A 0DTE scalp is meant to be short — minutes, not hours — because time decay and your thesis both have short shelf lives. Understanding the right holding window keeps you from the classic mistake of overstaying.
Why scalps are short by nature
A scalp is a bet on a specific, near-term move — a bounce off a level, a break, a quick run. Once that move plays out (or fails), the reason for the trade is gone, so there's little reason to keep holding. Meanwhile, 0DTE theta is draining the option every minute, so time is a cost, not a friend. The longer you hold a scalp, the more decay you pay and the more likely your original edge has evaporated.
When to exit
Exit when the reason for the trade resolves: you hit your target (take it, or scale out), you hit your stop (cut it), or the setup invalidates (the move you expected didn't happen — get out). Don't hold hoping a dead scalp comes back; that's how a small planned loss becomes a decay-driven bigger one. If the move isn't happening reasonably promptly, the trade has failed.
A scalp has a job; when the job's done (or clearly not getting done), you're out. Holding a scalp “to see what happens” just feeds it to theta.
The quick takeaway
Hold a 0DTE scalp only as long as the move you're trading is playing out — usually minutes — and exit on target, stop, or invalidation. Time is a cost, so don't overstay. NoVo's exit ladder and stops are built to get you out on plan, which is exactly the discipline that keeps a scalp a scalp.