How to Set Stop-Loss and Take-Profit Orders on ApeX

You can’t attach a stop-loss or take-profit to an order before it fills on ApeX, TP/SL only becomes available once the underlying position already exists under Positions, not as an option you configure at the moment you place your entry order.

This guide is part of TradeOnDEX’s ApeX Protocol how-to series within Perpetual Futures, building on the opening-a-position guide.

Disclosure: TradeOnDEX may earn a commission from links to ApeX on this page, at no extra cost to you. Full details at the end of this article.

The sequencing that trips people up

TP/SL orders are configured after your Limit, Market, or Conditional entry order has already executed and appears under Positions, not as an attached parameter on the original order itself. This means for you, concretely: don’t expect to set your exit levels in the same screen where you place your entry; you place the entry first, wait for it to fill, then configure TP/SL on the resulting live position.

How TP and SL each work

Take-Profit closes your position once it reaches a specified profit level, locking in gains automatically. Stop-Loss exits your position once the asset reaches a specified price against you, limiting further loss. Both are accessible through the order history section at the bottom of the trading page, under Positions.

An important execution detail: reduce-only, last-traded-price only

TP/SL orders on ApeX are structured as Reduce-Only orders, and they can only be filled at the Last Traded Price, not the oracle or index price some other platforms in this series use as an alternative trigger reference. This means for you, concretely: your exit order’s execution is tied specifically to ApeX’s own last traded price on that market, so understand this is the reference your TP/SL depends on rather than an external index feed.

How to set TP/SL, step by step

1. Open a position using a Market, Limit, or Conditional order, as covered in the position-opening guide.
2. Once the order fills and appears under Positions, locate the TP/SL configuration option for that specific position.
3. Set your Take-Profit level, your Stop-Loss level, or both.
4. ApeX’s more recent updates also allow manual leverage adjustment and ROI-based selection directly within the TP/SL order configuration, review these options if you want more granular control than a simple price target.

Risk: what to understand about this specific implementation

You can’t guarantee an exit price is locked in before your entry even fills. Since TP/SL configuration happens after the position exists, there’s a window between your entry filling and your exit levels being set where the position is technically unprotected, set your TP/SL promptly after entry rather than treating it as optional or delayed housekeeping.

Reduce-only, last-traded-price execution means your fill depends on ApeX’s own market activity specifically. If ApeX’s last traded price for a given market briefly diverges from a broader reference price (due to thin liquidity or a temporary imbalance), your TP/SL triggers off that specific last-traded figure, not an external index, understand this dependency rather than assuming your exit mirrors a broader market price feed.

Reduce-only orders won’t ever increase or flip your position. This is a safety feature, not a limitation, a reduce-only TP/SL can only shrink or close your existing position, never accidentally grow it or reverse its direction.

Manual leverage adjustment and ROI selection within TP/SL configuration adds real flexibility, but also real complexity. These newer features give more granular control, but understand exactly what each setting changes about your exit order’s behavior before relying on it for a position that matters, rather than assuming default settings.

TP/SL mechanics at a glance

See it for yourself

Set your TP/SL immediately after your entry order fills, rather than treating it as a later step, to minimize the window where your position sits without configured exit levels. You can review current position and TP/SL options at apex.exchange.

Frequently asked questions

Can I set a stop-loss and take-profit at the same time I place my entry order?

No, TP/SL configuration only becomes available after the entry order (Market, Limit, or Conditional) has executed and the position appears under Positions.

What price does ApeX use to trigger my TP/SL order?

Last Traded Price specifically, not an oracle or index price, understand this is tied to ApeX’s own market activity.

Can my TP/SL order accidentally increase or reverse my position?

No, TP/SL orders are reduce-only by design, so they can only shrink or close your existing position.

Can I adjust leverage directly within a TP/SL order?

Yes, more recent ApeX updates added manual leverage adjustment and ROI-based selection within TP/SL configuration for more granular control.

Affiliate disclosure

TradeOnDEX may earn a commission if you sign up or trade through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. ApeX’s own affiliate/referral terms are still being confirmed for this site, so links here are direct and untracked for now. This article is educational and is not financial advice. See our disclaimer for the full risk warning.