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Creating an API key#

Use a dedicated sub-account#

HookTrader assumes every position on the exchange was opened by HookTrader. It does not know about — and will not protect — positions you opened manually or with another bot in the same account.

The clean way to set this up:

  1. In your main Binance account, open Sub-account management and create a new sub-account labelled something like hooktrader.
  2. Transfer in only the capital you want HookTrader to manage. Treat the sub-account as ring-fenced.
  3. Don't trade manually or run other bots in that sub-account while a HookTrader strategy is active.
  4. Generate the API key from the sub-account, not from your main account.

Mixing manual positions with HookTrader-managed positions causes:

  • Incorrect PnL on the dashboard.
  • Confusing trail-SL moves (HookTrader sees a bigger position than it remembers and may resize stops you didn't expect).
  • Orphan-position alerts that HookTrader can't reliably distinguish from real positions.

Generate the key#

On the sub-account:

  1. Open API Management and create a new API key labelled e.g. hooktrader-live (or -demo).
  2. Pick System-generated — Ed25519 keys are not currently supported.
  3. Set the required permissions per Permissions and IP whitelist. At minimum: Enable Reading and Enable Futures. Do not enable withdrawals.
  4. Copy the API key and the secret immediately. Binance only shows the secret once.

Save it in HookTrader#

On the Exchanges page, click + Add API key and fill:

Field Notes
Exchange Binance.
Mode demo for testnet, live for mainnet.
Label Free-text — shown alongside the key everywhere it appears.
API key From Binance.
API secret From Binance. Stored encrypted; never returned after save.

Saving triggers an automatic verify step — a test call to your Binance account. If the verify fails, the key is not saved.

You can hold both a demo and a live key on the same exchange. They appear as separate rows and bind to separate webhooks.

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