TradingView Publication Type Guide

Overview

This guide helps you choose the appropriate publication type for your Pine Script and understand the requirements for each. TradingView offers different publication options, each with specific rules and target audiences.

Publication Types Matrix

Feature	Public Open-Source	Public Invite-Only	Private
Visibility	Global community	Public listing, restricted access	Author only
Source Code	Visible to all	Protected/Hidden	Hidden
User Access	Anyone can use	Invitation required	Author only
TradingView Plan Required	Any (Free+)	Premium+	Any
Moderation	Full compliance review	Full compliance + vendor rules	None
Edit Window	15 minutes	15 minutes	Always editable
Monetization	Not allowed	Allowed	Not applicable
Community Features	Comments, boosts, sharing	Comments, boosts, sharing	None

Publication Type Descriptions

🌐 Public Open-Source

Purpose: Share knowledge, build community, demonstrate expertise, contribute to the Pine Script ecosystem.

Best For:

• Educational indicators and strategies
• Community-driven development
• Building reputation and following
• Demonstrating Pine Script skills
• Contributing to open-source ecosystem

Requirements:

• Full TradingView compliance (strictest rules)
• Original, valuable content
• Comprehensive documentation
• Clean, professional presentation
• Educational value for community

Benefits:

• Maximum visibility and reach
• Community engagement and feedback
• Eligible for TradingView Editor's Picks
• Builds reputation and credibility
• Contributes to Pine Script knowledge base

Considerations:

• Code is publicly visible
• Cannot monetize directly
• High competition for visibility
• Must maintain educational value

🔐 Public Invite-Only

Purpose: Monetize premium indicators, provide exclusive tools, maintain competitive advantages while reaching a broader audience.

Best For:

• Professional trading tools
• Proprietary algorithms
• Premium services and products
• Advanced analytical capabilities
• Monetized indicator services

Requirements:

• TradingView Premium+ account
• Full compliance + vendor requirements
• Unique value justification
• Professional presentation
• Clear access instructions

Benefits:

• Monetization opportunities
• Maintains proprietary advantages
• Professional user base
• Higher perceived value
• Scalable business model

Considerations:

• Higher account cost requirement
• Additional vendor compliance rules
• Need to justify exclusivity
• Manage access and support
• Transaction handling outside TradingView

🔒 Private

Purpose: Testing, development, collaboration, personal use, draft preparation for public release.

Best For:

• Development and testing
• Private collaboration
• Draft versions before public release
• Personal analysis tools
• Client-specific customizations

Requirements:

• Minimal (no moderation)
• Cannot reference in public content
• Cannot monetize

Benefits:

• Always editable
• No compliance requirements
• Perfect for testing and iteration
• Private collaboration possible
• Safe draft environment

Considerations:

• No community visibility
• No monetization allowed
• Limited to direct URL sharing
• Not for advertising/promotion

Decision Framework

Choose Public Open-Source When:

✅ You want to:

• Build reputation in the Pine Script community
• Contribute to educational resources
• Share innovative techniques or methods
• Get community feedback and suggestions
• Demonstrate your Pine Script expertise

✅ Your script:

• Provides clear educational value
• Uses original algorithms or unique approaches
• Has comprehensive documentation
• Solves common trading problems
• Improves upon existing methods

✅ You can:

• Explain all functionality clearly
• Provide detailed technical documentation
• Handle community questions and feedback
• Maintain the script over time

Choose Public Invite-Only When:

✅ You want to:

• Monetize your Pine Script development
• Maintain competitive advantages
• Serve professional traders specifically
• Build a premium indicator business

✅ Your script:

• Contains proprietary algorithms or methodologies
• Provides significant competitive advantages
• Requires specialized knowledge to use effectively
• Justifies exclusive access through unique value

✅ You can:

• Manage access requests and user onboarding
• Provide ongoing support to users
• Handle payment/access systems externally
• Justify the exclusivity with unique features

