MEV Bot Onboarding Checklist: The First 7 Days Before Scaling Live Execution

Answer first - The first seven days with a MEV bot should be a controlled onboarding period: verify the build, separate wallets, configure limited settings, run simulation, review logs, and only then test capped live execution. Do not treat installation as a reason to scale. The goal of week one is evidence: clean logs, understood costs, working limits, and a clear stop plan.

This checklist is written for FRB users, but it also works as a general onboarding framework for any non-custodial MEV trading assistant.

Day 1: Verify before you run

Before opening the installer:

• Download only from the official Download page.
• Check release information on Releases.
• Verify the build through Trust Verification.
• Read the Risk Disclosure.
• Confirm you are using a dedicated machine or clean user profile.

Do not skip verification because a setup guide says the tool is easy. Ease of install and safety are different questions.

Day 2: Separate wallets and budgets

Set up wallet roles:

Set limits before connecting any strategy:

• Maximum route size.
• Maximum daily exposure.
• Maximum slippage.
• Maximum gas or tip budget.
• Allowed chains.
• Allowed routers or contracts.

Limits are not decoration. They are the guardrails that make a mistake survivable.

Day 3: Configure infrastructure

MEV execution depends on state freshness. Review:

• RPC endpoint latency.
• WSS stability where relevant.
• Relay or private-bundle route.
• Region selection.
• Reconnect behavior.
• Logging and alerting.

Use related guides:

• Best WSS Endpoints by Chain
• Best MEV Relays by Chain
• Mempool Scanning 101

If your infrastructure is unstable in simulation, it will not become safer under live pressure.

Day 4: Run simulation mode

Keep live execution off. Run Simulation Mode long enough to capture ordinary and volatile periods.

Review:

• Which routes are skipped and why.
• Whether gross and net calculations make sense.
• Whether slippage estimates are realistic.
• Whether gas or tips make routes uneconomic.
• Whether any contract or wallet permission is missing.
• Whether logs are understandable without guessing.

If you cannot explain the logs, do not go live.

Day 5: Fix configuration mistakes

Common findings:

• Wrong chain or RPC endpoint.
• Too much route size for available liquidity.
• Slippage cap too loose or too tight.
• Budget cap too high for the test wallet.
• Router allowlist too broad.
• Strategy enabled on a chain you did not intend.

Fix one thing at a time and rerun simulation. Bulk changes make logs harder to trust.

Day 6: Capped live canary

Only move to live if days 1-5 are clean. The first live run should be small and capped:

• Use the dedicated trading wallet.
• Keep route size small.
• Keep daily exposure low.
• Disable public fallback unless you understand the trade-off.
• Watch logs during the run.
• Stop if realized behavior diverges from simulation.

The goal is measurement, not scale.

Day 7: Review and decide

At the end of the first week, review:

• Net outcomes after all costs.
• Failed and skipped route reasons.
• RPC and relay stability.
• Slippage behavior.
• Any wallet-approval changes.
• Any support questions.
• Whether the strategy should remain in simulation.

The correct decision may be "do not scale yet." That is a valid outcome.

What beginners should avoid

Beginners should avoid:

• Main wallet usage.
• Unlimited approvals.
• Multiple live strategies at once.
• High-slippage routes.
• Unsupported chains.
• Scaling after one good session.
• Any workflow that asks for a seed phrase.

Start with one chain, one strategy, and one dedicated wallet.

Internal links for the first week

• Download FRB
• Trust Verification
• Security Model
• Simulation Mode
• FRB Pricing
• Risk Disclosure
• FRB Playbook: First Live Bundle

CTA: Download and verify the build, then run simulation before any live execution.

This checklist is educational. MEV strategies involve financial and execution risks, including latency, liquidity, slippage, gas, smart-contract, and market risks. Use limits and review the Risk Disclosure.