HELIX Flow Signals: Tide, Sweeps & Anomalies

The HELIX flow scanner shows you the raw prints. The signals layer on top tells you what those prints mean in aggregate — whether the session's flow leans bullish or bearish, whether anything anomalous is happening, and whether the prints are landing near levels that matter on the gamma map. Here is how to read each signal component.

HelixTideBar: the session's directional lean

The TideBar sits above the flow table and provides a single-glance read on the aggregate direction of institutional flow for the current session.

The pill shows BULLISH, BEARISH, or NEUTRAL based on cumulative premium weight. The split bar divides green (call premium) and red (put premium) proportionally — if 70% green, calls dominate 7-to-3. It updates on a 15-second polling cycle.

The Tide is context, not a trigger. A BULLISH tide means institutional money is leaning call-side. Combined with positive GEX and price above the gamma flip, it adds confluence. Against negative GEX, a bullish Tide might be hedging, not conviction.

FlowAnomalyBanner: when something unusual is happening

When HELIX detects unusual options activity that rises above the baseline noise, the FlowAnomalyBanner appears at the top of the scanner.

Each anomaly carries a severity badge. Critical items — a $20M+ print, a burst of sweeps on one name — get a pulsing badge to break through attention fatigue. Anomalies are grouped per-ticker, so you see whether activity is focused on one name or spread broadly. The banner polls every 20 seconds.

FlowBrief: the AI narrative

During RTH, HELIX generates a FlowBrief — an AI-written narrative summarizing the session's most significant flow. It calls out the heaviest names, direction, and contextual factors (earnings, macro). Refreshes every 15 minutes during RTH. Use it as a second opinion when you've lost the thread — context, not a trade signal.

Ask% calculation: conviction in the fill

One of the most important columns in the flow table is Ask%, and understanding its math is essential:

Ask% = total ask-side premium / total premium x 100

60%+ signals conviction buying — the institution crossed the spread to get filled. 40%- signals less urgency or selling at the bid. Always read Ask% alongside whether the contract is a call or put: a 70% Ask% on puts means aggressive put buying, which is bearish.

SWEEP vs. BLOCK vs. FLOOR

Every trade in the HELIX table carries a rule type badge:

SWEEP — split across multiple exchanges simultaneously. The buyer wanted size now. Aggressive sweeps at the ask are the strongest flow signal in the scanner. See How to Read Options Flow.

BLOCK — a large single-venue print, typically negotiated. Less urgency than sweeps but more size conviction — significant capital in one print.

FLOOR — executed on the physical floor, usually for large or complex multi-leg orders. Often the largest prints but can be hedges. Use Ask%, OI, and IV to distinguish.

GEX proximity signals

HELIX cross-references every trade against the live Thermal gamma profile. When a print's strike sits near a key gamma level, it gets a proximity pill:

- FLIP — the strike is near the gamma flip. Flow hitting the flip is especially significant because it is pushing at the regime boundary. - CALL WALL — the strike is at or near the call wall. Large call buying at the call wall can either reinforce it (more hedging selling, stronger ceiling) or signal an attempt to break through. - PUT WALL — the strike is at or near the put wall. Large put buying at the put wall can weaken or break the support.

These pills turn the flow table into a positioning-aware scanner. A $2M call sweep is interesting; the same sweep at the gamma flip is a potential regime-change catalyst.

Combining signals

The most actionable flow setups layer multiple HELIX signals together:

- Bullish Tide + sweeps at the ask + strikes near a weakening call wall — buyers are pushing aggressively at a level that is losing its mechanical defense. Watch for a wall break. - Anomaly banner pulsing on one ticker + dark pool block in the same name + Ask% > 70% — institutional accumulation across both dark and lit venues with conviction fills. Cross-reference with the TickerDrawer for the full picture. - Bearish Tide + put sweeps + FLIP proximity pill — flow is driving price toward the gamma flip from above. If price crosses below, the regime change can accelerate the move. See Gamma Flip Explained.

For a deeper look at how dark pool data fits into this picture, see Reading Dark Pool Data on HELIX. For background on separating signal from noise more generally, see How to Read Options Flow. Get access →

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