ALGOTRADE — Terminal

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RISK DISCLOSURE: Prediction market trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Only trade with capital you can afford to lose. AlgoTrade provides AI-generated signals — not financial advice. Expected returns: 5-15% monthly on $500+ capital. Individual results vary.

Capital USDC

$0.00

Total P&L

Total Trades

--%

Win Rate

Active Signals

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Next Cycle

P&L History 30 days

Bot Control

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Bot is offline

Mode--

License--

LLM ModelDeepSeek R1

Uptime--

Recent Trades 0

Time	Direction	Market	Size	Edge	Status
Connect your bot to see trades

Date	Direction	Market	Size	Entry	Edge	P&L	Status
No trade history yet

Zero → ROI Progress 0/8 complete

Phase A — Create Account & Buy USDC (Complete Beginners)

What is CashClaw? An AI bot that predicts event outcomes on Polymarket (prediction markets). The bot auto-trades — you just fund it and let it run.

Note: Polymarket is a legal international platform. Users in restricted regions need a VPN to access. Ensure compliance with your local laws.

A1 — Install VPN (Required for Restricted Regions)

Install a VPN to access Polymarket & crypto exchanges

Polymarket and some exchanges block IPs from certain countries. A VPN is required to access them.

Choose one VPN:

• Cloudflare WARP (Free) — 1.1.1.1 — Install app, enable WARP, done.

• ProtonVPN (Free) — protonvpn.com — Select US or EU server.

• NordVPN (~$3/mo) — nordvpn.com — Most stable, select US server.

✓ After enabling VPN, visit polymarket.com — if you see the homepage, VPN is working.

⚠ Always keep VPN on when using Polymarket. VPN off = connection lost.

A2 — Create Crypto Wallet (MetaMask)

Install MetaMask — the most popular crypto wallet

1. Go to metamask.io/download

2. Install extension for Chrome/Brave/Firefox

3. Create new wallet → WRITE DOWN 12 SEED WORDS ON PAPER!

4. Set a strong password

5. Add Polygon network: Settings → Networks → Add Network

Network: Polygon Mainnet
RPC URL: https://polygon-rpc.com
Chain ID: 137
Symbol: MATIC
Explorer: https://polygonscan.com

⚠ NEVER share your seed phrase or private key. Anyone with it can steal your funds.

A3 — Buy USDC (Binance P2P — Works Worldwide)

Buy USDC using local currency via Binance P2P

Binance P2P lets you buy crypto with bank transfer in your local currency. No VPN needed for Binance.

1. Create account at Binance (email + ID verification required)

2. Go to Trade → P2P Trading

3. Select: Buy → USDC → Your currency → Bank Transfer

4. Choose a seller with high completion rate (99%+ rating)

5. Enter the amount you want to buy (e.g., $500 USDC)

6. Transfer money to seller's bank account → Confirm transfer

7. Wait for seller to release USDC to your Binance (5-15 min)

✓ Verify: Wallet → Spot → USDC balance

Recommended starting capital: $500 USDC. Minimum: $100 USDC.

A4 — Transfer USDC from Binance to MetaMask (Polygon)

Withdraw USDC from Binance to your MetaMask wallet via Polygon network

1. Open MetaMask → Copy wallet address (0x...)

2. Binance → Wallet → Withdraw → USDC

3. Paste MetaMask address into "Address" field

4. Select Network: Polygon (DO NOT select Ethereum — fees are 100x higher!)

5. Enter USDC amount to withdraw (e.g., 500)

6. Confirm with 2FA → Wait 5-10 minutes

7. Check MetaMask → Polygon network → USDC balance should appear

Also withdraw 1 MATIC (~$0.50) for gas fees:

Binance → Withdraw → MATIC → Polygon → MetaMask address

⚠ MUST select Polygon network! Wrong network = lost funds. Always send $1 test first.

A5 — Create Polymarket Account

Enable VPN before accessing Polymarket.

1. Enable VPN (step A1) → select US server

2. Go to polymarket.com

3. Click "Log In" → "Connect Wallet" → Select MetaMask

4. MetaMask popup → Connect → Sign (authorize)

5. Deposit USDC: Click "Deposit" → Enter amount → Approve → Deposit

6. Wait 1-2 min → USDC appears in Polymarket balance

✓ Try buying $1 on any market manually to confirm everything works.

⚠ Polymarket deposit = USDC sent to smart contract. Safe but not instantly refundable.

A6 — Get Polymarket API Keys (for automated trading)

The bot uses Polymarket's CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) API. You need API credentials to place automated orders.

