Kalshi & Polymarket trading bots: allowed, legit, and what to check
Short answer: both Kalshi and Polymarket publish official trading APIs, so a bot isn’t a scam by itself. What decides whether a bot is legit is who holds your keys, where you’re trading from, and whether anyone promises returns. Below: what each venue’s own docs say, and 11 bots and tools with sourced report cards.
What the venues’ own docs say
Kalshi
- Kalshi’s official Exchange API covers real-time market data and trade execution over REST, WebSocket and FIX. Using it binds you to Kalshi’s Developer Agreement. Source: docs.kalshi.com/welcome
- API keys are key pairs (Ed25519 or RSA): your program signs each request with the private key and Kalshi checks it against the registered public key. Source: docs.kalshi.com/getting_started/api_keys.md
- Requests spend tokens from a per-account budget (most cost 10 tokens). The Basic tier, which every account gets at signup, refills 200 read and 100 write tokens per second; higher tiers are earned by trading volume or assigned by Kalshi. Source: docs.kalshi.com/getting_started/rate_limits
- Kalshi runs a separate demo environment with mock funds for testing; credentials are not shared with production, and Kalshi warns that demo prices may not reflect real markets. Source: docs.kalshi.com/getting_started/demo_env.md
- Regulation: CFTC designated contract market (DCM) since Nov 4, 2020. Source: cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8302-20 Mar 4, 2025: Nevada's Gaming Control Board ordered KalshiEX to stop offering sports and election event contracts in Nevada, treating them as unlicensed wagering. Source: gaming.nv.gov/siteassets/content/about/press-release/NGCB_-_News_Release_
Polymarket
- Polymarket publishes REST and WebSocket APIs: the CLOB API reads prices and order books and places and manages orders; the Gamma and Data APIs cover market discovery and activity. Source: docs.polymarket.com/getting-started/api.md
- Orders are signed by your own wallet. To trade, the wallet needs pUSD on Polygon and trading approvals for Polymarket’s contracts. Source: docs.polymarket.com/trading/market-making.md
- Polymarket’s docs include a market-making guide, and resting limit orders are automatically eligible for its Liquidity Rewards program. Source: docs.polymarket.com/programs/liquidity-rewards.md
- Where you can trade: Polymarket’s international order book rejects orders from restricted locations. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and several Canadian provinces, among others, are close-only on both the website and the API: you can close positions but not open new ones. Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea and occupied regions of Ukraine are blocked completely. Source: docs.polymarket.com/api-reference/geoblock.md
- Polymarket US is a separate CFTC-designated exchange with its own documentation; Polymarket’s main docs point US users there. Source: docs.polymarket.com CFTC designated contract market (DCM), designated Jul 9, 2025. On Nov 24, 2025 the CFTC amended the order to allow futures commission merchants to carry customer accounts. Source: cftc.gov/IndustryOversight/IndustryFilings/TradingOrganizations/4957
Fees for both venues, side by side: Kalshi vs Polymarket.
Bots and tools with report cards (11)
Every entry is in our prediction-market directory with a rule-based report card built from sourced facts. Open-source bots are listed for what their code and README say; we haven’t run them. Payouts never change a report card.
