Using the AlphaInsider Skill

skill.md is a single markdown file that teaches AI coding assistants how to use the AlphaInsider API — including the display rules, order decision matrix, WebSocket channels, and auth flow. Install it once, reference it in prompts. The canonical, always-up-to-date copy lives at https://api.alphainsider.com/skill.md.

1. Install the skill

Install via the skills CLI — it detects which AI tools you have installed and drops skill.md into the correct folder for each (Claude, Cursor, Codex, and more). Works the same on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

npx skills add https://api.alphainsider.com

No flags, no paths, no shell-specific commands — npx runs the CLI without a global install. Requires Node.js 18+.

2. Set your API key (and optional scoping IDs)

Generate a JWT at alphainsider.com/settings/developers with the scopes you need (e.g. newOrder, getUserInfo). Put it in a .env file in the directory your agent runs from:

ALPHAINSIDER_API_KEY=<your_jwt>

# Optional — pins the agent to a specific strategy / bot
ALPHAINSIDER_STRATEGY_ID=<strategy_id>
ALPHAINSIDER_BOT_ID=<bot_id>

Or export in your shell:

export ALPHAINSIDER_API_KEY="<your_jwt>"
export ALPHAINSIDER_STRATEGY_ID="<strategy_id>"   # optional
export ALPHAINSIDER_BOT_ID="<bot_id>"             # optional

When the optional IDs are set, the agent MUST use them by default for every trade / bot call and will not ask which strategy or bot to touch. When they are not set and a call needs one, the skill tells the agent to ask you first — it will not guess or pick the first strategy from your account. Set both if you run multiple strategies or bots and want to avoid trade-on-wrong-account mistakes. The skill loads all env vars via dotenv / os.getenv / process.env — never hardcode them.

3. Reference it in prompts

Most tools auto-discover a skill once it’s in the right folder. When in doubt, mention it explicitly.

Tool	How to use it
Claude	Auto-indexed from project root or `~/.claude/skills/`. Or `@skill.md`.
Cursor	Auto-indexed from project root or `~/.cursor/skills/`. Or `@skill.md`.
Codex	Auto-indexed from project root or `~/.codex/skills/`. Or `@skill.md`.
Generic CLI	Keep `skill.md` in the working dir and reference it: `codex "using skill.md, ..."`. Or pipe it: `cat skill.md \| <cli>`.

Example prompts:

/alphainsider place a newOrderAllocations rebalance to 80% SPY for strategy YbKCgktxu0ugmQ1QKCfA3 and print the resulting portfolio value in USD.

Using the alphainsider skill, write a function that takes a strategy_id and prints portfolio value — USD if input_multiplier is set, percent otherwise.

/alphainsider print my strategy's information, positions, and max buying power.

4. Keep it fresh

Update the skill any time to pull new endpoints and updated rules — it overwrites the existing skill.md:

npx skills update

Troubleshooting

Agent ignores the skill — reference it explicitly in the prompt (“follow the rules in skill.md”) and make sure the file is in the project root or the tool’s skills folder.
Numbers look wrong (e.g. 1.05 instead of $105,000) — the agent didn’t apply the Display Rule. Remind it: “use input_multiplier from getStrategySubscriptions for USD, or percent fallback if null — never raw strategy_value”.
Auth errors — check echo $ALPHAINSIDER_API_KEY | cut -c1-20. Then POST /verifyToken with the token.
429 rate limit — see the Limits table in skill.md §9 and back off.

Where to go next

Full interactive docs & OpenAPI explorer: api.alphainsider.com
Trading examples (deep dive): trading-examples
WebSocket channels: websockets
Account limits: limits

Getting Started

Endpoints

Websockets

Agent Skill

Using the AlphaInsider Skill

1. Install the skill

2. Set your API key (and optional scoping IDs)

3. Reference it in prompts

4. Keep it fresh

Troubleshooting

Where to go next

​Using the AlphaInsider Skill

​1. Install the skill

​2. Set your API key (and optional scoping IDs)

​3. Reference it in prompts

​4. Keep it fresh

​Troubleshooting

​Where to go next

Using the AlphaInsider Skill

1. Install the skill

2. Set your API key (and optional scoping IDs)

3. Reference it in prompts

4. Keep it fresh

Troubleshooting

Where to go next