Alpha Arcade Interaction

Alpha Arcade — Prediction Markets on Algorand

Interact with Alpha Arcade prediction markets via the Alpha Arcade MCP server (15 tools across read-only and trading categories).

Key Characteristics

• On-chain prediction markets — all orders and settlements happen on Algorand
• Binary and multi-choice markets — bet on YES/NO outcomes or choose from multiple options
• USDC-denominated — all collateral and payouts in USDC (ASA 31566704)
• Microunit inputs — all prices and quantities in tool inputs use microunits (1,000,000 = $1.00 or 1 share)
• Formatted outputs — read tools return human-readable strings like "$0.50" and "2.50 shares"

Setup

Alpha Arcade tools are built into the Algorand MCP server. Trading uses the local agent wallet (SQLite-backed) — no separate mnemonic needed.

Read-only tools work without a wallet. Trading tools require an active wallet account (see wallet_get_info).

Units & Price Format

All prices and quantities in tool inputs use microunits: 1,000,000 = $1.00 or 1 share.

Tool outputs from read tools (get_orderbook, get_open_orders, get_positions) return pre-formatted strings. Write tools accept raw microunit integers.

API probability fields are microunits, NOT percentages

Critical: The yesProb and noProb fields returned by market data (e.g., get_market, get_live_markets) are in microunits (0–1,000,000), NOT percentages (0–100).

To convert for display: price = yesProb / 1,000,000 → e.g., 862500 / 1000000 = $0.86

Do NOT divide by 100 or treat as a percentage — this produces values like 8,625,000,000 which overflow uint64 and cause transaction failures.

Market Data Model

Binary markets

A standard yes/no market has a single marketAppId, yesAssetId, and noAssetId. Use marketAppId for all trading calls.

Multi-choice markets

Multi-choice markets (e.g., "Who wins the election?") have an options[] array. Each option is its own binary market with its own marketAppId:

{
  "title": "Presidential Election Winner 2028",
  "options": [
    { "title": "Candidate A", "marketAppId": 100001, "yesAssetId": 111, "noAssetId": 112 },
    { "title": "Candidate B", "marketAppId": 100002, "yesAssetId": 113, "noAssetId": 114 }
  ]
}

Always trade using the option's marketAppId, not the parent.

Orderbook Mechanics

Four-sided book

The orderbook has four sides: YES bids, YES asks, NO bids, NO asks.

Cross-side equivalence

Because YES + NO always = $1.00:

• A YES bid at $0.30 is equivalent to a NO ask at $0.70
• A NO bid at $0.71 is equivalent to a YES ask at $0.29

The get_orderbook tool returns a unified YES-perspective view that merges all 4 sides automatically.

Limit vs market orders

• Limit order (create_limit_order): Sits on the orderbook at your exact price. No matching happens. Appears in get_open_orders as an unfilled order until matched or cancelled.
• Market order (create_market_order): Auto-matches against existing orders within your slippage tolerance. Returns the actual fill price. Filled immediately — does NOT appear in open orders.

Positions vs open orders

• Positions (get_positions): YES/NO token balances the wallet holds. These come from filled market orders, split shares, or received transfers. Positions represent ownership of outcome tokens.
• Open orders (get_open_orders): Unfilled limit orders sitting on the orderbook. Each has an escrowAppId that can be used to cancel or amend.

A common mistake is checking only open orders after a market order — market orders fill immediately and become positions, not open orders. Always check both.

Collateral

Every order requires both ALGO and USDC/tokens:

• ALGO: ~0.957 ALGO locked per order as minimum balance requirement (MBR) for the on-chain escrow. Refunded on cancel or fill.
• Buy orders: Lock USDC as trade collateral (proportional to quantity × price).
• Sell orders: Lock outcome tokens (YES or NO) as collateral.

If a trade fails with an "overspend" error, the wallet lacks sufficient ALGO or USDC. Check both balances before retrying.

Tools

Read-only tools (no wallet required)

Trading tools (require active wallet account)

Key Workflows

Buying shares

1. get_live_markets — find a market (or get_reward_markets for markets with liquidity rewards)
2. get_orderbook — check available liquidity
3. create_market_order (auto-matches) or create_limit_order (rests on book)
4. Save the returned escrowAppId — you need it to cancel

Checking your portfolio

1. get_positions — see all YES/NO token balances with market titles and asset IDs
2. For open orders on a specific market: get_open_orders with the marketAppId

Editing an order (amend)

1. get_open_orders — find the escrowAppId
2. amend_order with marketAppId, escrowAppId, new price, and new quantity
3. Faster and cheaper than cancel + recreate. Only works on unfilled orders.

Cancelling an order

1. get_open_orders — find the escrowAppId and owner address
2. cancel_order with marketAppId, escrowAppId, and orderOwner

Claiming from a resolved market

1. get_positions — find markets with token balances; note the yesAssetId or noAssetId
2. claim with marketAppId and the winning token's assetId

Providing liquidity (split/merge)

1. split_shares — convert USDC into equal YES + NO tokens
2. Place limit orders on both sides of the book for market making
3. merge_shares — convert matched YES + NO tokens back to USDC

Common Pitfalls

• Probabilities are microunits, NOT percentages: yesProb / noProb range from 0–1,000,000 (not 0–100). Treating them as percentages causes uint64 overflow and transaction failures. To display: divide by 1,000,000. To pass as price: use as-is.
• Market orders become positions, not open orders: After a market order fills, check get_positions for token balances — not get_open_orders. Open orders only shows unfilled limit orders.
• Multi-choice markets: The parent has no marketAppId for trading. Use options[].marketAppId.
• Prices are microunits in inputs: $0.50 = 500,000, not 0.5 or 50.
• Both ALGO and USDC needed: Orders require ALGO for MBR (~0.957 per order) AND USDC for buy collateral. An "overspend" error means one of these is insufficient.
• Orderbook cross-side: If you only check YES asks, you miss cheaper liquidity from NO bids. The get_orderbook tool handles this automatically.
• Save escrowAppId: It's the only way to cancel or amend your order later.
• USDC opt-in: The wallet must be opted into USDC (ASA 31566704) before trading.
• Wallet required for trading: Read-only tools work without a wallet, but trading tools require an active wallet account via wallet_get_info.
• Mainnet by default: The server defaults to mainnet. Real money is at stake. Pass network: "testnet" for testing.

Links

• Alpha Arcade: https://alphaarcade.com
• Alpha Arcade API: https://platform.alphaarcade.com