Ct Alpha

CT Alpha — Crypto Twitter Intelligence

Overview

CT Alpha turns X/Twitter into an actionable crypto intelligence layer. It searches CT for narratives, alpha, strategies, and sentiment, then ranks results using TweetRank (a PageRank-inspired credibility scoring system), extracts tokens/CAs from multiple signals, detects coordinated raids, fetches full X articles (long-form posts), and suggests execution steps using whatever tools the user has available.

Cost awareness: X API charges ~$0.10 per quick search (20 tweets). Relevancy sort means top results come first — fetching 20 is often better signal than 100. Always start with --quick mode. Never run expensive queries without user confirmation.

Environment Setup

Before using ct-search, ensure the token is available:

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null

If setup hasn't been run yet:

bun run ~/ct-alpha/setup.ts

The skill directory is at ~/ct-alpha/. All CLI commands run from there.

Hosted x402 API

Use the hosted standard x402 surface when the task is to consume ct-alpha over HTTP instead of running the local CLI.

• Hosted base URL: https://x-research.suzi.trade
• Public standard routes live under: https://x-research.suzi.trade/x402/*
• Call a concrete route, not the bare prefix. Example: https://x-research.suzi.trade/x402/search/20?q=solana&since=24h
• Add fresh=true when the user explicitly wants a live fetch instead of a cached response
• Treat /metered/* as internal tooling unless the task is specifically about the metered auth/top-up flow

For x402 clients, follow the standard flow:

1. Send the request to the exact https://x-research.suzi.trade/x402/* route.
2. If the response is 402 Payment Required, read the payment requirements from the response.
3. Pay for that exact method + path + query string.
4. Retry the same request with the x402 payment header(s).

CLI Reference

search — Core research command

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts search "<query>" [flags]

Flags:

• --quick — 20 tweets, 1hr cache, ~$0.10 (DEFAULT — always use this first)
• --full — Up to 3 pages, 15min cache, ~$0.50-1.50 (confirm cost with user first)
• --limit N — Override max tweets (default: 20 quick, 100 full)
• --sort likes|recency|relevancy — Sort order (default: relevancy)
• --since 1h|6h|24h|7d — Time window (default: 24h)
• --min-likes N — Engagement filter (default: 3 for quick)
• --from user1,user2 — Restrict to specific accounts
• --extract-tickers — Show extracted tickers from results
• --extract-cas — Show contract addresses and crypto URLs
• --raw — JSON output

trending — Multi-signal trending detection

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts trending [flags]

Flags:

• --window 1h|6h|24h — Detection window (default: 6h)
• --min-mentions N — Minimum mentions (default: 3)
• --solana-only — Solana ecosystem only
• --top N — Number of results (default: 20)

watchlist — Monitor CT accounts

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts watchlist [flags]

Flags:

• --category <cat> — Filter by category (solana-builders, defi-researchers, etc.)
• --since 1h|6h|24h|7d — Time window (default: 24h)

read — Read a specific tweet/article by URL or ID (~$0.005)

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts read <tweet_url_or_id> [flags]

Flags:

• --thread — Also load the full conversation thread (replies)
• --raw — JSON output

Accepts x.com URLs, twitter.com URLs, or raw tweet IDs. Articles (long-form posts) are fetched in full. Uses full-archive search for threads (no 7-day limit).

thread — Hydrate conversation thread

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts thread <tweet_id>

cost — Track API spending

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts cost [--reset]

Research Methodology

Follow this 6-step loop for every research request:

1. Decompose

Break the user's question into 1-3 targeted search queries.

• For token research: search both $TICKER and plain name with OR (e.g., "$PENDLE" OR "pendle")
• For narratives: search thematic keywords, not just token names
• For strategies: include strategy/yield/APY keywords
• For sentiment: include bullish/bearish/buy/sell keywords

2. Pre-Filter

Before making any API call:

• Check cache: Run --quick first. If cached results exist, analyze those.
• Add noise filters: The CLI auto-appends crypto noise filters (-is:retweet, -airdrop, -giveaway, etc.)
• Estimate cost: Quick = ~$0.10, Full = ~$0.50-1.50. Tell user before full mode.
• Narrow time window: Default 24h for trending, 7d for research.

