Trading Accounts
Published Jul 9, 2026 · Updated Oct 16, 2026
A strategy needs a trading account to place orders. This page manages all of them: AlphaFox trading accounts, connected exchanges, and paper accounts. Go to: Account → Trading account.
The left side lists your accounts in two groups — AlphaFox trading account and Connected exchanges (split into Live and Paper). Select any row to see its balance, account info, and Bound strategies on the right. Full setup steps are in Connect an Exchange; this page explains how the account types differ and the rules for managing them.
Choosing an account type
| Type | Where the funds are | Run fee | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper exchange (Binance Paper / Hyperliquid Paper) | Virtual funds; no real account connected | Included paper slots first, then 0.01 credits/hr each | Learning and validating strategies |
| Other exchanges via API (Binance, OKX, Aster, Bitget, Bybit, Gate) | Stay in your exchange account; AlphaFox does not custody them | Included live slots first, then 0.07 credits/hr each | You already trade on an exchange |
| Connect an existing HyperLiquid wallet | Stay in your own wallet; no private key needed | No run fee and no live slot used; Builder Fee on volume (usually 0.05%) | You already have a HyperLiquid wallet |
| AlphaFox trading account (Hyperliquid) | Created and custodied by AlphaFox | No run fee and no live slot used; Builder Fee on volume (usually 0.05%) | No wallet yet; you want to trade on Hyperliquid directly |
The HyperLiquid run-fee waiver is verified when the strategy starts and applies only once that check passes. Billing rules: Membership.
Exchange API connections are non-custodial: funds stay in your exchange account, and the API key needs read and trade permissions only — never withdrawal. If the connection test detects withdrawal permission, saving is blocked; turn withdrawal off and test again.
Add a paper account or exchange
Open the add dialog
Click Add next to Connected exchanges to open “Add trading account”. It has three tabs — HyperLiquid (Recommended), Other exchanges, and Paper exchange — each showing how it’s billed.
Fill in the tab
- Paper exchange: choose the paper type, enter an account name and Initial funds (10000 by default, up to 50000). No API key and no connection test needed.
- Other exchanges: pick the exchange, follow the on-screen steps to create an API key and add the whitelist IP, enter the credentials, then click Test connection.
- HyperLiquid: choose Connect an existing HyperLiquid wallet (approve the Agent and the 0.05% builder fee in your browser wallet), or Create trading account to have AlphaFox open one for you.
Save
Click Save connection. The new connection appears in the list as Connected.
Per-exchange settings and screenshots: Connect an Exchange and Supported Exchanges.
AlphaFox trading accounts
An AlphaFox trading account is a Hyperliquid account AlphaFox creates for you — not an exchange API key. You don’t install or operate a wallet yourself: transfer funds in from your funding account and trade; withdrawals only go out through the funding account. How this custody model differs from exchange API connections: risk notice.
Open and activate an AlphaFox trading account
Check that your first account is open
Your first trading account is usually opened automatically, moving through Requested → Provisioning → Active. If you see “No trading account yet”, click Create a Hyperliquid trading account.
Transfer funds from your funding account
Select the account, click Transfer, and move in USDC from your funding account (free, 9 USDC minimum per transfer).
Wait for agent authorization
Once the funds arrive, the system completes agent authorization (the signer used for trading) on its own. It checks every 30 seconds and usually finishes within a minute of funding. When the row no longer shows a pending, authorizing, or needs-authorization badge, the account can place orders for strategies.
After your first deposit of at least 50 USDC into a trading account, you can claim 7 days of Plus once from the account card (converted to your current plan).
Create more trading accounts
Click New trading account and confirm. The new account has its own address and positions.
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Limit | Up to 10 trading accounts |
| Activate first | Every existing account must be funded and agent-authorized before you can create another. Otherwise you’ll see “Activate your existing trading account first” with a Fund that account button |
| Older accounts | Wallets created before multiple accounts were available can’t derive new ones; contact support to migrate |
Actions on the account card
| Action | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Transfer | Move USDC between the funding account and this trading account — see Funding Account |
| Convert to unified account | First account only. Once it holds funds, convert it so perpetual and XYZ markets share one margin balance |
| Transfer margin | First account only, in standard mode: move USDC between Hyper perps and XYZ |
| Reconnect the trading account | The account is ready but its trading connection is unavailable (often because its API connection was deleted). Reconnecting needs no new deposit |
| Retry authorization | Funds arrived but agent authorization hasn’t completed |
| Rename | Click the edit icon next to the account name |
Manage connected exchanges
Select a connection to see its Balance (free / used / total) and Account info (exchange, account UID, API key, whitelist IP, Builder Fee).
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected | Working and available to strategies |
| Disconnected | The connection is not established |
| Permission error | The key lacks permissions or they changed — see Connection troubleshooting |
| Sync error | Account data could not be read — see Connection troubleshooting |
| Action | Rule |
|---|---|
| Edit account | Change the account name and position mode; position mode is locked while a strategy is running or starting. For paper, you edit the paper margin |
| Copy current API key | Clones the key into a new connection so another strategy can use it. Only connected live keys can be copied |
| Delete selected connection | Blocked while a strategy uses it — delete or migrate that strategy first. Connections created by an AlphaFox trading account can’t be deleted here |
Editing covers only the fields above; to use a different API key, add a new connection.
Changing paper margin clears the return history and leaderboard returns of strategies on that account, and recalculates them from the new margin.
Strategy binding rules
- When you create a strategy you choose a trading account, and the strategy places orders through it. Bound strategies on the right lists the strategies using the account and their status.
- One connection serves one active strategy at a time. While a strategy is starting, running, or stopping, the connection is occupied and the list shows a running marker.
- After a strategy has stopped or failed, the connection can be used by a new strategy. To run several strategies on the same key at once, use Copy current API key to create another connection.