1. Enable VPN → go to polymarket.com

2. Connect your MetaMask wallet (should already be connected from Step A5)

3. Go to Settings → API Keys (or visit polymarket.com/settings/api)

4. Click "Create API Key"

5. Copy these 3 values and save them securely:

POLYMARKET_API_KEY

= the API key string

POLYMARKET_API_SECRET

= the secret (shown only once!)

POLYMARKET_PASSPHRASE

= the passphrase you set

✓ You'll add these to your bot's .env file in Step B4.

⚠ API Secret is shown ONLY ONCE when created. Copy it immediately. If lost, create a new key.

A7 — Export Wallet Private Key for Bot

Export private key from MetaMask for automated trading

Bot needs the private key to sign trades on your behalf. Use a dedicated wallet — don't put all your funds in it.

Option 1: Use current MetaMask wallet

MetaMask → ⋮ menu → Account Details → Show Private Key → Enter password → Copy key (0x...)

Or:

Option 2: Create dedicated bot wallet (safer)

MetaMask → Avatar → Add Account → Create new → Transfer only $500 USDC to this wallet → Export key

⚠ Private key = full access to all funds. Only use for bot, never share.

──── Phase B: Install CashClaw Bot ────

Phase B — Choose Hardware for Bot

The AI bot needs powerful hardware to run DeepSeek R1 model (18GB). Choose one:

Mac is cheaper if used >6 months. VPS if you want to try first.

Step 4 — Configure .env File (ALL credentials)

Create .env file with all your keys and settings

From your algo-trader directory, create a .env file with ALL credentials from previous steps.

# Create .env file in algo-trader directory
cat > .env << 'EOF'
# === License (from admin) ===
LICENSE_KEY=paste-your-license-key-here
LICENSE_SECRET=paste-your-license-secret-here

# === Polymarket CLOB API (from Step A6) ===
POLYMARKET_API_KEY=paste-your-api-key-here
POLYMARKET_PASSPHRASE=paste-your-passphrase-here

# === Wallet (from Step A7) ===
POLY_PRIVATE_KEY=0xpaste-your-private-key-here

# === Trading Settings ===
CAPITAL_USDC=500

# === LLM Server (local) ===
# Mac MLX:
LLM_URL=http://localhost:11435/v1
# VPS Ollama:
# LLM_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1
EOF

# Verify file created
cat .env

SECURITY: .env contains all your secrets. NEVER commit to git. NEVER share. The .gitignore already excludes it.

Step 5 — Fund Your Wallet

Send USDC + MATIC to your Polygon wallet

You need USDC for trading and a small amount of MATIC for gas fees.

1. Buy USDC on Coinbase, Binance, or any exchange

2. Send USDC to your wallet address via Polygon network (NOT Ethereum!)

3. Also send 0.5 MATIC for gas fees (~$0.50)

4. Verify: polygonscan.com → search your address

Recommended starting capital: $500 USDC. Minimum: $100 USDC.

Step 6 — Test Dry Run (No Real Money)

Run the bot in paper mode to verify everything works

This runs without real money. Replace YOUR_KEY and YOUR_SECRET with values from admin.

# From algo-trader directory:
node scripts/start-trading-bot.mjs \
  --license-key=YOUR_KEY \
  --secret=YOUR_SECRET \
  --dry-run \
  --capital=500

# Expected output:
# ╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
# ║         AlgoTrade Prediction Bot         ║
# ║  License:  ✅ Valid                       ║
# ║  Mode:     DRY RUN (paper)              ║
# ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
# 🚀 Starting prediction loop...

# Wait for first prediction cycle (~2 min)
# You should see signals appearing
# Press Ctrl+C to stop

✓ If you see "License: ✅ Valid" and signals appearing — everything works!

Step 7 — Go Live (Real Money)

Start trading with real USDC on Polymarket

Add your wallet private key. Bot will place real orders on Polymarket.

