Connect Your Exchange and Check Access

Before connecting anything, let's make the relationship clear. Your TraderLobby account is the identity you use to sign in to this app. Your exchange account is the account you hold with a supported exchange. A connection lets TraderLobby communicate with that exchange account using the access you have allowed. Those are three related things, with three different jobs.

Think of the connection as a controlled doorway for requests. Through that doorway, the app may ask for account information or submit a supported trading request. What can pass through depends on the connection, its permissions, and the exchange. Creating the doorway does not move the account into TraderLobby, and naming it does not change who owns it.

Your funds remain with the connected exchange. The connection form explains that TraderLobby does not hold your funds or add or withdraw money. Do not look for a deposit into TraderLobby as a step in this lesson. If a balance appears in the app, it is information about the account being displayed. The number is not evidence that money was transferred into a new TraderLobby wallet.

There is another distinction to keep beside that one: Paper and Live. Paper uses simulated trading activity. Live uses the relevant connected exchange context for supported real activity. You can learn the connection screens while staying in Paper. A successful connection does not, by itself, mean you have intentionally started a strategy or placed an order.

Start by checking which TraderLobby user is signed in. Then find API Connections in the main navigation. On a phone, open the mobile navigation and choose the same destination. The layout changes; the purpose stays the same.

Inside this area, you will find the route for adding a connection and the list of connections already saved. An empty list is a useful, understandable state. It tells you no exchange connection is shown for this account. It does not tell you that your separate exchange account has no money, or that something has been sold.

Throughout this chapter, we will use examples to explain the controls. You do not need to paste a key, move funds, or turn on Live trading to keep going. If you already have a working connection, leave it intact while you inspect its labels. The aim is to understand the access before you use it.

For your first check, explain the three parts in your own words: the TraderLobby sign-in, the exchange account, and the connection between them. Then point to the current Paper or Live label without changing it. Once those pieces are clear, the rest of the screen becomes much easier to read.

The first choice is the exchange you actually use. On desktop, find Exchange in the connection form. On mobile, choose Add connection, then open the exchange selector. Read the full provider name. Similar-looking names can refer to different services, and choosing the wrong one will not turn your credentials into credentials for that service.

The current app lists Coinbase Advanced, Kraken, Gemini, Binance U.S., Binance dot com, and Robinhood Crypto. The selector includes regional labels for the Binance choices and Robinhood Crypto. Treat those labels as part of identifying the service. A name appearing in TraderLobby does not establish that you personally qualify to use that exchange or every feature it offers.

Use the provider that matches your own account and the service available to you. Account type, region, and the exchange's current requirements can affect access. If a choice is unavailable or marked coming soon, do not try to work around that by selecting a different provider with a similar name. You can stay in Paper and continue learning.

Next, read Trading currency. This is the quote currency the connection will use for supported orders. A quote currency is the unit used to express the price and order amount for a trading pair. In Bitcoin priced in U.S. dollars, dollars are the quote currency. In Bitcoin priced in USDC, USDC is the quote asset.

The current Coinbase choice offers U.S. dollars and USDC. The Binance dot com choice uses USDT. The other listed providers currently offer U.S. dollars in this form. Read the options your screen actually offers, because provider support can change. U.S. dollars, USDC, and USDT are different assets, even when their names or displayed values seem related.

The line below the currency control makes an important point: no conversion is made. Selecting USDC does not exchange dollars for USDC. It also does not guarantee that the account has the selected asset available for an order. You will need to check both the chosen currency and the account information after connection.

Give the connection a clear name that will make sense later. For example, an illustrative name such as Main exchange account helps distinguish one connection from another without including a secret. The name is your label, not a permission setting. Calling a connection Read only does not actually remove its trading permissions.

Before continuing, confirm three things: the full provider name matches your account, the offered currency is the one you intend to use, and the connection name will help you recognize it. You can complete this check by reading the form and explaining the choices. There is no need to create an exchange account just to finish the page.

Now let's walk through the connection flow from beginning to end. We are describing an intentional setup, using a demonstration account. Your own setup can wait until you understand the fields. The current TraderLobby form uses exchange API credentials. It is not asking you to enter your ordinary exchange sign-in password into the API secret field.

API is a name for a way that software systems communicate. An API key identifies a particular access credential. Its matching secret or private key helps prove that a request is authorized. These values belong together. A key from one setup and a secret from another will not become a working pair just because both fields contain text.

