From leader fill to follower order: how futures copy trading works

Here is what happens between the moment your leader account fills and the moment each follower holds the same trade.

1. The leader fills

You trade the leader as you normally would, from any platform connected to that broker account. A market order, a limit, a stop or a bracket leg fills. The copier sees the fill on the broker account itself.

2. Each follower's size is worked out

Each follower has a multiplier. In Replica it goes from ×0.1 to ×5, and the result is rounded up to a whole contract, never below 1. A follower can also trade a different contract size: NQ on the leader can become MNQ (micro) on a follower, or the other way round.

3. Each follower gets an order

Each follower gets a market order for its size. Market orders make sure the follower actually gets into the trade; the trade-off is that in fast markets its fill price can differ slightly from the leader's.

4. Protective orders follow

If the leader's entry has a take-profit and a stop-loss, the follower gets protective orders too. Where the broker supports it, they are linked as one OCO bracket: when one fills, the broker cancels the other.

5. Exits and changes are copied the same way

Partial exits, scale-ins, reversals and full exits on the leader are copied as they fill. A reversal is handled as close first, confirm flat, then open the new side, so a follower is never long and short at once.

6. Safety checks run all the time

• When the leader is flat, followers still holding that contract are closed.
• An order with an unclear outcome is never blindly re-sent.
• Per-account limits can stop an account for the rest of the day.

See how Replica's copier works, or start with the quick start.