The trading bot made money. The wallet setup was the problem.

A strategy can work while the setup around it fails. That is the uncomfortable lesson behind any bot story that ends with assets leaving the wallet.

Profit logic and wallet permissions are separate systems. Review both.

Give the bot less to lose

A dedicated wallet can limit how much capital an automation can reach. Keep long-term holdings separate from experimental scripts. A small test allocation is easier to reason about than a wallet containing everything.

Read what a signature authorizes. A connection request, token approval, and transfer are different actions. A familiar interface does not make every prompt safe.

Keep secrets out of the workflow

Do not paste private keys into a chat prompt, shared repository, or support message. Logs and screenshots can accidentally expose credentials too.

Check the software source, dependencies, update process, and destination addresses. If you cannot explain why a permission is needed, pause the setup before signing.

Record the permissions granted and how to revoke them. Revocation is useful for future access, but it cannot reverse a completed transfer.

This article describes operational safeguards, not a verified account of any specific loss. The general lesson is straightforward: the bot's maximum possible damage should be designed before its first trade.

A clever signal is useful. A wallet boundary is what keeps one bad component from reaching the rest of your assets.

Further reading: Prices and order books · Resolution rules · Current fees.

Explore the markets: Open Polymarket (referral link).