Open the exchange's own account settings through its official site or app and follow the instructions for the supported credential type. Keep that work private. Return to TraderLobby with the correct provider selected, then enter the API key and its matching secret in the named fields. If the form offers a passphrase, use it only when the provider's credential flow requires one. Do not invent an extra passphrase or substitute a sign-in password.

Robinhood Crypto has a different branch in the desktop form. Generate secure key pair creates a public and private pair in the browser. The public part is the one the instructions tell you to copy into Robinhood's desktop Add key form. Robinhood then supplies its API key. That API key returns to the Robinhood API key field in TraderLobby; the matching private key is already filled and hidden.

Public and private do not mean two values you can swap freely. The provider needs the public part for this setup, while the private part must remain protected. Generating a different pair partway through can break the match with the public key you already registered. Follow one complete setup deliberately. The mobile form accepts the matching credentials but does not offer that desktop key-generation helper.

Before saving, inspect the account name, provider, currency, and cash limit. The desktop field says Maximum cash TraderLobby may use, with U.S. dollars as its unit. It begins at zero. This is a control for the app's trading budget, not a transfer of funds. Leave it unchanged for the lesson. We will explain its relationship to the reported balance on a later page.

When you intentionally submit a real setup, Validate and save sends the connection for validation. Read the result and check that the intended connection appears in the list. A message may say that it was validated and saved, and it may also say it became the default Live connection. That last part matters: inspect the default label rather than assuming saving only added an unused item.

If validation fails or times out, read the message before trying again. If the result is unclear, inspect the connection list before creating another entry. Do not keep submitting credentials just because the button is still visible. A visible card, its status, and the returned message together give you a better picture of the outcome.

For your check, describe the path from choosing a provider to confirming a saved connection. Include the special public-and-private-key steps for Robinhood if that is your provider. Keep every real credential hidden. The skill we are practicing is recognizing a complete setup, not collecting screenshots of sensitive fields.

A connection's permissions answer a direct question: what is this credential allowed to do? Start with three groups. Reading information lets software request supported account details. Trading access allows supported order requests. Moving assets, such as withdrawing them, is a different kind of access. One group does not automatically include every other group.

For TraderLobby, follow the permissions required by the supported workflow. Do not grant withdrawal or unrelated account access to make an error disappear. Use the provider-specific guidance beside the form. The permission names can differ by exchange, so copying a list from a different provider is not a reliable shortcut.

The current Kraken guidance names access for funds, open and closed orders, creating or modifying orders, and canceling or closing orders. The Gemini guidance calls for a dedicated account-level key with the Trader role, rather than a master key or Fund Manager role. These are examples of why the full instructions matter more than a vague instruction to enable everything.

The Binance U.S. guidance distinguishes account reading and Spot trading. The Binance dot com guidance uses a provider permission label that includes the words Spot and Margin Trading, while explaining that TraderLobby uses Spot only. Read both the label and the explanation. That combined label is not an instruction to borrow money or begin margin trading. Keep withdrawals disabled.

After a connection is saved, the desktop card includes Validate order permissions, with a button that explicitly says no order placed. This is a separate check from saving the connection. The app asks for a provider-specific validation result; it does not use this button to make a small purchase as a demonstration. You do not need to press Buy to prove that you understood it.

The checks also differ in what they can establish. Coinbase checks View and Trade permissions. Kraken and the Binance choices use their supported validation or test routes. Robinhood requests a signed price estimate. Gemini's explanation says it checks the product, a protected execution price, and authenticated access, while the exchange confirms the Trader role on the first customer-authorized order. Read that limitation; do not treat every successful check as identical evidence.

Look for the returned message and Last validated time when a check completes. A validation result describes the check performed at that time. It does not promise that every later order will succeed. Permissions, available cash, product support, and other requirements can still affect a later request. If the check fails, resolve the stated problem instead of widening access blindly.

The current phone view offers Check connection, but does not present the desktop order-permission button. Those are not interchangeable checks. If you need the desktop workflow, use that view and follow its explanation. A mobile connection status alone should not be described as proof that the separate order check passed.

For your check, name the difference between reading, trading, and withdrawing. Then explain what the no-order validation button does and one thing it cannot promise. You can answer without changing permissions or submitting any request. Understanding the scope is the useful result.

A saved connection deserves a careful read. Begin at the top of its card. Check the connection name and provider together. The masked key reference can help distinguish credentials privately, but it is not a reason to share account details. A familiar name is helpful; it is not proof that every other setting is correct.

