THE STORY BEHIND HL TERMINAL
I’m Michael Knecht, an independent software developer from Germany. I’ve built software professionally since 1990. HL Terminal began as a personal project: the trading workspace I wanted to use myself.
How it beganTHE ORIGIN
Over the years I’ve worked across communications, social media, VoIP, video calling and e-commerce. Trading came later, as a hobby. The crypto market drew me in, and Hyperliquid opened up an especially compelling way to explore a growing range of markets.
Once I started trading there, I found myself wanting more from the interface: clearer market context, faster preparation and a closer connection between analysis and execution. So I began building my own terminal. What started as a tool for my own trading became HL Terminal.
HOW THE IDEA GREW
I spent a lot of time with Smart Money Concepts: liquidity, Order Blocks, Fair Value Gaps, order flow and premium and discount arrays. That work led to the native PTA indicator. Its purpose is to bring those ideas together on the chart so I can see the structure, inspect possible paths for price and form my own thesis.
Direct AI conversations were a start, but I wanted deeper analysis. HL Terminal connects chart and market context to AI in the app and through MCP, so assistants such as Codex can explore supported markets, compare scenarios and propose trade setups grounded in the data the terminal already has.
I wanted the Long or Short setup on my chart and the order ticket to be the same plan. Entry, stop loss and take profit can be adjusted visually or in the ticket, with changes reflected on both sides. A proposed AI setup can enter that same editable chart preview before I decide whether to place it.
BUILT AROUND REAL USE
A useful terminal should help me act on a decision, not make me reconstruct the decision under pressure.
A trade can begin at a price level through the chart crosshair’s + menu or in the order ticket. The preview makes the entry, stop and target visible together, along with the possible profit and loss. I can refine the plan on the chart and bring the updated levels back to the ticket.
Reliable access matters just as much. I do not want a routine app update to make me enter a trading key again, or a long startup to get between me and a fast market. Device-local Apple Keychain storage keeps the Hyperliquid API wallet key available across normal restarts and updates while the app rechecks its trading authority with Hyperliquid. AI provider credentials use separate Apple Keychain entries and can sync through iCloud Keychain when enabled. Fast connection and a dependable path back to the chart remain core design goals.
ONE WORKSPACE, MORE PLACES
HL Terminal is currently most capable on Mac, iPad and iPhone. iCloud helps supported workspace and Paper Trading information stay in sync across those devices. A Mac running in Server Mode provides the always-on side of shared Paper Trading, setup monitoring and notifications, even when I am using another Apple device.
The web app is an early, read-only way to explore charts and market structure. I want to bring more of the native workflow to the browser as the secure web architecture develops. Broader platform support, including Android and a less Apple-dependent sync layer, is a possible next chapter shaped by demand.
WHERE IT STANDS TODAY
Security comes first. Native trading wallet keys stay in the local Apple Keychain; the web client currently has no trading wallet. Paper Trading uses virtual funds and live market data to try ideas without putting real capital at risk. It can run alongside a separate view of real trading, with an active Mac Server Mode required for shared Paper Trading and monitoring.
HL Terminal helps me research, prepare and monitor. It does not place trades automatically: I review and submit every live order myself. SMC readings and AI proposals are analysis, not investment advice. Hyperliquid remains the source of truth for live orders and positions, which can also be managed in Hyperliquid’s own interface.
I’m still building the terminal I want to trade with—and I’m glad to share the journey.
Michael Knecht
EXPLORE HL TERMINAL
Explore the product story or open the current web client to see the chart and market structure for yourself.
