Trading quickstart

This guide walks you through opening your first position on a pre-IPO valuation event. You'll learn how to set up credentials, configure risk settings, and execute trades.

Key terms

Before diving in, here are the essential concepts:

Glossary

LONG position — A bet that the company's IPO valuation will be higher than current market expectations. You profit when the actual valuation exceeds what the market predicted.

SHORT position — A bet that the company's IPO valuation will be lower than current market expectations. You profit when the actual valuation falls below predictions.

Valuation bands — Price ranges like "$175-200B" or "$200B+". The market assigns a probability to each band. When you trade, your position is spread across these bands based on their probabilities.

Weighted distribution — Instead of betting on a single price, your position is automatically distributed across multiple bands. This gives you exposure to a range of outcomes.

Floor payoff — Your guaranteed minimum return, even in the worst case. For example, a 20% floor means you'll get back at least 20% of your position even if every band goes against you. Higher floors mean more protection but cost more upfront.

What you can do

With Vaulto trading, you can:

Open LONG or SHORT positions on 17+ pre-IPO events (SpaceX, OpenAI, Stripe, etc.)
Set your own risk tolerance with configurable floor payoffs
Monitor positions and P&L in real-time
Close positions fully or partially at any time
Verify positions on-chain (Polygon)

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before trading, you need:

Vaulto API key — Get one from the Dashboard
Positive account balance — Fund your account with USDC
Polymarket credentials — Required for order execution (see below)

Step 2: Set up Polymarket credentials

Vaulto executes trades through Polymarket's prediction markets. You need to provide your Polymarket API credentials.

Get credentials from Polymarket

Go to Polymarket and connect your wallet
Navigate to Settings > API
Generate new API credentials (key, secret, passphrase)
Save them securely — you'll need all three

Store credentials via API

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl -X POST https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/credentials \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "apiKey": "your-polymarket-api-key",
    "secret": "your-polymarket-secret",
    "passphrase": "your-polymarket-passphrase"
  }'

javascript

await fetch('https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/credentials', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
    'x-user-id': walletAddress,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    apiKey: polymarketApiKey,
    secret: polymarketSecret,
    passphrase: polymarketPassphrase
  })
});

python

import requests

requests.post(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/credentials',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    },
    json={
        'apiKey': polymarket_api_key,
        'secret': polymarket_secret,
        'passphrase': polymarket_passphrase
    }
)

Your credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before storage.

Step 3: Configure floor payoffs

Floor payoffs protect your downside. Set them based on your risk tolerance.

Understanding floors

Floor value	What it means	Trade-off
`0.3` (30%)	You keep at least 30% even if all bands lose	Higher entry cost, more protection
`0.2` (20%)	You keep at least 20% in worst case	Balanced approach
`0.1` (10%)	You keep at least 10% in worst case	Lower cost, less protection

Set your floors

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl -X PUT https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/settings \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "floorL": 0.2,
    "floorS": 0.2
  }'

javascript

await fetch('https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/settings', {
  method: 'PUT',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
    'x-user-id': walletAddress,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ floorL: 0.2, floorS: 0.2 })
});

python

requests.put(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/settings',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    },
    json={'floorL': 0.2, 'floorS': 0.2}
)

Step 4: Check current pricing

Before trading, see the current market prices and costs.

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl "https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/valuation?eventSlug=spacex-ipo" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY"

javascript

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/valuation?eventSlug=spacex-ipo',
  { headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY } }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log('LONG cost:', data.valuation.longCost);
console.log('SHORT cost:', data.valuation.shortCost);

python

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/valuation',
    params={'eventSlug': 'spacex-ipo'},
    headers={'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY}
)
data = response.json()
print(f"LONG cost: {data['valuation']['longCost']}")
print(f"SHORT cost: {data['valuation']['shortCost']}")

Example response:

json

{
  "event": { "name": "SpaceX IPO", "slug": "spacex-ipo" },
  "valuation": {
    "longCost": 0.72,
    "shortCost": 0.38,
    "bestLongReturn": 38.5,
    "worstLongReturn": -28.0
  },
  "bands": [
    { "label": "$200B+", "price": 0.35 },
    { "label": "$175-200B", "price": 0.28 },
    { "label": "$150-175B", "price": 0.22 }
  ]
}

Reading the response:

longCost: 0.72 — Opening a $100 LONG position costs ~$72
shortCost: 0.38 — Opening a $100 SHORT position costs ~$38
bestLongReturn: 38.5 — Best case, your LONG returns +38.5%
worstLongReturn: -28.0 — Worst case, your LONG returns -28.0%

Step 5: Open a position

Now let's open a LONG position. This bets that SpaceX's IPO valuation will exceed current expectations.

