“Symbol … is already used”
A refusal when you confirm a Grid or DCA bot: the trading pair you picked is already taken on the same API keys.
What it means
The full texts:
- “Symbol BTCUSDT is already used by Grid bot ‘BTC grid’. Stop it or use a different API key.”
- “Symbol BTCUSDT is already used by DCA bot ‘BTC averaging’. Stop it or use a different API key.”
- “Symbol BTCUSDT is already used by a signal trade. Close the trade or use a different API key.”
On one API key pair, only one thing can run on one trading pair: a Grid bot, a DCA bot or a signal trade. Otherwise two algorithms would place orders into the same position and get in each other's way.
Why it happens
- You already have a Grid or DCA bot on this pair (the bot asks you to stop it, not to pause it).
- A signal trade or a manual trade is open on the pair.
- The pair is taken by a bot that belongs to another exchange bot with the same keys — the check goes by the keys, not by the bot name.
- For a bot with a delayed start the pair is rechecked at activation — the refusal may arrive later, when the trigger fires.
What to do
- Find what took the pair: 🪜 Grid Bots, 📉 DCA Bots or the trades in the Signal bot card. The fastest way is 📊 My Bots (Overview).
- If the bot is no longer needed — stop it (⏹️ Stop); close or cancel the signal trade from its trade card.
- If both must run at the same time — issue a second key pair on Bybit, create a separate exchange bot on it, and create the new Grid or DCA bot inside that one.
- Or pick another trading pair.
A similar refusal in signals — “Entry for BTCUSDT (LONG) rejected — One-Way mode. There is already an active trade on this pair in this direction.” — is not about the pair being taken by a bot, it is the one-signal-per-pair rule: see One signal per pair.
When to contact support
If no section has a bot or a trade on this pair and the refusal keeps repeating — write to support: give the pair and the name of the exchange bot.