Next, read the status. Valid means the connection has passed its relevant validation. Invalid, disabled, or pending validation describes a different state. Do not rely on the color alone. Read the words and any error message, then check the timing information. A status describes what the app knows; it is not a permanent certificate that access can never change.

On desktop, find Balance synced and read its time, or the message that a sync has not happened yet. Refresh balance asks for an updated connection and cash check. On mobile, Check connection is the corresponding connection-check route, and the card shows when it was checked. If the request fails, the old value is not automatically a fresh balance.

Now separate the money labels. API-reported cash is the cash information returned for the connected account. Trading budget is the amount configured for TraderLobby to use. Project reserve is described here as cash outside that budget. Tradable cash is the app's displayed amount available under its current account calculation. These labels answer different questions; they should not be added together as though they were separate deposits.

Imagine an illustrative account with five hundred dollars of reported cash and a two-hundred-dollar budget. The simple idea is that the configured budget covers part of the cash, while the rest sits outside that budget. This example is not a promise that a particular order can spend two hundred dollars. Read the actual tradable figure and any restrictions before interpreting what the app can use.

The reserve label does not mean TraderLobby moved money into a separate bank account. Likewise, raising a budget does not deposit funds, create buying power at the exchange, or guarantee that the selected trading currency is available. If a value says Not reported, do not silently replace that message with zero. Missing information and a reported zero are different results.

The desktop card lets you edit capital controls and then choose Save capital controls. The mobile card uses editable Trading limit and Currency tiles followed by Save trading settings. Both flows require you to read the result after an intentional change. The optional profit-skim setting concerns a share of realized profit going into reserve; it is not an interest rate or a promised return. Leave it unchanged for this check.

Finally, confirm Trading currency again. Changing it does not convert funds, and the screen says a new currency requires order revalidation. If an edited field and a saved summary disagree, do not assume the edit took effect. Check the save result and the refreshed card. The summary, currency, validation status, and balance timing should tell one understandable story.

For your check, point to the identity, status, currency, and timing information. Explain the difference between reported cash, budget, and reserve. You do not need to disclose any real amounts. You should be able to tell what a label means without treating every number on the card as money ready for an order.

If you have more than one saved connection, the next question is which one the app is using. Multiple cards do not mean every account has been combined into one shared balance. Each connection has its own provider, label, cash information, and configured controls. Start by finding the card marked Default Live account on desktop.

On mobile, the card identifies the Default Live connection and may show an Active badge. In this location, Active identifies that default connection. It is not the same as saying a trading strategy is running. Read the badge in its own section, just as you learned to separate the dashboard's update connection from Paper or Live trading mode.

On desktop, a different validated connection can offer Use for Live trading. If a provider is limited to account viewing in a particular environment, the label can instead say Use for Live account view. Read the actual button and any limitation. Do not press it simply to explore what happens; it changes the selected account context.

After an intentional selection, look for the default marker on the intended card and the result message. The current app explains that portfolio and reporting will use that exchange context. Then return to the relevant view and read the account and mode labels again. Do not assume a familiar-looking screen must still refer to the account you were viewing a moment ago.

Consider two illustrative connections named Main account and Second account. If the first reports five hundred dollars and the second reports three hundred, switching to the second does not transfer the first account's cash. It also does not create an eight-hundred-dollar trading balance. You changed which connection is selected, not the ownership or location of the money.

A connection selection is also different from the Paper and Live switch. It is different from enabling or pausing automation, and different from canceling an order or closing a position. If you have ongoing activity, understand that activity and its account before making a connection change. Do not use switching as a shortcut for ending something you intended to stop.

The current mobile connection list shows the default identity but does not offer the same desktop default-selection button. Use the desktop account-selection workflow when that change is needed. You can still complete this lesson on a phone by identifying the default and explaining what switching would mean. A missing control is not an invitation to delete a connection to force a switch.

For your check, identify the default connection without sharing its private details. Explain which views will need a fresh context check after an intentional change. Then explain why selecting another account does not combine balances, transfer assets, or certify that trading stopped. Keeping those boundaries clear is more useful than making a practice switch.

Connections can need attention even after they worked before. A provider may reject a request, a credential may have expired or been revoked, or a required permission may no longer be available. Start with the message the app actually shows. A failed connection request does not, by itself, explain where every asset is or what happened to every order.

Check the provider and connection name first. Then read the status and any error code or explanation. If the problem appears to be a temporary request failure, use the offered refresh or connection-check route deliberately and read its result. Repeating the same action rapidly does not create better evidence, and an older displayed balance should not be mistaken for a successful refresh.

