The bot requires One-Way position mode

A refusal when you create a futures Grid or DCA bot if hedge mode (Hedge) is on for this pair on Bybit.

What it means

The full texts:

• “Grid bot requires One-Way position mode. Current mode on exchange for BTCUSDT: Hedge. Switch mode in exchange settings or use different API keys.”
• “DCA bot requires One-Way position mode. Current mode on exchange for BTCUSDT: Hedge. Switch mode in exchange settings or use different API keys.”

One-Way means one position per pair: either LONG or SHORT. Hedge means LONG and SHORT at the same time. A grid and averaging are built around a single position, so in Hedge mode the bot is not created.

If a bot with a delayed start was waiting for the price and by that moment the mode had become Hedge, you get “⚠️ Grid BTCUSDT — trigger fired, but activation was blocked.” The bot stays waiting for the trigger, and the message ends with “Switch the account to One-Way mode and it will start on the next trigger hit (or launch it manually).”

Spot has no position mode — the refusal only concerns futures.

Why it happens

• Hedge is on for futures on Bybit — it was set up that way earlier or was there from the start.
• The same account is used for manual trading in Hedge.

What to do

1. Make sure there are no open positions and no active orders on the pair: Bybit does not switch the mode while they exist. The bot gives the same answer: “Active positions or orders found on exchange. Close all positions and cancel orders to switch position mode.”
2. In the Bybit futures trading settings (“Position mode”) choose One-Way.
3. Go back to the bot and confirm the creation again.
4. If you cannot switch because Hedge is needed for other trading on this account — issue keys on another Bybit account (a subaccount) and create a separate exchange bot on them.

Signal bots have their own Position mode setting in the trading settings, but it does not apply to Grid and DCA — they need One-Way on the exchange itself.

When to contact support

If One-Way is set on Bybit for the pair, there are no positions and no orders, and the bot still shows Hedge as the current mode on the exchange — write to support with the pair and the name of the exchange bot.