| Bot or tool | Report card | Venues it lists | Your money | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalshi API | Caution | Kalshi (event contracts) | Trades through your account on a regulated exchange via its API. | Proprietary (Kalshi Developer Agreement) |
| Polymarket API (CLOB) | Caution | Polymarket | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | Proprietary |
| Gemini Predictions API | Caution | Gemini Predictions (event contracts) | Trades through your account on a regulated exchange via its API. | Proprietary |
| poly-maker | Clear record | Polymarket | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | MIT |
| Kalshi AI Trading Bot | Clear record | Kalshi | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | MIT |
| OctoBot Prediction Market | Clear record | Polymarket | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | GPL-3.0 |
| pmxt | Clear record | Polymarket, Kalshi | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | MIT |
| CloddsBot | Clear record | Polymarket, Kalshi, Betfair, Smarkets, Drift, Manifold, Metaculus, PredictIt, Opinion.xyz, Predict.fun | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | MIT |
| Nothing Ever Happens (Polymarket bot) | Clear record | Polymarket | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | CC0-1.0 |
| Prediction Markets Trading Bot Toolkits | Clear record | Polymarket, Kalshi, Limitless | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | MIT |
| Oracle3 prediction market agent | Clear record | Kalshi, Polymarket | Self-hosted: you run the software and your keys stay on your machine. | Apache-2.0 |
Archived or discontinued: Polymarket Agents (The GitHub repository is archived (read-only) by its owner; last push Nov 2024.); Polymarket py-clob-client (The GitHub repository is archived (read-only) by its owner; last push May 2026.).
OctoBot Prediction Market: The README describes its arbitrage strategies as extracting profits “at low risk”; that is the project’s own wording, not a verified result.
Red flags before you run or buy a prediction-market bot
- Promised or guaranteed returns. The CFTC warns that AI trading bots promising high or guaranteed returns are a common fraud pitch. Source: cftc.gov/LearnAndProtect/AdvisoriesAndArticles/AITradingBots.html
- Asking for your private key or seed phrase. On Polymarket your wallet signs every order, so a hosted bot that holds your key holds your money. Prefer bots you run yourself, and fund the trading wallet with only what you’re prepared to lose.
- Getting around location blocks. Polymarket’s international order book is close-only for US users on the website and the API. A bot or VPN doesn’t change where you are allowed to trade.
- A “bot” sold through DMs or Telegram groups. Check the website with our site checker and any Telegram handle with the Telegram checker before you pay.
- Unverifiable track records. Screenshots of profits prove nothing. Ask for results you can check yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Are bots allowed on Kalshi?
Kalshi publishes an official Exchange API for market data and trade execution (REST, WebSocket and FIX), and using it binds you to Kalshi’s Developer Agreement. It also runs a demo environment with mock funds for testing. Automated trading still follows the exchange’s normal rules.
Are bots allowed on Polymarket?
Polymarket publishes official APIs for placing and managing orders, a market-making guide, and liquidity rewards for resting limit orders. Its international order book rejects orders from restricted locations, including the United States (close-only), whether a person or a bot sends them.
Are Polymarket or Kalshi bots profitable?
We don’t know, and we don’t verify anyone’s results. The open-source bots below describe what their code does, not what it earns. The poly-maker README itself warns that market making can lose money. Treat any promised or guaranteed return as a red flag: the CFTC warns that AI trading bots promising high or guaranteed returns are a common fraud pitch.
Is there an official Polymarket bot?
Polymarket published an open-source agents framework, but that repository is archived (read-only); its official py-clob-client is archived too, and Polymarket’s docs now point to newer SDKs. There is no official Polymarket bot that trades for you.
Is there a Polymarket copy trading bot?
Several open-source projects in our directory list copy trading: OctoBot Prediction Market, CloddsBot, Prediction Markets Trading Bot Toolkits. They run on your own machine with your own keys. Their authors’ descriptions are not verified results.
Do I need to give a bot my private key or API key?
On Polymarket your wallet signs every order, so whoever holds that wallet’s private key controls the money in it. On Kalshi, API keys are key pairs that sign each request. A self-hosted bot keeps keys on your machine; a hosted service or a “bot for sale” that asks for your private key can move your funds. Never paste a seed phrase into a bot.
Can I test a Kalshi bot without real money?
Yes. Kalshi’s demo environment uses mock funds and separate credentials, though Kalshi warns demo prices may not reflect real markets.
Sources: the official Kalshi and Polymarket docs and CFTC records linked above, checked Oct 20, 2026. Not investment, legal or tax advice; event contracts can lose your whole stake. BotOrNot has no affiliation with Kalshi or Polymarket and places no referral links on this page.