# LIVE TRADING — Real money!
node scripts/start-trading-bot.mjs \
  --license-key=YOUR_KEY \
  --secret=YOUR_SECRET \
  --private-key=0xYOUR_PRIVATE_KEY \
  --capital=500

⚠ Start with small capital ($100-200) until you verify it works over 24-48 hours

Step 8 — Run 24/7 as Background Service

Auto-start on boot, run forever

macOS: Create a launchd service

# Download service template
curl -o ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.algotrade.bot.plist \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/longtho638-jpg/algo-trader/main/templates/launchd.plist

# Edit: replace YOUR_KEY, YOUR_SECRET, YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY
nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.algotrade.bot.plist

# Start service
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.algotrade.bot.plist

# Check logs
tail -f /tmp/algotrade-bot.log

Linux VPS: Create a systemd service

# Create service file
cat > /etc/systemd/system/algotrade.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=AlgoTrade Bot
After=network.target ollama.service
[Service]
Type=simple
WorkingDirectory=/root/algo-trader
Environment=LICENSE_KEY=YOUR_KEY
Environment=LICENSE_SECRET=YOUR_SECRET
Environment=POLY_PRIVATE_KEY=0xYOUR_KEY
Environment=CAPITAL_USDC=500
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node scripts/start-trading-bot.mjs
Restart=always
RestartSec=30
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Enable and start
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable algotrade
systemctl start algotrade

# Check status and logs
systemctl status algotrade
journalctl -u algotrade -f

✓ Done! Bot runs 24/7, auto-restarts on crash, survives reboots.

Step 9 — Connect This Dashboard to Your Bot

Start stats server + tunnel so this dashboard shows your real data

The dashboard needs an API to fetch your bot's data. Start the stats server alongside your trading bot.

# 1. Start stats server (from algo-trader directory)
nohup node scripts/stats-server.mjs 3000 data/algo-trade.db > /tmp/stats-server.log 2>&1 &

# 2. Install cloudflared (exposes your local server to internet)
brew install cloudflared

# 3. Start tunnel (creates a public HTTPS URL for your stats server)
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000

# You'll see something like:
# https://xyz-abc-123.trycloudflare.com
# Copy this URL!

# 4. Go to Dashboard tab → Settings
#    Paste your tunnel URL into "Bot API URL"
#    Click "Save & Connect"

# Verify: your stats should appear on the Dashboard tab

# 1. Start stats server (from algo-trader directory)
nohup node scripts/stats-server.mjs 3000 data/algo-trade.db > /tmp/stats-server.log 2>&1 &

# 2. Option A: Open port 3000 (simplest — if VPS has public IP)
ufw allow 3000
# Then in Dashboard Settings, enter: http://YOUR_VPS_IP:3000

# 3. Option B: Use cloudflared tunnel (more secure, HTTPS)
curl -fsSL https://pkg.cloudflare.com/cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb -o /tmp/cf.deb
dpkg -i /tmp/cf.deb
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000
# Copy the https://xyz.trycloudflare.com URL
# Paste into Dashboard Settings → Bot API URL

# 4. For permanent tunnel, create named tunnel:
cloudflared tunnel login
cloudflared tunnel create my-bot
# Then configure with cloudflared tunnel route dns

Quick Summary:

1. Start stats server: node scripts/stats-server.mjs 3000

2. Start tunnel: cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000

3. Copy tunnel URL → Dashboard tab → Settings → Bot API URL → Save

Stats server + tunnel must be running for dashboard to show data.

Realistic Expectations

Capital	Expected Daily	Expected Monthly	Trades/Day
$500	$1 — $5	$25 — $75	2-4
$2,000	$4 — $20	$100 — $300	3-6
$5,000	$10 — $50	$250 — $750	5-10
$10,000	$20 — $100	$500 — $1,500	8-15

How it works: AI predicts event probabilities on Polymarket. When our estimate differs from market price by >5% (edge), bot places a trade. Half-Kelly sizing limits risk to ~2.5% of capital per trade.

Win rate: Target 55-65% on event markets. Even 55% generates profit over time due to edge-based entry.

Risks: Markets are volatile. AI can be wrong. Individual trades can lose 100% of position. Monthly returns can be negative. Never invest money you can't afford to lose.

Best practice: Start with $500 dry run for 1 week → live with $500 for 1 month → scale up only after verified positive P&L.

Hardware Requirements

Component	Apple Silicon	Cloud VPS
Chip/GPU	M1 Max or better	RTX 4090 (24GB VRAM)
RAM	64GB unified	64GB DDR5
Storage	256GB+ SSD	100GB+ NVMe
Speed	~33s/prediction	~45s/prediction
Cost	$1,800-2,400 one-time	$150-400/month

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
"fetch failed" on estimation	LLM server not running	Start MLX/Ollama server
"License expired"	Key past expiry	Contact admin for renewal
"Order rejected"	Insufficient USDC	Fund Polygon wallet
Very slow (>2min/prediction)	CPU-only inference	Need GPU or Apple Silicon
Bot hangs on first cycle	Model loading	Wait 2-5 min for first load