# Entering an Alphapoly Position

> Executes a covered pair trade (target + cover) on Polymarket with estimate, confirmation, and position recording. Use when entering a new position from a detected portfolio opportunity. Also use when the user says "buy", "trade", "open a position", "place an order", "enter", or wants to act on any portfolio opportunity.

- Skill: `chainstacklabs/entering-an-alphapoly-position` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add chainstacklabs/entering-an-alphapoly-position`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/chainstacklabs/entering-an-alphapoly-position/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: chainstacklabs (https://skillmd.com/u/chainstacklabs)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/chainstacklabs/entering-an-alphapoly-position

---


# Entering an Alphapoly Position

Enter a hedged pair position (target + cover) from a detected alphapoly portfolio.

## Prerequisites

1. **Backend running** on `http://localhost:8000`
2. **Wallet unlocked** — check `GET /wallet/status` for `"unlocked": true`; unlock via `POST /wallet/unlock` with `{"password": "<password>"}`
3. **Deposit wallet ready** — trades sign as sigtype-3 through a per-user deposit wallet, so `GET /wallet/status` must show `"relayer_set": true` and `"deposit_wallet_deployed": true`. If not: attach the relayer key (`POST /wallet/set-relayer`), then deploy (`POST /wallet/deploy-deposit-wallet`). Without this, `buy-pair` fails at order placement.
4. **Sufficient pUSD in the deposit wallet** — the balance must sit in the deposit wallet (`deposit_wallet_address` from status), not the signer EOA; total cost is `amount_per_position * 2`. The relayer pays gas, so no POL is needed.

## 7-Step Flow

1. **List portfolios** — `GET /data/portfolios`; note `pair_id`, market IDs, and position sides
2. **Pick a pair** — select by `pair_id`
3. **Set amount** — choose `amount_per_position` in pUSD
4. **Estimate** (required) — `POST /trading/buy-pair/estimate`; show result to user; stop if `sufficient_balance: false`
5. **Confirm** — require explicit user approval before proceeding
6. **Execute** — `POST /trading/buy-pair`; check `success: true` on both legs; surface any `warnings`
7. **Record** — position is recorded automatically on success; manual `POST /positions` only needed for imports

For full request/response schemas, see [api-reference.md](api-reference.md).

## Safety Rules

These trades involve real pUSD on Polygon — transactions are irreversible once submitted on-chain. The estimate step is the only chance to catch problems before money moves.

- Always run `/trading/buy-pair/estimate` before `/trading/buy-pair` — the estimate reveals actual costs, slippage, and balance issues before committing funds
- Never execute without explicit user confirmation — the user needs to see the estimate and agree to the cost
- Never proceed if `sufficient_balance: false` — the transaction will fail on-chain and may leave partial state
- If `warnings` are non-empty after execution, surface them — the user may hold unwanted tokens that need selling via `GET /positions`
- `skip_clob_sell: true` only when the user explicitly requests it