> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dev.strixlab.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dev.strixlab.io/guides/production-checklist.md).

# Going to Production

A checklist to work through before pointing a bot at mainnet. Each item exists because it has caused a real problem.

## Before you start

* [ ] **Run on testnet first.** `https://api-staging.strixlab.io/api` is a real order book with fake money.
* [ ] **Log the venue at startup.** Print `baseUrl` and `client.wsUrl` on boot. The most expensive bug in trading software is not knowing which venue you're on.
* [ ] **Check clock drift once at boot.** More than 30 seconds and every signed request fails with `invalid_signature`.
* [ ] **Store credentials in a secret manager**, never in the repo. Regenerating a key invalidates the old one immediately, so make reload a restart-free path if you can.

## Risk controls

{% hint style="danger" %}
**`cancelAll()` is your emergency stop.** It is deliberately exempt from rate limiting. Wire it to every exit path — `SIGINT`, `SIGTERM`, `unhandledRejection`, `uncaughtException`, and your own kill-switch.
{% endhint %}

* [ ] **Cancel on shutdown**, then `client.destroy()`, then exit.
* [ ] **Cap position size** per market and refuse to add beyond it.
* [ ] **Cap order value** per placement, so a units bug can't submit 100× the intended size.
* [ ] **Add a staleness guard.** If no book update arrives for N seconds, pull your quotes — a quiet socket is not a quiet market.
* [ ] **Never assume a cancel worked.** A failed cancel means the order is still live. Re-list open orders before quoting against the assumption.
* [ ] **Handle `trade.failed`.** Rare, but a run of them means something upstream is unhealthy; back off rather than retrying into it.

## Correctness

* [ ] **Subtract `holdQuantity`.** Resting size is `quantity − filledQuantity − holdQuantity`. The two-term version overstates it during settlement.
* [ ] **Match positions by `tokenId`**, not `outcomeId`.
* [ ] **Resolve YES/NO via `getTokenIds()`**, never by array order or display name — on multi-outcome markets the displayed name can read the opposite way.
* [ ] **Align prices to the market's `tickSize`** before sending. Compute in integer ticks if you can; floats drift.
* [ ] **Treat decimal strings as strings.** Prices and quantities are exact on the wire. Parse at the edge, keep the string as your record.
* [ ] **Don't read placement responses as fills.** They are acknowledgements; fills arrive over the socket 15–20 seconds later.

## Throughput

* [ ] **Batch your requotes.** `placeBatch` (15 orders) counts as one order-write; `cancelBatch` (100 hashes) is exempt entirely.
* [ ] **Stream, don't poll.** One subscription replaces an entire polling loop, and read budget is finite.
* [ ] **Use `portfolio.balances()` in loops**, not `summary()` — the latter replays your whole trade ledger for P\&L you aren't reading.
* [ ] **Decide your 429 policy explicitly.** Either `retryOn429: true` or your own backoff. Not both, and not neither.

## Observability

* [ ] **Log every rejection with its `code`**, not just the message. Codes are stable; messages are not.
* [ ] **Register a WebSocket `error` handler.** Auth failures arrive as error frames, not thrown exceptions — without a handler your user events simply never arrive.
* [ ] **Track reconnects.** Frequent ones mean deltas are being missed and derived state should be rebuilt from `onSnapshot`.
* [ ] **Alert on a fill-less window.** If you're quoting and nothing has traded for an unusual length of time, something is wrong with your quotes or your connection.

## Operational

* [ ] **One process, one account.** Two processes sharing credentials will fight over the same open orders and the same rate-limit bucket.
* [ ] **Confirm availability in your jurisdiction.** Opening new positions is restricted in some regions — see [Restricted Regions](https://docs.strixlab.io/policies/restricted-regions).
* [ ] **Know the fee model.** Makers pay nothing; takers pay a category-based fee. A strategy that crosses the spread constantly is paying for it.
* [ ] **Pin the SDK version** and read the [changelog](/resources/changelog.md) before upgrading.

{% hint style="success" %}
**The single best habit:** make your bot able to flatten and stop from any state, and test that path deliberately. Everything else is optimisation.
{% endhint %}


---

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