Ballast connection directory

Connections are configured in System → Setup & connections / Sources. This directory describes software connections, not a certification of a provider's price, availability or permitted uses. Consult the provider's current documentation and terms before enabling a source.

Enter credentials directly into Ballast. Its supported credential fields use local Windows DPAPI storage. Never include keys or account data in a release, setup chat, screenshot or shared diagnostic file.

Broker and AI connections

Connection	Use in Ballast	Setup distinction
Robinhood Agentic	Equity account data/trading; read-only crypto market research	Authorize in the browser, then select the equity trading account; research crypto quotes do not change that selection
Robinhood Crypto	Crypto quotes, account data and crypto trading adapter	Separate API credentials and account; review per-coin trading switches
Anthropic	Entry news judgment for covered symbols and AI research	API usage is billed by the provider; review budget controls and recorded usage

Finance may display accounts other than the selected equity trading account. The equity selector does not select the account attached to crypto credentials. Broker credentials can authorize orders when live trading is enabled; ordinary research-data keys do not provide that authority.

Paper mode can be used without a broker connection, but equity prices may then be synthetic. The current LIVE activation requires Robinhood equity setup and an Anthropic key. Within entry judgment, configured rule-only symbols bypass paid AI calls. Other covered live entries are skipped if their required paid judgment cannot run. An API key does not guarantee a valid verdict or a fill.

The Anthropic entry-judgment check and optional research are different uses. System records usage estimates and provides autonomous budget controls. Those records are not a guarantee that all provider charges have been captured.

Research sources in the current code

Feature	Sources or connection slots	Interpretation
News	Built-in RSS/GDELT fetchers; optional NewsAPI, GNews, NewsData, Guardian, NYT, Currents, Marketaux and Finnhub fetchers	Coverage and response availability vary by source and plan
Crypto research	Robinhood crypto quotes and available curated lists first; topic news; then CoinGecko, DeFiLlama and optional CoinMarketCap metrics	Movers are calculated from validated quotes since midnight US Eastern, not rolling 24 hours; partial coverage is labeled
Sports	Scoreboard/schedule fetchers and The Odds API connection	Scores and odds research; no betting execution
Predictions	Robinhood availability notice and link; other venues listed separately	No supported event-contract feed was present in the inspected Robinhood connection; no betting execution
Market and fundamental research	Broker and public market-data paths, Treasury/Cboe inputs and SEC filing displays	Check the source, timestamp and missing-data state for the specific output

A source can be configured yet return no usable data. Some built-in fetchers need no key, but that does not guarantee uptime, freshness, permission for every use, or an alternative when a request fails. Check errors and timestamps rather than treating a saved-key indicator as a successful connection test.

The Crypto tab's Robinhood research uses market-only Agentic tools and no explicit account number. It does not replace the separate Crypto trading connection. Trending requires an explicitly named Robinhood crypto curated list; it is not inferred from price change or CoinGecko popularity. Catalog status does not establish eligibility for a particular account or location. Ordinary factual refresh does not call an AI model. Provider access and data terms still apply.

News categories filter the available titles and summaries for the selected topic and search text. If nothing matches, the page shows an empty result; it does not substitute a generic headline list. Some articles legitimately cover more than one topic. Robinhood's inspected news tool supplies stock- specific stories without article URLs; it is not integrated as a general, crypto, sports or prediction-market news feed.

The Strategies catalog also describes possible vendor datasets and stores some key fields. A catalog entry is not proof of a completed adapter. Before subscribing to a service for a particular desk, verify that the desk actually uses that service and displays a valid response. This directory does not promise options-chain, social-data or disclosure-feed integration merely because a vendor appears in the catalog.

Access, usage and setup help

A user-supplied key establishes access, not permission for every use of the data. Review terms for display, storage, analysis and any redistribution or commercial use. New engine inputs require separate validation and backtest evidence before influencing orders. Research displays do not automatically become engine inputs.

Use SETUP-WITH-CLAUDE.md (SETUP-WITH-CLAUDE.md) for a manual setup-help prompt. It does not connect an external desktop assistant to Ballast or route built-in API requests through that assistant. Optional research can remain unused; leave unused optional sources unconfigured.