Quick Start

Get up and running with Matchstick Events in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Matchstick Events installed on your system
• Internet connection for live data streaming

First Launch

1. Start the application

   • Linux: Run matchstick-events or find it in your application menu
   • macOS: Open from Applications folder
   • Windows: Launch from Start menu or desktop shortcut

2. The main window appears

   You'll see the event dashboard with the live event feed, filter controls, and connection status.

Understanding the Interface

Event Feed

Events appear in reverse chronological order. Each event card shows:

• Event type badge — Form 4, 8-K, 10-Q, etc.
• Company name — The issuer or filer
• Timestamp — When the filing was submitted to SEC
• Key details — Transaction type, value, or filing items

Click any event to see full details and a link to the SEC source document.

Filter Controls

Use filters to focus on what matters:

Filter	Options
Event Type	Form 4, 8-K, 10-K, 10-Q, News
Transaction	Purchases, Sales, Grants, Exercises
Minimum Value	Filter by dollar amount

Connection Status

• 🟢 Connected — Receiving live events
• 🟡 Reconnecting — Temporary disconnection, auto-recovering
• 🔴 Disconnected — Check your internet connection

Your First Events

During market hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET), you'll see events streaming in real-time. Outside market hours, activity is lighter but Form 4 filings often appear in the evening.

What to Expect

• Form 4 trades appear within 1-5 minutes of SEC filing
• 8-K filings appear within 2-10 minutes of submission
• Heartbeat events confirm your connection is active

Example: Tracking an Insider Purchase

1. Set the Event Type filter to "Form 4"
2. Set the Transaction filter to "Purchase (P)"
3. Optionally set a Minimum Value (e.g., $100,000)

When an executive buys shares, you'll see the event with full transaction details and a link to the SEC filing.

Troubleshooting

No events appearing

1. Check the connection indicator (should be green)
2. Verify you have internet access
3. Check if filters are too restrictive—try clearing all filters
4. Outside market hours, event volume is naturally lower

Events delayed

SEC EDGAR has inherent delays (filings are batch-processed). Matchstick delivers events within minutes of EDGAR availability, but we can't be faster than the SEC itself.

Next Steps

• Event Types — Deep dive into each event type
• Filtering — Advanced filtering strategies