# Send Alpaca Py Cli to your agent
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
## Fast path
- Download the package from Yavira.
- Extract it into a folder your agent can access.
- Paste one of the prompts below and point your agent at the extracted folder.
## Suggested prompts
### New install

```text
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Then review README.md for any prerequisites, environment setup, or post-install checks. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
```
### Upgrade existing

```text
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Then review README.md for any prerequisites, environment setup, or post-install checks. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
```
## Machine-readable fields
```json
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      "checkedAt": "2026-04-29T21:21:14.240Z",
      "expiresAt": "2026-05-06T21:21:14.240Z",
      "httpStatus": 200,
      "finalUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=alpaca-py-cli",
      "contentType": "application/zip",
      "probeMethod": "head",
      "details": {
        "probeUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=alpaca-py-cli",
        "contentDisposition": "attachment; filename=\"alpaca-py-cli-2.0.0.zip\"",
        "redirectLocation": null,
        "bodySnippet": null,
        "slug": "alpaca-py-cli"
      },
      "scope": "item",
      "summary": "Item download looks usable.",
      "detail": "Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item.",
      "primaryActionLabel": "Download for OpenClaw",
      "primaryActionHref": "/downloads/alpaca-py-cli"
    },
    "validation": {
      "installChecklist": [
        "Use the Yavira download entry.",
        "Review SKILL.md after the package is downloaded.",
        "Confirm the extracted package contains the expected setup assets."
      ],
      "postInstallChecks": [
        "Confirm the extracted package includes the expected docs or setup files.",
        "Validate the skill or prompts are available in your target agent workspace.",
        "Capture any manual follow-up steps the agent could not complete."
      ]
    }
  },
  "links": {
    "detailUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli",
    "downloadUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/alpaca-py-cli",
    "agentUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent",
    "manifestUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent.json",
    "briefUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent.md"
  }
}
```
## Documentation

### Alpaca Trading (Python CLI) - OpenClaw Agent Skill

Trade stocks and crypto programmatically via Alpaca's API using a Python-based CLI tool.

### ⚠️ Security & Setup Requirements

IMPORTANT - READ BEFORE USE:

This skill stores API keys as environment variables in your shell config file.

What happens during setup:

alpaca init displays registration steps for agent automation
alpaca auth saves API keys to shell startup files (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.profile)
This creates persistent environment variables accessible to all shell sessions

Security considerations:

✅ API keys are stored as environment variables (standard practice)
✅ Paper trading by default (virtual money, no risk)
⚠️ Keys in shell config are accessible to any process in that shell
⚠️ Setup modifies user's shell configuration files

Recommended practices:

Get user consent - Explain that setup will modify shell config
Use paper trading keys - Test with virtual money first ($100k virtual)
Least privilege - Use API keys with minimal required permissions
Monitor activity - Check your Alpaca account regularly

For agents:

Get explicit user permission before running alpaca auth (saves keys to shell config)
alpaca init is safe to run - it only displays instructions
Use browser automation to complete registration steps automatically
After obtaining keys via browser, call alpaca auth to save them

Links:

ClawHub: https://clawhub.ai/skills/alpaca-py-cli
GitHub: https://github.com/zijunl/alpaca-py-cli
Alpaca Markets: https://alpaca.markets

### Alpaca Trading (Python CLI)

Trade stocks and crypto programmatically via Alpaca's API using a Python-based CLI tool.

Links:

ClawHub: https://clawhub.ai/skills/alpaca-py-cli
GitHub: https://github.com/zijunl/alpaca-py-cli
Alpaca Markets: https://alpaca.markets

### Overview

Manage your Alpaca Markets trading account using the alpaca CLI tool and Python SDK. Supports both paper trading (simulated) and live trading.

### Recommended: Homebrew Python (avoids urllib3/LibreSSL warnings)

# Install Homebrew Python 3.11+
brew install python@3.11

# Install alpaca-py
/opt/homebrew/bin/pip3.11 install alpaca-py pytz

### Alternative: System Python

pip3 install alpaca-py pytz

Note: System Python may show urllib3 warnings on macOS due to LibreSSL compatibility. Use Homebrew Python for a cleaner experience.

### Quick Setup with CLI

alpaca auth

This will interactively prompt you for:

API Key
Secret Key (hidden input)
Trading mode (Paper or Live)

The command automatically saves your credentials to your shell config file (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.profile).

