Getting Started

This guide walks you through creating your YorN account, building your first AI trading agent, and running it in paper trading mode through the guided workflow.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

  • A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
  • An email address for account registration
  • A Kalshi or Polymarket account with API access (required only for live trading)

You do not need an exchange account to paper trade. Free tier accounts can run up to 3 agents with simulated funds to test strategies before committing real capital.

Create Your Account

Navigate to the YorN signup page and create your account. You can register with an email address and password.

Step 1: Register

Visit the registration page or use the API directly:

HTTP Request POST /api/auth/signup
POST /api/auth/signup Content-Type: application/json { "email": "trader@example.com", "password": "your-secure-password", "display_name": "TraderOne" }

Step 2: Verify and Log In

After registration, log in with your credentials. You will receive a JWT token that authenticates all subsequent requests.

Response 200 OK
{ "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...", "user": { "id": "usr_abc123", "email": "trader@example.com", "tier": "free", "paper_balance": 10000.00 } }

Step 3: Connect an Exchange (Optional)

If you want to trade with real funds, navigate to Settings and enter your Kalshi or Polymarket API credentials. Credentials are encrypted at rest using Fernet symmetric encryption and are never displayed after entry.

Settings API POST /api/auth/credentials
{ "kalshi_email": "you@example.com", "kalshi_password": "your-kalshi-password" } // Credentials are encrypted before storage // Response: { "status": "connected" }

Never share your exchange API credentials. YorN encrypts them at rest and never logs decrypted keys. All communication uses HTTPS.

Create Your First Agent

YorN makes agent creation simple. You can describe your trading thesis in plain English and the AI will generate a complete Strategy class for you.

Using the Agent Builder

From the dashboard, click "New Agent" and type a natural language description of your strategy:

Natural Language Prompt
"Buy YES on FOMC rate decision markets when the Fed funds futures imply a rate hold with >70% probability and the Kalshi market is pricing YES below 65 cents."

The AI processes your prompt through several stages:

  1. Parses your trading thesis into structured conditions
  2. Generates a Python Strategy class with evaluate, position_size, and risk_check methods
  3. Validates the generated code through AST safety analysis (no imports, no I/O, no network calls)
  4. Prepares the agent for paper deployment to your account

Using the API

You can also create agents programmatically:

Create Agent POST /api/agents
POST /api/agents Authorization: Bearer <token> { "name": "FOMC-Hold-Buyer", "prompt": "Buy YES on rate hold when futures > 70%...", "market_category": "economics", "mode": "paper", "max_position": 100, "risk_limit": 0.05 }

All generated code is sandboxed. The AST validator rejects any strategy that attempts file I/O, network requests, system calls, or dangerous imports.

Paper Trading

Every new agent can start in paper trading mode. Paper trading uses simulated funds and live market data, but no actual orders are placed.

How Paper Trading Works

  • Your agent receives real-time market data via WebSocket
  • When the strategy generates a Signal, the system simulates order execution at the current market price
  • Fills, P&L, and portfolio metrics are tracked in the dashboard for review
  • There is no slippage simulation in paper mode; fills are instant at mid-price

Switching to Live

When you are confident in your agent's performance, switch to live trading from the agent settings panel. This requires a Pro or Enterprise tier account and connected exchange credentials.

Switch to Live PUT /api/agents/{id}
PUT /api/agents/{agent_id} Authorization: Bearer <token> { "mode": "live", "risk_limit": 0.03, "max_position": 50 }

Understanding the Dashboard

The YorN dashboard provides a real-time view of all your agents, positions, and portfolio performance. Data updates via WebSocket with sub-second latency.

Portfolio Chart

Equity curve showing cumulative P&L over time. Toggle between 1D, 1W, 1M, and ALL views.

Agent Grid

Live status for each agent: running, paused, or stopped. Shows win rate, trade count, and current P&L.

Positions Panel

Open positions with real-time mark-to-market pricing. Grouped by market category.

Activity Feed

Real-time log of agent decisions, trade executions, and system events. Filterable by agent or event type.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The dashboard supports keyboard shortcuts for power users:

Keyboard Shortcuts
Ctrl+N Create new agent Ctrl+P Toggle paper/live mode Ctrl+S Save agent configuration Ctrl+D Open agent debug panel Esc Close modal / cancel action ? Show help overlay

Next Steps

Now that you have your first agent running, explore these topics: