GTT Orders in Zerodha: The Only Safe Way to Automate Exit Levels
A stop-loss that only works while your terminal is open is not really a stop-loss. GTT (Good Till Triggered) orders live on Zerodha's servers for up to a year and fire without you watching. They are also the one order type Zerodha's official AI interface (Kite MCP) can actually place. Here is how they work, and how to make sure your downside is covered.
Why GTT is the allowed automation
Zerodha's official Kite MCP leaves out market-order placement on purpose. GTT is the exception, and it is a well-designed one. Zerodha's systems evaluate the condition — not an AI and not your browser. The order it fires is a normal exchange order. And you set the levels. So the protective half of trading can be automated — and no AI can ever sell your entire portfolio in one go.
The three GTT types, minus the jargon
- Single: one trigger, one order. "If INFY touches ₹1,850, sell." Simple, but it leaves the other side uncovered.
- OCO (one-cancels-other): target and stop-loss as a pair. Whichever fires first cancels the other. This is what a "protective exit" means in practice: you plan for both the gain and the loss.
- GTT-MIS: the intraday variant. The trigger fires a MIS (intraday) order. Zerodha closes it out automatically at session end no matter what.
Rules worth remembering: GTTs last one year at most. You can modify or cancel them any time before the trigger. And once one triggers, expires or is cancelled, it stops protecting you. That is exactly why coverage needs regular checking.
The coverage gap nobody tracks
Most traders believe they have stop-losses. The reality shows the moment you list active GTTs next to your holdings. Some positions have expired GTTs. Some have target-only OCOs — only the gain half. Some have nothing at all. "Protective-exit coverage" is the share of your live positions with an active SELL-side stop. It is the one number that answers: "if prices fall sharply tomorrow, what actually happens?"
Doing this check by hand means comparing two Kite screens for each position. With an AI agent over Kite MCP, it is automatic. Your holdings and live GTT list are compared continuously. Uncovered positions are flagged. The agent then drafts the missing protective GTTs — an OCO stop-loss and target at each position's live price — for your approval.
Practical settings that work
- Stop placement: below obvious support (a recent swing low or a key moving average). Keep it far enough away that normal price swings do not trigger it. Keep it close enough that it limits real damage.
- Trigger vs limit price: set the limit slightly below the trigger. Then even a fast-moving market still fills the order.
- Laddering: for large positions, split the exit into 2–3 GTTs at different levels instead of one big exit.
- Renewal habit: add "GTT audit" to your monthly review. Expired stops fail silently, and that is risk.
Quick answers
Do GTT orders cost anything? No — GTT is free on Zerodha.
Does GTT work when Zerodha is down? The trigger evaluation runs on Zerodha's servers; exchange-side outages affect any order equally.
Can AI set these for me? Yes — drafted against your live holdings, approved by you before placement. Market orders through AI are not supported by the official MCP at all.