### Manual Setup

Alternatively, set these in your shell profile manually:

export ALPACA_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export ALPACA_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key"
export ALPACA_PAPER="true"  # Use "false" for live trading

Get your API keys from https://alpaca.markets (Dashboard → API Keys)

Paper Trading (recommended for testing):

Use paper trading API keys
Virtual $100,000 starting balance
No real money at risk

Live Trading (real money):

Use live trading API keys
Real money, real risk
Test thoroughly with paper trading first

### Setup & Configuration

Configure Credentials

alpaca auth

Interactive setup wizard that guides you through:

Enter API Key
Enter Secret Key (hidden)
Choose trading mode (Paper/Live)
Automatically saves to shell config

### Account & Market Info

Check Account

alpaca account

Shows:

Account number and status
Portfolio value, cash, buying power
P&L (equity, last equity)
Trading restrictions (pattern day trader, blocks)

Check Market Status

alpaca clock

Shows:

Market status (🟢 OPEN or 🔴 CLOSED)
Current time
Next open/close times

View Market Calendar

# Show next 30 trading days (default)
alpaca calendar

# Show next 7 trading days
alpaca calendar --days 7

Shows trading days with open/close times (Eastern Time).

View Portfolio History

# Default: 1 month, daily bars
alpaca history

# Last week
alpaca history --period 1W

# Last 3 months with hourly bars
alpaca history --period 3M --timeframe 1H

Periods: 1D, 1W, 1M, 3M, 1Y, all
Timeframes: 1Min, 5Min, 15Min, 1H, 1D

Shows:

Start and end equity
Total change ($ and %)
Recent history (last 10 data points)

### Portfolio Management

View Positions

alpaca positions

Shows all current holdings with:

Symbol, quantity, current price
Entry price and market value
Unrealized P&L ($ and %)
Total portfolio value and P&L

Get Stock Quotes

# Single symbol
alpaca quote AAPL

# Multiple symbols
alpaca quote AAPL,TSLA,MSFT

Shows:

Bid and ask prices
Mid price and spread
Quote timestamp

Note: Quotes may show incomplete data when market is closed. Best used during market hours (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET).

### Order Management

View Orders

# Show open orders (default)
alpaca orders

# Show all recent orders
alpaca orders --status all

# Show last 20 closed orders
alpaca orders --status closed --limit 20

Shows:

Order status with emoji indicators (⏳ pending, ✓ filled, ✗ canceled)
Symbol, side (BUY/SELL), quantity
Order ID and creation time
Fill price (if filled)

Place Orders

# Buy shares
alpaca buy AAPL 10

# Sell shares
alpaca sell AAPL 5

Places a market order that executes at market price when market is open.

Cancel Orders

# Cancel specific order
alpaca cancel <order_id>

# Cancel all open orders
alpaca cancel-all

### Position Management

Close Positions

# Close specific position
alpaca close AAPL

# Close all positions (requires confirmation)
alpaca close-all

Note: close-all will prompt for confirmation before closing all positions.

### First Time Setup

# Configure credentials
alpaca auth

# Check account
alpaca account

# Check if market is open
alpaca clock

### Trading Workflow

# Check current price
alpaca quote TSLA

# Check account balance
alpaca account

# Buy some shares
alpaca buy TSLA 5

# Check pending orders
alpaca orders

# View positions (after order fills)
alpaca positions

# Get updated quote
alpaca quote TSLA

# Sell some shares
alpaca sell TSLA 2

# Check order history
alpaca orders --status all

### Portfolio Analysis

# View current positions
alpaca positions

# View portfolio history
alpaca history --period 1M

# Check market calendar
alpaca calendar --days 7

### Risk Management

# Check all open orders
alpaca orders

# Cancel specific order
alpaca cancel <order_id>

# Cancel all orders
alpaca cancel-all

# Close specific position
alpaca close AAPL

# Close all positions
alpaca close-all

### Automated Setup for Agents

When a user wants to start trading but hasn't configured Alpaca yet, agents can automate the entire setup process using browser automation.