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl -X POST https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/buy \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "eventId": "spacex-ipo",
    "side": "LONG",
    "amount": 100
  }'

javascript

const response = await fetch('https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/buy', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
    'x-user-id': walletAddress,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    eventId: 'spacex-ipo',
    side: 'LONG',
    amount: 100
  })
});
const position = await response.json();
console.log('Position ID:', position.positionId);

python

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/buy',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    },
    json={
        'eventId': 'spacex-ipo',
        'side': 'LONG',
        'amount': 100
    }
)
position = response.json()
print(f"Position ID: {position['positionId']}")

Response:

json

{
  "positionId": "pos_abc123",
  "totalCost": 72.00,
  "averagePrice": 0.312,
  "orders": [
    { "bandId": "0x1234...", "side": "BUY", "price": 0.35, "size": 35 },
    { "bandId": "0x5678...", "side": "BUY", "price": 0.28, "size": 28 }
  ]
}

Your $100 position is now distributed across multiple valuation bands.

Step 6: Monitor your position

Check current value

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl "https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions/pos_abc123/value" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS"

javascript

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions/pos_abc123/value',
  {
    headers: {
      'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
      'x-user-id': walletAddress
    }
  }
);
const value = await response.json();
console.log(`P&L: ${value.unrealizedPnlPercent}%`);

python

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions/pos_abc123/value',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    }
)
value = response.json()
print(f"P&L: {value['unrealizedPnlPercent']}%")

List all positions

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl "https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS"

javascript

const response = await fetch('https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions', {
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
    'x-user-id': walletAddress
  }
});
const { positions } = await response.json();
positions.forEach(p => console.log(`${p.eventId}: ${p.unrealizedPnlPercent}%`));

python

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/positions',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    }
)
for p in response.json()['positions']:
    print(f"{p['eventId']}: {p['unrealizedPnlPercent']}%")

Step 7: Close your position

Close the entire position or just a portion.

Close 100%

cURLJavaScriptPython

bash

curl -X POST https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/sell \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_VAULTO_KEY" \
  -H "x-user-id: YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "positionId": "pos_abc123",
    "percentage": 100
  }'

javascript

await fetch('https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/sell', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': process.env.VAULTO_API_KEY,
    'x-user-id': walletAddress,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ positionId: 'pos_abc123', percentage: 100 })
});

python

requests.post(
    'https://api.vaulto.ai/api/trading/sell',
    headers={
        'x-api-key': VAULTO_API_KEY,
        'x-user-id': wallet_address
    },
    json={'positionId': 'pos_abc123', 'percentage': 100}
)

Close 50% (partial)

Change percentage to 50 to close half your position and keep the rest open.

Example: Complete trading flow

Here's a complete example that checks pricing, opens a position, monitors it, and closes it:

python

import requests
import time

API_KEY = 'your-vaulto-api-key'
USER_ID = 'your-wallet-address'
BASE_URL = 'https://api.vaulto.ai'

headers = {'x-api-key': API_KEY, 'x-user-id': USER_ID}

# 1. Check current pricing
pricing = requests.get(
    f'{BASE_URL}/api/trading/valuation',
    params={'eventSlug': 'spacex-ipo'},
    headers=headers
).json()
print(f"LONG cost: {pricing['valuation']['longCost']}")

# 2. Open a $100 LONG position
position = requests.post(
    f'{BASE_URL}/api/trading/buy',
    headers={**headers, 'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
    json={'eventId': 'spacex-ipo', 'side': 'LONG', 'amount': 100}
).json()
position_id = position['positionId']
print(f"Opened position: {position_id}")

# 3. Wait and check value
time.sleep(60)
value = requests.get(
    f'{BASE_URL}/api/trading/positions/{position_id}/value',
    headers=headers
).json()
print(f"Current P&L: {value['unrealizedPnlPercent']}%")

# 4. Close the position
result = requests.post(
    f'{BASE_URL}/api/trading/sell',
    headers={**headers, 'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
    json={'positionId': position_id, 'percentage': 100}
).json()
print(f"Realized P&L: ${result['realizedPnl']}")

Next steps

Trading API Reference — Complete endpoint documentation
Authentication — API key setup and trading headers
Rate Limits — Request limits and best practices
FAQ — Common questions about trading

Trading quickstart ​

Key terms ​

What you can do ​

Step 1: Prerequisites ​

Step 2: Set up Polymarket credentials ​

Get credentials from Polymarket ​

Store credentials via API ​

Step 3: Configure floor payoffs ​

Understanding floors ​

Set your floors ​

Step 4: Check current pricing ​

Step 5: Open a position ​

Step 6: Monitor your position ​

Check current value ​

List all positions ​

Step 7: Close your position ​

Close 100% ​

Close 50% (partial) ​

Example: Complete trading flow ​

Next steps ​

Trading quickstart

Key terms

What you can do

Step 1: Prerequisites

Step 2: Set up Polymarket credentials

Get credentials from Polymarket

Store credentials via API

Step 3: Configure floor payoffs

Understanding floors

Set your floors

Step 4: Check current pricing

Step 5: Open a position

Step 6: Monitor your position

Check current value

List all positions

Step 7: Close your position

Close 100%

Close 50% (partial)

Example: Complete trading flow

Next steps