirmed Zero-Line Reclaims and Momentum Expansions that need no fresh crossover — each individually switchable.

Momentum quality score

Alignment (20), histogram strength vs an adaptive baseline (25), expansion (20), MACD slope (20) and acceleration (15) — scored separately for bullish and bearish, gated Off / Loose / Balanced / Strict.

Anti-chop regime score

ADX (35), price efficiency (30), EMA separation in ATR (20) and volatility expansion (15) collapse into one regime read — TRENDING, DEVELOPING or CHOP — that can block entries outright.

Entry qualification score

Candle body and close location, MACD separation vs baseline, momentum persistence, ATR-normalized price impulse and trigger context — the completed signal candle has to earn the entry.

Composite grade + timing

A 70/30 blend of stage-three and entry scores produces A+ / A / B / C, and Entry Timing switches between Early Trigger and Momentum Confirmed, which arms the setup and waits for renewed expansion.

Two risk models

ATR × multiplier with RR-based targets, or fixed XAUUSD pip distances with symbol verification that warns when fixed-pip mode is running on a non-XAUUSD symbol.

Three-target lifecycle

TP1/TP2/TP3 zones and lines brighten as each is reached, one active trade at a time, with a Stop First or Targets First same-bar assumption and equal-third internal accounting.

Result-specific cleanup

TP3 keeps its full model and adds a FULL TARGET label; SL, Closed TP1 and Closed TP2 delete their drawings and convert the entry label into the result — plus a compact dashboard and detailed dynamic alerts.

How to use it

From a blank chart to a read

Add MACD Momentum Entry Engine to any candlestick chart and start with 12 / 26 / 9.
Keep Entry Timing on Early Trigger, and Momentum Quality, Anti-Chop and Entry Qualification on Strict.
When a signal prints, check which setup type it was — Reversal, Continuation, Zero Reclaim or Expansion.
Open the label tooltip to read the momentum, entry, regime and composite scores.
Use the dashboard to see when the regime is blocking entries (CHOP) rather than assuming the tool is quiet.
Verify the risk model before reading levels — confirm XAUUSD VERIFIED if you use fixed pips.
Treat Entry, SL, TP1, TP2 and TP3 as planning references and size the risk yourself.
Loosen to Balanced for more frequency, and validate on the exact symbols and timeframes you trade.

Written guide