Choose Private When:

✅ You want to:

• Test and develop without public visibility
• Collaborate with specific individuals
• Create drafts before public publication
• Build personal analysis tools

✅ Your script:

• Is still in development or testing
• Needs refinement before public release
• Is customized for specific use cases
• Contains experimental features

Workflow Integration

Development Lifecycle

1. Development Phase: Start with private scripts for testing and iteration
2. Refinement Phase: Use private scripts to perfect functionality and documentation
3. Pre-Publication: Create private drafts of public descriptions and documentation
4. Publication Decision: Choose between open-source or invite-only based on criteria above
5. Publication: Release public script with appropriate type
6. Maintenance: Ongoing updates and community engagement

Template Selection

• Open-Source: Use tradingview-description-opensource-template.txt
• Invite-Only: Use tradingview-description-inviteonly-template.txt
• Private: Use basic template or README conversion

Validation Requirements

• Open-Source: Full compliance validation required
• Invite-Only: Full compliance + vendor requirement validation
• Private: Minimal validation (optional)

Migration Strategies

Open-Source to Invite-Only

Cannot be done directly - must create new publication

Strategy:

1. Create new invite-only version with enhanced features
2. Maintain open-source version with basic functionality
3. Clearly differentiate value propositions
4. Ensure compliance with TradingView rules about not reproducing open-source scripts

Invite-Only to Open-Source

Cannot be done directly - must create new publication

Strategy:

1. Create educational/community version with core concepts
2. Remove proprietary elements while maintaining value
3. Focus on educational and learning aspects
4. Ensure substantial differences from invite-only version

Private to Public

Direct upgrade possible

Strategy:

1. Enhance documentation for public consumption
2. Run full compliance validation
3. Choose appropriate public type
4. Prepare for community engagement

Best Practices by Type

Open-Source Best Practices

• Documentation: Comprehensive, educational, beginner-friendly
• Code Quality: Clean, well-commented, exemplary
• Community: Engage actively, respond to feedback, iterate based on suggestions
• Updates: Regular improvements, bug fixes, feature additions
• Attribution: Always credit sources, collaborate openly

Invite-Only Best Practices

• Value Proposition: Clear articulation of unique benefits
• Access Management: Professional, responsive, clear criteria
• User Support: High-quality support for paying users
• Feature Development: Regular enhancements, user-driven improvements
• Professionalism: Maintain high standards throughout

Private Best Practices

• Testing: Thorough validation before any public release
• Documentation: Maintain for your own reference and collaboration
• Version Control: Track changes for eventual public release
• Collaboration: Use for safe iteration with trusted partners

Common Pitfalls

Open-Source Pitfalls

❌ Insufficient documentation or explanation ❌ Rehashing existing indicators without improvement ❌ Lack of educational value ❌ Poor code quality or organization ❌ Ignoring community feedback

Invite-Only Pitfalls

❌ Insufficient justification for exclusivity ❌ Poor access management or user support ❌ Reproducing open-source functionality ❌ Unclear value proposition ❌ Inadequate vendor compliance

Private Pitfalls

❌ Using for circumventing TradingView rules ❌ Sharing links publicly (makes it "not private") ❌ Attempting to monetize private scripts ❌ Poor testing before public release

Support and Resources

TradingView Documentation

• Publishing Scripts Guide
• Script Publishing Rules
• Vendor Requirements
• House Rules

Internal Resources

• docs/TradingView_Publishing_Guidelines.md - Comprehensive integration guide
• docs/TradingView_Compliance_Checklist.md - Pre-publication checklist
• tools/validate-tv-compliance.sh - Automated compliance validation
• Template files for each publication type

Community Resources

• TradingView Pine Script community
• PineCoders resources and guidelines
• Editor's Picks for examples of quality publications

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Remember: The choice of publication type significantly impacts your workflow, requirements, and opportunities. Consider your goals, resources, and target audience carefully when making this decision.