Your First Trade¶

A complete walkthrough of making your first trade with PolyBot.

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, ensure you have:

PolyBot installed (pip install polybot-trader)
Polymarket account with USDC deposited
Configuration file (.env) with credentials
Databases initialized (polybot db init)

Step 1: Verify Configuration¶

Check your setup:

polybot config

You should see your API endpoints and risk settings (credentials are masked).

Step 2: Start in Shadow Mode¶

Always test with shadow mode first:

# Enable arbitrage strategy
polybot strategy enable arbitrage

# Enable shadow mode
polybot strategy shadow arbitrage --enable

# Verify status
polybot strategy list

Output should show:

arbitrage | Enabled: ✓ | Shadow: ✓

Step 3: Start Services¶

polybot start

This starts: - Scanner (fetches market data) - Executor (handles orders) - Analytics (tracks performance) - API (dashboard and REST)

Step 4: Monitor Shadow Activity¶

Option A: Dashboard¶

Open http://localhost:8000/ui and navigate to "Strategy Logs".

Option B: CLI¶

# Watch logs in real-time
polybot logs strategy arbitrage --follow

You should see signals being generated (but not executed).

Step 5: Review Shadow Performance¶

After running shadow mode for a while (24-48 hours recommended):

# Check signal count
polybot logs strategy arbitrage --type signal --count

# View recent signals
polybot logs strategy arbitrage --tail 20

Questions to ask: - Are signals being generated? - Do the prices look reasonable? - Any errors or warnings?

Step 6: Set Conservative Limits¶

Before going live, set safe limits:

# Edit .env
MAX_POSITION_SIZE_USD=50
MAX_TOTAL_EXPOSURE_USD=200
DAILY_LOSS_LIMIT_USD=25

Restart to apply:

# Ctrl+C to stop, then:
polybot start

Step 7: Go Live¶

When you're confident:

# Disable shadow mode
polybot strategy shadow arbitrage --disable

# Verify
polybot strategy list

Output should show:

arbitrage | Enabled: ✓ | Shadow: ✗

Step 8: Monitor Your First Trade¶

Watch closely for your first real trade:

Dashboard¶

Check "Positions" for new positions
Check "Orders" for order status

CLI¶

# Watch for fills
polybot logs --follow --level INFO

What to Expect¶

Signal generated - Strategy finds opportunity
Order placed - Executor submits to Polymarket
Order filled - Trade executed
Position created - Now tracking the position

Step 9: Managing Positions¶

View your positions:

polybot positions

The dashboard shows: - Entry price - Current price - Unrealized P&L

Step 10: Reviewing Results¶

After your first day:

# Performance summary
polybot db stats

# Detailed analytics
# Open dashboard → Analytics

Common First Trade Issues¶

No Signals Generated¶

Market conditions may not match strategy requirements
Check if markets have sufficient liquidity
Verify scanner is running: check logs for "price update" messages

Order Rejected¶

Insufficient balance on Polymarket
Risk limits exceeded
Market may have moved

Unexpected Position Size¶

Check MAX_POSITION_SIZE_USD setting
Review strategy-specific limits

Next Steps¶

Congratulations on your first trade! Now:

Gradually increase limits - As you gain confidence
Try other strategies - Each has different risk/reward
Add more strategies - Diversify your approach
Review regularly - Check performance daily

Safety Checklist¶

Before each trading session:

Sufficient balance on Polymarket
Risk limits set appropriately
Monitoring dashboard open
Know how to emergency stop

Emergency stop:

# Disable all strategies
polybot strategy disable arbitrage
polybot strategy disable stat_arb
# ... or Ctrl+C to stop all services