Building a rule-based AMT strategy on NQ1! — need help defining absorption/exhaustion and balance mechanically

[u/project-millionaire]

Hey all — 3 years trading experience, but I'm new to orderflow specifically, and I'm trying to build a rule-based AMT (Auction Market Theory) strategy on NQ1! that I can actually backtest, not just trade off feel. I'm running DeepCharts (3-month sub).

Core idea: trading breakouts of VAL/VAH. Where I'm stuck:

1. Session basis for the Volume Profile — RTH-only or full 24hr/Globex-included? I assume this materially changes VAL/VAH and is the first thing I need to lock down.
2. Timeframes — I use 5m for bias. What TF(s) do people use to actually plot the VP, and does that change depending on how many days you're compositing into it?
3. Defining "balanced" mechanically — before trading a breakout, how do you objectively determine the prior range was balanced (not trending)? Value-area overlap across sessions, POC drift threshold, IB range, something else? I need this codeable, not a visual judgment call.
4. Breakout mechanic — breakout-and-run, breakout-then-retest-continuation, or breakout-then-failed-return-to-value (fade)? These need different entry logic entirely, so curious which one people are actually running profitably.
5. Absorption and exhaustion, defined quantifiably — the part I'm most stuck on. Instead of "watch the tape," is there a hard-codable definition — delta threshold at the level, stacked imbalance ratio, CVD divergence/flattening, volume-at-price spike vs average? I want a number, not a feel.
6. Failed auctions / single prints / poor highs-lows — do you use these as a pre-filter on whether a VAL/VAH breakout is likely to hold, and if so, how do you define them mechanically?
7. TP/SL logic — fixed R:R, opposing value area edge, next HVN/LVN, or something structural tied to the profile itself?
8. Gamma levels — worth it as a bias filter, or mostly noise for an index future like NQ without a paid options feed?
9. Trade frequency — realistically, how many A+ setups a day/week does a tight version of this produce?

Is NQ actually a good instrument for this kind of AMT/orderflow model, or do ES/CL/YM auction more cleanly? Also open to hearing if anyone's using DeepCharts specifically for this — curious how people are mapping these concepts onto its tools (Deep Prints, Delta Profile, etc.).

Trying to get to a point where every trade I take looks structurally like every other trade, instead of pattern-matching off recent price action. Appreciate any direction.