If the issue concerns credentials or permissions, review the exchange's own access settings privately. Confirm that you are looking at the credential intended for TraderLobby. Do not post the key, secret, passphrase, or private key in a support request. A useful report names the affected provider, the action that failed, and a redacted message, without exposing the material that grants access.

The current connection screens do not provide a way to reveal and edit the saved secret. If replacement credentials are needed, follow the supported setup and removal workflow, and check the new result. Do not guess that changing a connection name updates the underlying key. The label and the access credential are different pieces of the connection.

Now distinguish removal inside TraderLobby from revocation at the exchange. Desktop offers Remove on the connection card. Mobile offers Delete and then a confirmation with Delete permanently. The mobile explanation says this removes the connection and its stored credentials. Do not assume the desktop button will give you the same extra confirmation; leave both untouched while following the lesson.

Removing the stored TraderLobby connection is not the same as revoking the API credential in the provider's account settings. If your intention is to revoke that credential, use the exchange's own access-management process as well and verify the result there. Do not assume that deleting the local connection makes a copied credential unusable everywhere else.

Removal also does not liquidate holdings, withdraw assets, cancel every outstanding order, or settle a subscription. If you intend to stop trading, handle the relevant automation, orders, and positions through their own workflows and confirm what happened. Losing the app's access can make managing an existing exchange position from TraderLobby harder; it does not make that position disappear.

There is one more context check after removal. If you remove the default connection, the current app can select another remaining valid connection as the default. Inspect the list afterward rather than assuming there is now no default. If no usable connection remains, read the resulting limitations. Do not create a replacement merely to clear a message while you are still investigating the problem.

For your check, explain how you would respond to a failed refresh, where you would review exchange permissions, and how local removal differs from provider revocation. Do not remove or revoke anything for practice. The result we want is a clear repair plan that protects access and keeps the account context understandable.

You now have enough context to review a connection without rushing into a trade. This last page brings the pieces together. You can pause after each step and use an existing connection, an empty list, or the illustrated example. There is no requirement to add credentials or enter Live mode to complete the chapter.

First, confirm the TraderLobby identity and the current Paper or Live label. Then identify the exchange account you intend to work with. Keep those names private. Say which part is the app sign-in, which part is the exchange, and which connection links them. If you cannot tell which account is being displayed, resolve that before interpreting its balance.

Second, read the full provider name, connection label, and trading currency. Check that they match your intention and the options available to that account. Remember that a label does not create permissions, and selecting a quote currency does not convert funds. If the provider or currency is wrong, a valid-looking card is not enough reason to continue.

Third, review connection status and freshness. Read the latest result, the available check or sync time, and any unresolved error. Separate a reported zero from Not reported. If information has not loaded or a refresh failed, describe that honestly. You do not have to turn an uncertain result into a confident answer just to finish the checklist.

Fourth, read the cash and control labels in context. Know the difference between the exchange's reported cash, the configured budget or trading limit, and reserve. Check saved values rather than relying on an unfinished edit. Leave the budget unchanged for this exercise, and do not treat an available-looking number as a promise that an order will be accepted.

Fifth, inspect the access evidence. Know what reading and trading permissions allow, and keep withdrawal access outside this setup. Where the desktop order-permission check is available, understand its provider-specific result and limitations. A successful connection check on mobile does not replace that separate evidence. You should be able to explain the check without placing a real test trade.

Sixth, identify the default connection and remember what a change would affect. If there are multiple accounts, keep their balances separate. Review any ongoing trading activity through its own controls; neither switching connections nor removing one proves that activity stopped. Know where you would look to confirm a real trading outcome.

Finally, consider account security and recovery. Keep credentials private, maintain the sign-in protections from the previous chapter, and know where the exchange lets you manage its API access. If something needs attention, write a private next step such as reviewing permissions or checking a failed refresh. The note should describe the task, not contain the secret.

Now make an informed stopping decision. You may be ready to inspect the next workflow, or you may choose to stay in Paper while resolving a question. Both are useful outcomes. This checklist is not automatic permission to trade and does not replace the app's remaining Live requirements. It gives you a clearer understanding of the connection you would be relying on.

Next, we will practice with Paper and Live in this app specifically. You will learn what changes when the mode changes, what stays separate, and how to finish a rehearsal at a clear stopping point. Bring the habit you have built here: identify the account, understand the access, take only the intended action, and read the result.