Introduction
# Polymarket FastLoop Trader
Trade Polymarket's 5-minute crypto fast markets using real-time price signals. Default: BTC momentum from Binance. Works with ETH and SOL too.
> **Polymarket only.** All trades execute on Polymarket with real USDC. Use `--live` for real trades, dry-run is the default.
> **This is a template.** The default signal (Binance momentum) gets you started — remix it with your own signals, data sources, or strategy. The skill handles all the plumbing (market discovery, import, trade execution). Your agent provides the alpha.
> ⚠️ Fast markets carry Polymarket's 10% fee (`is_paid: true`). Factor this into your edge calculations.
## How It Finds Markets
- Queries **Polymarket directly** (Gamma API) for live fast markets — doesn't depend on Simmer's market inventory - Discovers new markets as they appear, every cycle - Works with BTC, ETH, or SOL — just change the asset (`--set asset=ETH`) or ask your bot to look for whatever market you want - Runs every 5 minutes to catch each trading window (or every 1 minute for mid-window opportunities)
**You don't need to wait for markets to show up in Simmer.** FastLoop finds them in real-time on Polymarket, then imports and trades them through Simmer.
## When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user wants to: - Trade crypto sprint/fast markets (5-minute or 15-minute) on any supported asset - Automate short-term crypto prediction trading - Use CEX price momentum (or any custom signal) as a Polymarket signal - Monitor sprint market positions
## Setup Flow
When user asks to install or configure this skill:
1. **Ask for Simmer API key** - Get from simmer.markets/dashboard → SDK tab - Store in environment as `SIMMER_API_KEY`
2. **Ask for wallet private key** (required for live trading) - This is the private key for their Polymarket wallet (the wallet that holds USDC) - Store in environment as `WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY` - The SDK uses this to sign orders client-side automatically — no manual signing needed
3. **Ask about settings** (or confirm defaults) - Asset: BTC, ETH, or SOL (default BTC) - Entry threshold: Min divergence to trade (default 5¢) - Max position: Amount per trade (default $5.00) - Window: 5m or 15m (default 5m)
4. **Set up cron or loop** (user drives scheduling — see "How to Run on a Loop")
## Quick Start
```bash # Set your API key export SIMMER_API_KEY="your-key-here"
# Dry run — see what would happen python fastloop_trader.py
# Go live python fastloop_trader.py --live
# Live + quiet (for cron/heartbeat loops) python fastloop_trader.py --live --quiet
# Live + smart sizing (5% of balance per trade) python fastloop_trader.py --live --smart-sizing --quiet ```
## How to Run on a Loop
The script runs **one cycle** — your bot drives the loop. Set up a cron job or heartbeat:
**Every 5 minutes (one per fast market window):** ``` */5 * * * * cd /path/to/skill && python fastloop_trader.py --live --quiet ```
**Every 1 minute (more aggressive, catches mid-window opportunities):** ``` * * * * * cd /path/to/skill && python fastloop_trader.py --live --quiet ```
**Via OpenClaw heartbeat:** Add to your HEARTBEAT.md: ``` Run: cd /path/to/fast market && python fastloop_trader.py --live --quiet ```
## Configuration
Configure via `config.json`, environment variables, or `--set`:
```bash # Change entry threshold python fastloop_trader.py --set entry_threshold=0.08
# Trade ETH instead of BTC python fastloop_trader.py --set asset=ETH
# Multiple settings python fastloop_trader.py --set min_momentum_pct=0.3 --set max_position=10 ```
### Settings
| Setting | Default | Env Var | Description | |---------|---------|---------|-------------| | `entry_threshold` | 0.05 | `SIMMER_SPRINT_ENTRY` | Min price divergence from 50¢ to trigger | | `min_momentum_pct` | 0.5 | `SIMMER_SPRINT_MOMENTUM` | Min BTC % move to trigger | | `max_position` | 5.0 | `SIMMER_SPRINT_MAX_POSITION` | Max $ per trade | | `signal_source` | binance | `SIMMER_SPRINT_SIGNAL` | Price feed (binance, coingecko) | | `lookback_minutes` | 5 | `SIMMER_SPRINT_LOOKBACK` | Minutes of price history | | `min_time_remaining` | 60 | `SIMMER_SPRINT_MIN_TIME` | Skip fast markets with less time left (seconds) | | `asset` | BTC | `SIMMER_SPRINT_ASSET` | Asset to trade (BTC, ETH, SOL) | | `window` | 5m | `SIMMER_SPRINT_WINDOW` | Market window duration (5m or 15m) | | `volume_confidence` | true | `SIMMER_SPRINT_VOL_CONF` | Weight signal by Binance volume |
### Example config.json
```json { "entry_threshold": 0.08, "min_momentum_pct": 0.3, "max_position": 10.0, "asset": "BTC", "window": "5m", "signal_source": "binance" } ```
## CLI Options
```bash python fastloop_trader.py # Dry run python fastloop_trader.py --live # Real trades python fastloop_trader.py --live --quiet # Silent except trades/errors python fastloop_trader.py --smart-sizing # Portfolio-based sizing python fastloop_trader.py --positions # Show open fast market positions python fastloop_trader.py --config # Show current config python fastloop_trader.py --set KEY=VALUE # Update config ```
## Signal Logic
Default signal (Binance momentum):
1. Fetch last 5 one-minute candles from Binance (`BTCUSDT`) 2. Calculate momentum: `(price_now - price_5min_ago) / price_5min_ago` 3. Compare momentum direction to current Polymarket odds 4. Trade when: - Momentum ≥ `min_momentum_pct` (default 0.5%) - Price diverges from 50¢ by ≥ `entry_threshold` (default 5¢) - Volume ratio > 0.5x average (filters out thin moves)
**Example:** BTC up 0.8% in last 5 min, but fast market YES price is only $0.52. The 3¢ divergence from the expected ~$0.55 → buy YES.
