BALLASTINSTITUTIONAL DISCIPLINE
Trade DeskSports Desk

How the Trade Desk works

Set your rules.
Automate the checks.

Choose your watchlist, set your trading rules and let your Trade Desk check for your conditions. Start with practice money; turn on real orders only when you choose.

1 / Getting started

Build the setup. Test the rules.

Paper trading means practising with simulated money. It helps you learn the controls without placing real orders. Practice results don't predict real returns.

Choose your investments and rules, try simulated money, decide whether to turn on real trading, and keep checking the bot. Real trading requires accepting the Terms, setup checks and typing GO LIVE.
Real trading is your choice. You still need to check on the bot. Open full diagram
See what you need to get started →

2 / Where it all happens

Your server. Your money stays
with your broker.

Your Trade Desk runs on a private server in your own DigitalOcean account. It connects to Robinhood to check your account and send orders. You don't deposit investment money with Ballast, and Ballast never holds your broker sign-in or your keys.

Your Trade Desk runs on a private server in your own DigitalOcean account and saves your settings and records there. It connects to Robinhood for account information and orders, to news and AI services for research, and to Ballast for its web name and signed updates.
Internet access is needed. Some connected services charge separately. Open full diagram

AI features can share relevant research or holdings information with the AI provider. Your saved records stay on your server, but the desk needs outside services to work. Read about your data.

3 / Staying in control

You choose. Ballast checks.
You stay involved.

You set what the bot watches, how much it may use and when it can buy and sell. It keeps a record you can review. You can change the settings or stop automated trading.

You choose what to watch, spending limits and buying and selling rules. Ballast checks those rules and can trade when conditions are met. You review activity, change settings or stop automated trading.
Your server and its connections must stay up. Trading can lose money; stops cannot guarantee a sale or price. Open full diagram

Your server and its connections must stay up for the bot to act. Trading can lose money; a stop-loss cannot guarantee a sale or a price.

Setting up

Guided,
start to finish.

Setup takes about 20 minutes. You do the invitation yourself on the setup page: your code, the beta statements and your username.

01

With your own AI.

If you use Claude Code or Codex, it can do the setup with you: create the server, install Ballast and open your desk. It asks for codes and tokens in its own window, never in the chat.

02

Or with the wizard.

No AI? A step-by-step wizard shows one step at a time. You create the server in your own DigitalOcean account and paste one command.

03

Then your desk takes over.

Add a passkey, save your recovery codes and follow the short tour. Your desk starts in PAPER.

Put your rules to work

Your setup.
Ready to explore.

The invited beta is free of Ballast charges. You'll need an invite code, a DigitalOcean account and the required broker and AI access; those services may charge separately.

Trade Desk Go deeper: order flow & controls