Why API + your first read.

You are now: opening Claude

Go to claude.ai, sign in (or create a free account), and click “New conversation.”

You should see an empty chat interface with a prompt box. If you’ve used Claude before, start a brand-new conversation, we want a clean context.

You are now: pasting the introduction prompt

Copy the prompt below into Claude’s prompt box and send.

If you want to skim those references yourself, open them in new tabs: docs.limitless.exchange · /mcp · curriculum source on GitHub.

You are now: confirming Claude responded

Read Claude’s reply. It should walk you through the Python vs TypeScript trade-off, then ask what’s already installed on your laptop (Python, Node, or neither). Answer honestly, macOS and most Linux distros ship Python by default; Node usually needs a separate install; “neither” is a fine answer too.

Once Claude commits to a recommendation, reply: “Let’s go with [Python or TypeScript].” Claude will then ask permission to save a memory of your choices (language + OS + that you’re in the Trader Lab cohort), say yes, that way Day 2’s fresh chat picks up without the re-introduction. Keep this Claude tab open, we’ll come back to it in section 05.

You are now: logging into Limitless

Open limitless.exchange in a new tab. Connect your wallet (MetaMask or similar) if you’re not already signed in.

You are now: minting an API key

Click your profile/avatar → Api keys. Click Create new key.

Keys come in two parts: a token id (an opaque string, no fixed prefix) and a base64 secret. Each request sends three headers, lmts-api-key + lmts-timestamp + lmts-signature (HMAC-SHA256, see docs.limitless.exchange/developers/authentication). The bonus pack’s helper signs for you. Copy both values immediately, the secret is shown only once. If you lose them, mint a new pair (old keys stay valid until you revoke them).

You are now: storing the key as an environment variable

Open your terminal and run the right line for your OS.

Prompt-marker note: the $ at the start of each macOS/Linux line and the PS> at the start of each PowerShell line are shell prompts your terminal already shows you. Don’t type them, only the rest of the line. And in PowerShell, environment variables are $env:NAME, not $NAME, the bare $NAME reads a PowerShell session variable and silently returns blank.

This sets both values for the current terminal session only. The token id (LIMITLESS_API_KEY) is sent as the lmts-api-key header; the secret (LIMITLESS_API_SECRET) never leaves your laptop, the bonus pack helper uses it to compute each request’s HMAC signature. To make them persistent across reboots, ask Claude: “How do I add LIMITLESS_API_KEY and LIMITLESS_API_SECRET to my [zsh / bash / PowerShell] profile permanently?”

You are now: asking Claude for the script

Switch to your Claude tab. Paste this prompt and send.

Claude will reply with a code block + a run command + an expected-output sample. Read all three before continuing.

You are now: saving the file

Copy the code block from Claude’s reply into a new file on your laptop.

TypeScript: save as first-call.ts. Python: save as first_call.py. Pick any folder, your Desktop or a fresh limitless-cohort/ folder both work.

You are now: running the script

Use the run command from Claude’s reply. Most likely:

Run from the project root, not from inside a src/ subfolder. If you save the file under src/, run npx tsx src/first-call.ts from the parent so tsx can find node_modules/ and your tsconfig.json. If Claude’s reply suggests a different runner (ts-node, bun, deno), use whatever Claude gave you, the run command is whatever runs the file successfully.

You are now: confirming the output

You should see five lines, each with a market title, YES price, and 24-hour volume. Something like this:

If you see an error instead, copy the entire error message back into Claude with: “Got this error running the script: [paste]. Help me debug.” The cohort assumes the first run will hit one snag, the snag is the lesson, not the failure.