### Remix It: Plug In Your Own Signal
**This skill is a template.** The default Binance momentum signal is just a starting point. The skill handles all the boring parts (market discovery, import, order execution, budget tracking). You bring the signal.
Ideas for custom signals: - **Multi-exchange spreads:** Compare prices across Binance, Kraken, Bitfinex — divergence between exchanges can predict CLOB direction - **Sentiment:** Layer in Twitter/social signals — a viral tweet can move fast markets before the CLOB adjusts - **Technical indicators:** RSI, VWAP, order flow analysis from your favorite data source - **News:** Breaking news correlation — use your agent's reasoning to interpret headlines - **On-chain data:** Whale movements, funding rates, liquidation levels
To customize, edit `get_momentum()` in `fastloop_trader.py` or add your own signal function. The rest of the skill (discovery, import, sizing, fee-aware EV check) stays the same.
## Example Output
``` ⚡ Simmer FastLoop Trading Skill ==================================================
[DRY RUN] No trades will be executed. Use --live to enable trading.
⚙️ Configuration: Asset: BTC Entry threshold: 0.05 (min divergence from 50¢) Min momentum: 0.5% (min price move) Max position: $5.00 Signal source: binance Lookback: 5 minutes Min time left: 60s Volume weighting: ✓
🔍 Discovering BTC fast markets... Found 3 active fast markets
🎯 Selected: Bitcoin Up or Down - February 15, 5:30AM-5:35AM ET Expires in: 185s Current YES price: $0.480
📈 Fetching BTC price signal (binance)... Price: $97,234.50 (was $96,812.30) Momentum: +0.436% Direction: up Volume ratio: 1.45x avg
🧠 Analyzing... ⏸️ Momentum 0.436% < minimum 0.500% — skip
📊 Summary: No trade (momentum too weak: 0.436%) ```
## Source Tagging
All trades are tagged with `source: "sdk:fastloop"`. This means: - Portfolio shows breakdown by strategy - Other skills won't interfere with your fast market positions - You can track fast market P&L separately
## Troubleshooting
**"No active fast markets found"** - Fast markets may not be running (off-hours, weekends) - Check Polymarket directly for active BTC fast markets
**"No fast markets with >60s remaining"** - Current window is about to expire, next one isn't live yet - Reduce `min_time_remaining` if you want to trade closer to expiry
**"Import failed: Rate limit exceeded"** - Free tier: 10 imports/day. Pro: 50/day - Fast market trading needs Pro for reasonable frequency
**"Failed to fetch price data"** - Binance API may be down or rate limited - Try `--set signal_source=coingecko` as fallback
**"Trade failed: no liquidity"** - Fast market has thin book, try smaller position size
**"External wallet requires a pre-signed order"** - `WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY` is not set in the environment - The SDK signs orders automatically when this env var is present — no manual signing code needed - Fix: `export WALLET_PRIVATE_KEY=0x<your-polymarket-wallet-private-key>` - Do NOT attempt to sign orders manually or modify the skill code — the SDK handles it
**"Balance shows $0 but I have USDC on Polygon"** - Polymarket uses **USDC.e** (bridged USDC, contract `0x2791Bca1f2de4661ED88A30C99A7a9449Aa84174`) — not native USDC - If you bridged USDC to Polygon recently, you likely received native USDC - Swap native USDC to USDC.e, then retry