What Is Alpaca?

Alpaca is a developer-first, API-first brokerage. Unlike traditional brokers that bury their APIs under enterprise sales calls, Alpaca was built from day one to be consumed by code. Every feature is accessible through a REST API or SDK -- making it the perfect match for an AI agent.

Here is what Alpaca offers:

  • Commission-free stock and options trading -- no per-trade fees on US-listed securities via the Trading API
  • Full API access -- place orders, check positions, manage balances, and stream real-time data programmatically
  • SDKs in Python, Node.js, C#/.NET, Go, and more
  • Paper trading -- a full simulated environment for testing strategies without risk
  • Multi-leg options -- spreads, straddles, condors via API
  • Margin and short selling -- long/short strategies with up to 4x intraday buying power
  • 24/5 trading -- access outside regular market hours with overnight data
  • Crypto trading -- stocks and crypto from the same account
  • OAuth integration -- connect platforms like TradingView

Alpaca Securities LLC is a member of FINRA and SIPC (protects accounts up to $500,000). They are fully self-clearing, ISO 27001:2022 certified, and SOC 2 Type II compliant.

Getting Started with Alpaca

Signing up is straightforward:

  1. Go to app.alpaca.markets/signup and create an account
  2. Complete identity verification (KYC)
  3. Access your dashboard at app.alpaca.markets
  4. Find your API keys under the API Keys section

Alpaca provides two sets of keys:

  • Paper Trading keys -- for the simulated environment (start here!)
  • Live Trading keys -- for real money execution

Connecting Alpaca to Your SuperClaws Agent

Once you have your API keys, you can teach your SuperClaws agent to trade on your behalf.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Step 2: Send Your Agent the Prompt

I want you to create a trading skill using the Alpaca Trading API.

Here are my API credentials:
- Key: [your-api-key]
- Secret: [your-secret-key]

Documentation:
- Getting Started: https://docs.alpaca.markets/docs/getting-started-with-trading-api
- API Reference: https://docs.alpaca.markets/reference/api-references

Please learn how to:
- Check account balance and buying power
- Look up current positions
- Place market orders, limit orders, and stop orders
- Place orders for stocks and options
- Check order status and history

IMPORTANT: Always ask for my confirmation before executing ANY trade.
Show me the trade details (ticker, quantity, price, total cost)
and wait for explicit approval before placing the order.

Save this skill to your memory for future use.

A Critical Note on Prompt Quality

Pay attention to this. The quality of your agent's trading behavior depends directly on the quality and specificity of your prompts. Vague instructions produce vague results. When financial transactions are involved, vague results can mean real losses.

Be explicit about:

  • What actions require confirmation -- every trade, or only above a certain amount?
  • Position size limits -- never risk more than X% on a single trade
  • Order types -- market orders execute immediately, limit orders wait for a price, stop orders protect against losses
  • Risk parameters -- maximum daily loss, sector concentration limits
  • Scope -- stocks only? Options? Crypto? Be specific.

A strong prompt: "Never place a trade exceeding $500 without my explicit text confirmation. Always show me the estimated cost and current market price. Stop executing if daily losses exceed $100. Only trade US-listed stocks."

Start with Paper Trading

Before your agent touches real money, use Alpaca's Paper Trading. It is a full simulation:

  • Real market data, simulated execution
  • $100,000 in virtual buying power
  • Same API -- just swap api.alpaca.markets to paper-api.alpaca.markets
  • No real money at risk

Paper trading lets you test trading logic without financial consequences, tune your prompts and risk parameters, observe how your agent handles errors and edge cases, and build confidence before going live.

What Your Agent Can Do

With the Alpaca skill saved to memory, your SuperClaws agent can:

  • Check your portfolio -- positions, daily P/L, buying power
  • Research and trade -- look up a stock, analyze it, propose a trade
  • Execute strategies -- dollar-cost averaging, stop-loss management, rebalancing
  • Monitor and alert -- notify you when a stock hits a target price
  • Manage orders -- cancel, modify, close positions

Security Best Practices

  • Rotate your keys regularly -- regenerate from the Alpaca dashboard periodically
  • Never share keys in group chats or public channels
  • Restrict agent access -- only trusted users should access the agent holding trading keys
  • Use paper trading keys for testing -- keep live keys locked down
  • Monitor your account through the Alpaca dashboard regularly

Disclaimer

Important: This blog post is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, or a recommendation to trade.

SUPERCLAWS is not responsible for any financial loss, damages, or liabilities resulting from the use of Alpaca trading services, AI agent activity, algorithmic trading decisions, or any downstream actions taken by automated systems.

All trading involves risk, including the potential loss of your entire investment. Automated and algorithmic trading carries additional risks including software errors, API failures, and unintended execution. Past performance, including paper trading results, does not guarantee future returns.

Consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. You are solely responsible for all trading activity in your account.

Get Started

Sign up at alpaca.markets, grab your API keys, and send your agent the prompt. Start with paper trading, refine your approach, and go at your own pace.

Your SuperClaws agent is already the most capable assistant you have ever used. Now it can also be your broker.