3. Search

Execute with --quick mode (always the first pass):

source ~/.config/env/global.env 2>/dev/null && bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts search "$TOKEN alpha" --quick --extract-tickers

CRITICAL: Query string rules

• Twitter v2 AND-joins every bare word. A query like polymarket sure bet 90 percent free money requires ALL 7 words in a single tweet — result: 0 hits. Keep to 2-3 AND-ed terms max, use OR groups for synonyms: polymarket ("free money" OR "easy bet" OR "sure thing")
• Never pass the user's raw question as the query. Decompose it into search terms first. See references/query-templates.md "Query Anti-Patterns" section.
• The query argument should contain ONLY search terms, boolean logic (OR, -, "phrases"), and v2 operators (from:, is:retweet, has:links, lang:, conversation_id:, $cashtag, #hashtag)
• NEVER put these v1.1 operators in the query string — they do NOT exist on v2 pay-per-use and will cause 400 errors:
  • min_faves:N, min_retweets:N, min_replies:N — use --min-likes CLI flag instead (filters client-side)
  • place:, place_country:, point_radius: — geo operators not available
  • bio:, bio_name:, bio_location: — profile operators not available
  • sample: — sampling not available
• Do NOT manually include noise filters (-is:retweet, -"airdrop", etc.) in your query — the CLI auto-appends them
• Do NOT use & in query strings — it breaks X API v2 query parsing

4. Extract

Results include TweetRank scores and trust labels:

• [WATCHLIST] — Author is on user's watchlist (highest trust)
• [HIGH-CRED] — Author has high credibility score
• [UNKNOWN] — Unverified author
• [SUSPICIOUS] — Bot-like patterns detected
• ARTICLE — Long-form X post (full text captured)

Look for extracted tickers, contract addresses, and crypto URLs.

5. Deep-Dive (if needed)

If initial results are promising:

• Follow high-engagement threads: bun run ~/ct-alpha/ct-search.ts thread <id>
• Search specific authors: --from author1,author2
• Broaden with --full only if quick was insufficient

6. Synthesize

Combine findings into actionable intelligence:

• Group by theme, not by query
• Highlight tickers with strong multi-signal detection (cashtag + URL + name-phrase)
• Flag raid risks (high low-cred author ratio)
• Suggest verification and execution steps using available tools
• Cross-reference with DeFi Llama (TVL, yields, fees), Backpack (price, depth), Polymarket (prediction markets)

Refinement Heuristics

Too noisy?

• Add --min-likes 50 for higher quality
• Narrow time window: --since 6h
• Restrict to watchlist: --from trusted_user1,trusted_user2

Too few results?

• Broaden query: use OR with alternative terms
• Extend window: --since 7d
• Remove restrictive keywords
• Lower min-likes: --min-likes 0

Need expert takes?

• Use --from with known analysts from watchlist
• Search with has:links for substantive content

Detecting spam/raids?

• Check the TweetRank source labels
• Look for RAID flags in trending output
• Low unique-author count = suspicious

Dynamic Tool Discovery

After completing research, check what other tools the user has available and suggest execution steps. Look for these MCP tool prefixes:

• mcp__defillama__* → Check TVL, yields, fees, prices, protocol comparison
• mcp__backpack__* → Check exchange price, depth, trades, klines
• mcp__polymarket__* → Check prediction markets for related narratives
• mcp__postgres-mcp__* → Query on-chain data if available

Common patterns:

• Token found → get_protocol_tvl, get_current_prices, backpack_get_ticker
• CA found → suggest verification on Solscan/Etherscan, rug check if available
• Narrative detected → search_polymarket for prediction market odds
• Strategy found → get_top_yield_pools for current APYs
• Protocol comparison → compare_protocols side by side

Always frame suggestions as "verify" not "confirm" — encourage skepticism about CT alpha.

Output Trust Labels

Every result includes trust metadata. Never present CT findings as authoritative:

• Confidence: HIGH (multiple watchlist sources agree) / MED / LOW
• Source quality: Per-tweet labels showing author credibility
• Verification status: Contract addresses are always UNVERIFIED until tool-checked
• Risk bullets: "What could be wrong?" per finding (spoofed engagement, coordinated raid, etc.)

Cost Protocol

1. Always --quick first (~$0.10 for 20 tweets). Relevancy sort = best results come first.
2. Only use --limit 30 or --limit 50 if 20 results are genuinely insufficient.
3. Display cost estimate before --full mode (~$0.50-1.50).
4. Cache is aggressive (1hr for quick mode) — same query is free within TTL.
5. Two-pass strategy: First search with 20 results. If the user needs more depth on a specific sub-topic, do a targeted follow-up rather than re-running with higher limits.
6. Show cost summary if user asks about spending.

Recency Defaults

• Trending / narratives: --since 24h
• Research / strategies: --since 7d
• Older data: Only on explicit user request, never default