Bitget

Bitget has the lowest account floor and the most predictable order minimums, and it is where our own capital runs. If you have no strong preference, start here.

Before you begin

Minimum account: $2,500 of equity in your USDT-M futures account.

The strategy holds roughly twenty positions and Bitget applies a flat $5 minimum order size, so an account below about $2,500 cannot place every leg and quietly runs a concentrated version of the strategy.

AlphaHouse trades your USDT-M futures account only. Spot wallet funds are not visible to it, so transfer what you intend to trade into futures before you connect.

Step 1: Switch your futures account to One-Way Mode

The one mandatory exchange-side setting, and worth doing first because you cannot change it while positions are open.

Bitget offers two position modes:

• One-Way Mode (also “Unilateral Position Mode”): one position per symbol, either long or short.
• Hedge Mode (also “Two-Way”): long and short on the same symbol at once.

AlphaHouse requires One-Way Mode: the portfolio is one net position per symbol, so Hedge Mode has no correct interpretation in our system.

Caution

In Hedge Mode, Test Connection fails with the steps to fix it, and nothing is traded until you switch.

1. Log in at bitget.com and open Futures Trading.

2. Check the position mode indicator, usually near the top right. If it reads “One-Way” or “Unilateral”, you are done.

3. If it reads “Hedge Mode” or “Two-Way”, close all open futures positions first. Bitget will not change the mode while any position is open.

4. Open Position Mode Settings, select One-Way Mode, and confirm.

5. Check the indicator now reads “One-Way” or “Unilateral”.

Step 2: Create the API key

1. In Bitget, open API Management from your account menu.

2. Create a new API key. Choose the self-generated / system-generated type rather than importing an existing one.

3. Set a passphrase. AlphaHouse needs it as a third credential alongside the key and secret, and Bitget shows it only at creation, so write it down now.

4. Set permissions. You need:

   • Read or Read-only on account and positions: yes
   • Trade on futures / contracts: yes
   • Withdrawal / Transfer: no

5. If Bitget offers an IP whitelist, leave it unrestricted or contact support for the current outbound addresses. An incorrect one shows up as a connection failure, not a partial success.

6. Save the key and copy the API Key, Secret Key and Passphrase somewhere safe before closing the page. The secret is shown once.

Never enable withdrawal permission

AlphaHouse never needs it. A key with trade permission can only open and close positions. A key with withdrawal permission can move your money off the exchange, and no trading system has any reason to hold that power.

Step 3: Paste the credentials into AlphaHouse

Three fields.

Field in AlphaHouse	What to paste
API Key	The API key string from Bitget
API Secret	The secret key shown once at creation
Passphrase	The passphrase you set when creating the key

1. Go to the Exchanges page and choose Add Brokerage Connection. In onboarding this is the “Connect Your Brokerage” step.

2. Select Bitget from the exchange list.

3. Fill in API Key, API Secret and Passphrase.

4. Click Test Connection.

5. Once it succeeds, click Add Connection (or Continue in onboarding).

Step 4: Verify it worked

A successful test reports your account equity, and the connection card shows a green Connected badge with equity and open position count.

Check that figure against your Bitget futures account. If AlphaHouse reports much less than you expect, the usual cause is funds still in the spot wallet.

Note

The test also checks your position mode. If your account is still in Hedge Mode it fails, names that as the cause, and lists the steps to fix it, so you find out here rather than at your first rebalance.

Things worth knowing

Cross margin. Orders use cross margin with USDT as the margin coin. You do not need to configure this.

Leverage. Bitget only accepts whole-number leverage on the margin side, so a fractional sizing leverage (for example 1.75x) is sent as 2. Your position sizes still use your actual setting. See Leverage for the two numbers.

Symbol coverage. Bitget’s USDT-margined perpetuals only. Spot, coin-margined contracts and dated futures are out of scope.

If something goes wrong

• Test fails immediately. Recheck all three fields, especially the passphrase. A wrong passphrase looks identical to a wrong key.
• Test succeeds but equity reads zero or very low. Your money is probably in the spot wallet, not the USDT-M futures wallet.
• Position mode error. Your account is in Hedge Mode. Close all positions, switch to One-Way Mode, then test again.

More cases in Troubleshooting.