diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index 26e259a..04f2144 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -90,6 +90,21 @@
 - **Expected impact:** ~3.1% more trades (quality 90-94 longs), +$44.77 potential profit, prevent -$553.76 losses
 - **See:** `docs/DIRECTION_SPECIFIC_QUALITY_THRESHOLDS.md` for complete analysis and SQL queries
 
+**Adaptive Leverage System (Nov 24, 2025 - RISK-ADJUSTED POSITION SIZING):**
+- **Purpose:** Automatically adjust leverage based on signal quality score - high confidence gets full leverage, borderline signals get reduced risk exposure
+- **Quality-Based Leverage Tiers:**
+  - **Quality 95-100:** 15x leverage ($540 × 15x = $8,100 notional position)
+  - **Quality 90-94:** 10x leverage ($540 × 10x = $5,400 notional position)
+  - **Quality <90:** Blocked by direction-specific thresholds
+- **Risk Impact:** Quality 90-94 signals save $2,700 exposure (33% risk reduction) vs fixed 15x
+- **Data-Driven Justification:** v8 indicator quality 95+ = 100% WR (4/4 wins), quality 90-94 more volatile
+- **Configuration:** `USE_ADAPTIVE_LEVERAGE=true`, `HIGH_QUALITY_LEVERAGE=15`, `LOW_QUALITY_LEVERAGE=10`, `QUALITY_LEVERAGE_THRESHOLD=95` in .env
+- **Implementation:** Quality score calculated EARLY in execute endpoint (before position sizing), passed to `getActualPositionSizeForSymbol(qualityScore)`, leverage determined via `getLeverageForQualityScore()` helper
+- **Log Message:** `📊 Adaptive leverage: Quality X → Yx leverage (threshold: 95)`
+- **Trade-off:** ~$21 less profit on borderline wins, but ~$21 less loss on borderline stops = better risk-adjusted returns
+- **Future Enhancements:** Multi-tier (20x for 97+, 5x for 85-89), per-direction multipliers, streak-based adjustments
+- **See:** `ADAPTIVE_LEVERAGE_SYSTEM.md` for complete implementation details, code examples, monitoring procedures
+
 **Timeframe-Aware Scoring:** Signal quality thresholds adjust based on timeframe (5min vs daily):
 - 5min: ADX 12+ trending (vs 18+ for daily), ATR 0.2-0.7% healthy (vs 0.4%+ for daily)
 - Anti-chop filter: -20 points for extreme sideways (ADX <10, ATR <0.25%, Vol <0.9x)
@@ -1118,6 +1133,20 @@ if (!enabled) {
 const driftSymbol = normalizeTradingViewSymbol(body.symbol)
 ```
 
+**Adaptive Leverage Configuration:**
+- **Helper function:** `getLeverageForQualityScore(qualityScore, config)` returns leverage tier based on quality
+- **Quality threshold:** Configured via `QUALITY_LEVERAGE_THRESHOLD` (default: 95)
+- **Leverage tiers:** HIGH_QUALITY_LEVERAGE (default: 15x), LOW_QUALITY_LEVERAGE (default: 10x)
+- **Integration:** Pass `qualityScore` parameter to `getActualPositionSizeForSymbol(symbol, config, qualityScore?)`
+- **Flow:** Quality score → getLeverageForQualityScore() → returns 15x or 10x → applied to position sizing
+- **Logging:** System logs adaptive leverage decisions for monitoring and validation
+```typescript
+// Example usage in execute endpoint
+const qualityResult = scoreSignalQuality({ atr, adx, rsi, volumeRatio, pricePosition, timeframe })
+const { size, leverage } = getActualPositionSizeForSymbol(driftSymbol, config, qualityResult.score)
+// leverage is now 15x for quality ≥95, or 10x for quality 90-94
+```
+
 ## API Endpoints Architecture
 
 **Authentication:** All `/api/trading/*` endpoints (except `/test`) require `Authorization: Bearer API_SECRET_KEY`
@@ -1155,15 +1184,23 @@ TradingView alert → n8n Parse Signal Enhanced (extracts metrics + timeframe)
   ↓ /api/trading/execute
   ↓ normalize symbol (SOLUSDT → SOL-PERP)
   ↓ getMergedConfig()
-  ↓ getPositionSizeForSymbol() [check if symbol enabled + get sizing]
-  ↓ openPosition() [MARKET order]
+  ↓ scoreSignalQuality({ ..., timeframe }) [CRITICAL: calculate EARLY, before position sizing]
+  ↓ getPositionSizeForSymbol(qualityScore) [adaptive leverage based on quality score]
+  ↓ openPosition() [MARKET order with adaptive leverage]
   ↓ calculate dual stop prices if enabled
   ↓ placeExitOrders() [on-chain TP1/TP2/SL orders]
-  ↓ scoreSignalQuality({ ..., timeframe }) [compute 0-100 score with timeframe-aware thresholds]
   ↓ createTrade() [CRITICAL: save to database FIRST - see Common Pitfall #27]
   ↓ positionManager.addTrade() [ONLY after DB save succeeds - prevents unprotected positions]
 ```
 
+**CRITICAL EXECUTION ORDER (Nov 24, 2025 - Adaptive Leverage):**
