> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ansio.trade/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose a price source

> Choose the reference used by a bot, distinguish it from the exchange price and understand the actions available when the rate shock guard freezes a quote.

The price source gives a bot its reference. Your quotes can differ from that reference because spread shifts, order steps and other strategy settings are applied afterward.

![ANSIO price source settings with the selected reference and quote values.](https://mintcdn.com/ansio/TbUlSsAFRzZei_af/images/docs/price-source.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=TbUlSsAFRzZei_af\&q=85\&s=b94435235b3a9440534f83929a138db3)

Read the selected market and quote status before changing the reference.

## Source options

| Source | Where the reference comes from |
| - | - |
| Exchange | The selected exchange's live ticker. |
| Direct (DEX) | An on-chain pool. |
| Market | The market on the account's own exchange. |
| Preferable quote | The price you enter manually. |
| A coin | A reference derived from the selected coin's live rate. |

A client default can seed a new bot's source. An existing bot may have its own override, so review the source on the account you intend to change.

## Read the comparison

The source panel separates the **outer bid and ask** from the **exchange bid and ask**. The deviation shows how far those prices are apart. A difference does not, by itself, mean the source is broken.

**No quote** means a usable reference is unavailable. It does not mean the asset price is zero. See [Connection and data issues](https://docs.ansio.trade/troubleshooting/connections.md) if the source stops updating.

## When the rate shock guard activates

The guard can hold the last accepted price after a large reference move. The available actions have different results:

| Action | Result |
| - | - |
| Accept new price | Use the new reference. |
| Keep frozen | Continue holding the accepted reference. |
| Adjust guard | Change the guard setting. |

> [!NOTE]
>
> Holding the reference is not the same as stopping the bot. Read the bot's status and resting orders separately.

Before accepting a new reference, it helps to compare its timestamp and value with the account's current market. Then review the resulting quotes, especially if you use a manual reference or a large spread shift.

Related: [Spot ladder](https://docs.ansio.trade/spot/market-making.md) · [Futures quoting](https://docs.ansio.trade/futures/quoting.md)


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