Connect Binance

Connecting Binance lets CTAgent read your live account and, when you opt in, place real orders on your behalf. It’s optional — you can backtest and paper-trade without ever connecting an exchange.

Tip

Want to try CTAgent risk-free? Skip this page. Backtesting and paper trading work fully without a Binance connection.

How connecting works

1. In Binance, create a new API key.

2. Restrict it: enable spot trading only, disable withdrawals, and restrict access to CTAgent’s IP.

3. In Telegram, send /connect and follow the two-step prompt to submit your API key and secret.

4. CTAgent encrypts your key, confirms the connection, and automatically deletes the messages that contained your key material.

Your key requirements

For your safety, CTAgent expects keys that are:

• Trade-only — withdrawals must be disabled. CTAgent can place spot orders but can never move funds off your account.
• IP-restricted — locked to CTAgent’s address, so the key is useless if it ever leaks.
• Spot only — no futures, margin, or leverage.

Caution

Never share your API secret anywhere except the /connect flow, and never enable withdrawal permissions on a key you give to any bot. CTAgent is non-custodial — your funds always stay in your own Binance account.

How your key is stored

• Keys are encrypted at rest in a secrets vault.
• They are loaded only by the deterministic trade-execution code that talks to Binance — never exposed to the AI model, and never logged or echoed back to you.
• You can revoke a key at any time from your Binance account, or wipe it from CTAgent with /reset.

Paper vs live after connecting

Connecting a key does not switch you to live trading. CTAgent always defaults to paper trading (simulated orders at live prices). Real-money execution is a separate, explicit opt-in per strategy and is protected by guardrails. See Paper & Live Trading for the full picture.