+The order of quality scoring → position sizing is NOT arbitrary - it's a requirement:
+- Quality score MUST be calculated BEFORE position sizing
+- Adaptive leverage depends on quality score value
+- Old flow: Open position → Calculate quality → Save to DB (quality used for records only)
+- New flow: Calculate quality → Determine leverage → Open position with adaptive size
+- **Never calculate quality after position opening** - leverage must be determined first
+
 **CRITICAL EXECUTION ORDER (Nov 13, 2025 Fix):**
 The order of database save → Position Manager add is NOT arbitrary - it's a safety requirement:
 - If database save fails, API returns HTTP 500 with critical warning
@@ -3846,13 +3883,20 @@ if (!enabled) {
     - Never assume SDK data format - log raw values to verify
     - SQL query with manual calculation to compare results
     - Test boundary cases: 0%, 100%, min/max values
-11. **DEPLOYMENT VERIFICATION (MANDATORY):** Before declaring ANY fix working:
+13. **Adaptive leverage changes:** When modifying quality-based leverage tiers
+    - Quality score MUST be calculated BEFORE position sizing (execute endpoint line ~172)
+    - Update `getLeverageForQualityScore()` helper in config/trading.ts
+    - Test with known quality scores to verify tier selection (95+ = 15x, 90-94 = 10x)
+    - Log shows: `📊 Adaptive leverage: Quality X → Yx leverage (threshold: 95)`
+    - Update ENV variables: USE_ADAPTIVE_LEVERAGE, HIGH_QUALITY_LEVERAGE, LOW_QUALITY_LEVERAGE, QUALITY_LEVERAGE_THRESHOLD
+    - Monitor first 10-20 trades to verify correct leverage applied
+14. **DEPLOYMENT VERIFICATION (MANDATORY):** Before declaring ANY fix working:
     - Check container start time vs commit timestamp
     - If container older than commit: CODE NOT DEPLOYED
     - Restart container and verify new code is running
     - Never say "fixed" or "protected" without deployment confirmation
     - This is a REAL MONEY system - unverified fixes cause losses
-12. **GIT COMMIT AND PUSH (MANDATORY):** After completing ANY feature, fix, or significant change:
+15. **GIT COMMIT AND PUSH (MANDATORY):** After completing ANY feature, fix, or significant change:
     - ALWAYS commit changes with descriptive message
     - ALWAYS push to remote repository
     - User should NOT have to ask for this - it's part of completion
@@ -3884,7 +3928,7 @@ if (!enabled) {
       * `critical: Fix withdrawal statistics to use actual Drift deposits` (8d53c4b, Nov 19, 2025)
         - Query cumulativeDeposits from Drift ($1,440.61 vs hardcoded $546)
         - Created /api/drift/account-summary endpoint
-13. **DOCKER MAINTENANCE (AFTER BUILDS):** Clean up accumulated cache to prevent disk full:
+16. **DOCKER MAINTENANCE (AFTER BUILDS):** Clean up accumulated cache to prevent disk full:
     ```bash
     # Remove dangling images (old builds)
     docker image prune -f
@@ -3903,14 +3947,14 @@ if (!enabled) {
     - **Safe to delete:** `<none>` tagged images, build cache (recreated on next build), dangling volumes
     - **Keep:** Named volumes (`trading-bot-postgres`), active containers, tagged images in use
     - **Why critical:** Docker builds create 1.3+ GB per build, cache accumulates to 40-50 GB without cleanup
-14. **NEXTCLOUD DECK SYNC (MANDATORY):** After completing phases or making significant roadmap progress:
+17. **NEXTCLOUD DECK SYNC (MANDATORY):** After completing phases or making significant roadmap progress:
     - Update roadmap markdown files with new status (🔄 IN PROGRESS, ✅ COMPLETE, 🔜 NEXT)
     - Run sync to update Deck cards: `python3 scripts/sync-roadmap-to-deck.py --init`
     - Move cards between stacks in Nextcloud Deck UI to reflect progress visually
     - Backlog (📥) → Planning (📋) → In Progress (🚀) → Complete (✅)
     - Keep Deck in sync with actual work - it's the visual roadmap tracker
     - Documentation: `docs/NEXTCLOUD_DECK_SYNC.md`
-15. **UPDATE COPILOT-INSTRUCTIONS.MD (MANDATORY):** After implementing ANY significant feature or system change:
+18. **UPDATE COPILOT-INSTRUCTIONS.MD (MANDATORY):** After implementing ANY significant feature or system change:
     - Document new database fields and their purpose
     - Add filtering requirements (e.g., manual vs TradingView trades)
     - Update "Important fields" sections with new schema changes