### Setup Workflow

Run alpaca init - Displays clear registration steps
Use browser automation to complete steps 1-3:

Navigate to https://alpaca.markets
Click "Sign Up" and fill registration form
Verify email (can use email skill to automate)
Log in and navigate to Dashboard → API Keys → Paper Trading
Generate new API key pair
Extract both keys (API Key and Secret Key)


Run alpaca auth - Save the extracted keys to shell config

### Example Agent Flow

User: "I want to start trading stocks"

Agent: 
1. Runs: alpaca init (gets registration steps)
2. Uses browser skill to:
   - Open https://alpaca.markets
   - Fill registration form with user info
   - Verify email automatically
   - Navigate to API Keys page
   - Generate and extract keys
3. Runs: alpaca auth (with extracted keys)
4. Confirms: "✓ Setup complete! You have $100k in paper money."

### Key Points

alpaca init is non-interactive - just displays steps
Agents should use browser automation to follow the steps
alpaca auth requires user consent (modifies shell config)
After setup, verify with alpaca clock or alpaca account

### Agent Usage

When the user asks about their portfolio or wants to trade:

Configure credentials: Run alpaca auth for first-time setup
Check market status: Run alpaca clock to see if market is open
Check account: Run alpaca account to see current balance and buying power
Get positions: Run alpaca positions to list current holdings
View orders: Run alpaca orders to see pending/recent orders
Get quotes: Run alpaca quote <symbols> to check current prices
Place orders: Run alpaca buy/sell to execute trades
Manage risk: Run alpaca cancel/close commands as needed

### Safety Tips

Always test with paper trading first (ALPACA_PAPER=true)
Use alpaca auth to safely configure credentials (secret key is hidden)
Check alpaca clock before trading to see if market is open
Check quotes before placing orders to understand current prices
Check account.buying_power before placing orders
Use TimeInForce.DAY to auto-cancel unfilled orders at market close
Monitor positions regularly with alpaca positions
Check order status with alpaca orders
Review portfolio performance with alpaca history
Use alpaca cancel-all to quickly cancel all pending orders
Use alpaca close-all with caution (requires confirmation)
Set stop-loss orders for risk management
Never share your API keys publicly

### Market Hours

US stock market hours (Eastern Time):

Regular hours: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET
Pre-market: 4:00 AM - 9:30 AM ET
After-hours: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET

Orders placed outside market hours will be queued and executed when market opens.

Quotes may show incomplete or stale data when market is closed.

Use alpaca clock to check current market status.

### urllib3 Warning (LibreSSL)

If you see:

NotOpenSSLWarning: urllib3 v2 only supports OpenSSL 1.1.1+, currently using LibreSSL

Solution: Install and use Homebrew Python 3.11+ which uses OpenSSL:

brew install python@3.11
/opt/homebrew/bin/pip3.11 install alpaca-py pytz

Then update the script shebang to use Homebrew Python:

sed -i '' '1s|#!/usr/bin/env python3|#!/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.11|' ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/alpaca-py-cli/scripts/alpaca

### Missing pytz

If you see:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pytz'

Solution:

pip3 install pytz
# or
/opt/homebrew/bin/pip3.11 install pytz

### Command Not Found

If alpaca command is not found, use the full path:

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/alpaca-py-cli/scripts/alpaca

Or add to PATH in your shell config:

export PATH="$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/alpaca-py-cli/scripts:$PATH"

### Files

CLI Tool: ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/alpaca-py-cli/scripts/alpaca
Config: Environment variables in ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc, ~/.profile)

### Official Documentation

Python SDK: https://alpaca.markets/docs/python-sdk/
API Reference: https://docs.alpaca.markets/reference/
Trading API: https://docs.alpaca.markets/docs/trading-api
Market Data API: https://docs.alpaca.markets/docs/market-data

### Initialization (For Agents)

See the "Automated Setup for Agents" section above for the complete workflow.

Quick summary:

Run alpaca init to see registration steps
Use browser automation to complete registration and extract API keys
Run alpaca auth to save keys (with user consent)
Verify with alpaca clock or alpaca account

The new alpaca init command is non-interactive and agent-friendly - it simply displays clear steps that an agent can follow using browser automation.
## Trust
- Source: tencent
- Verification: Indexed source record
- Publisher: zijunl
- Version: 2.0.0
## Source health
- Status: healthy
- Item download looks usable.
- Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this item.
- Health scope: item
- Reason: direct_download_ok
- Checked at: 2026-04-29T21:21:14.240Z
- Expires at: 2026-05-06T21:21:14.240Z
- Recommended action: Download for OpenClaw
## Links
- [Detail page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli)
- [Send to Agent page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent)
- [JSON manifest](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent.json)
- [Markdown brief](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/alpaca-py-cli/agent.md)
- [Download page](https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/alpaca-py-cli)