Setting up a Prometheus AI trading bot takes about 10 minutes total: 1 minute to create your account, 3 minutes to generate exchange API keys (with withdraw permissions OFF), 2 minutes to paste them into the dashboard, 2 minutes to pick a strategy preset, and 2 minutes to enable live trading. After that, the bot runs 24/7 — you check the dashboard when you want.
Before you start: what you'll need
- An exchange or broker account with capital deposited (Binance, Bybit, OKX for crypto; an MT4/MT5 broker for forex).
- A Prometheus AI account (license purchased — see pricing).
- About 10 minutes of focus.
- (Optional) The Prometheus VPS if you want the bot running 24/7 without your laptop on. See VPS plans.
Step 1 — Create your account (1 min)
Sign up via the link on your purchase confirmation. Verify your email. You'll land on the dashboard. That's it.
Step 2 — Generate exchange API keys (3 min)
This is where most people get nervous, but it's straightforward. Inside your exchange:
- Open Settings → API Management (label varies by exchange).
- Click Create API. Name it something like "prometheus-bot".
- Set permissions: Read = ON, Spot Trading = ON, Withdraw = OFF.
- (Optional but recommended) Lock the key to your bot's IP address.
- Copy both the API Key and the Secret. The secret is only shown once.
If you only remember one thing: Withdraw must be OFF. That's the line between safe and not safe.
Step 3 — Connect to the dashboard (2 min)
In the Prometheus dashboard:
- Click Connect Exchange.
- Choose your exchange.
- Paste the API Key and Secret.
- Click Test Connection. You should see your account balance appear within a couple of seconds.
If the test fails, the issue is almost always a permission toggle (most often "Spot Trading = OFF" by default on some exchanges). Go back to step 2 and check.
Step 4 — Pick a strategy preset (2 min)
Three options come pre-built:
| Preset | Risk | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Low | First-time bot users, smaller drawdowns, slower compounding |
| Balanced | Medium | Most members. Default after the first month. |
| Aggressive | Higher | Traders comfortable with bigger swings in pursuit of bigger wins |
Recommendation for your first run: start with Conservative. You can switch later — the bot finishes any open position on current rules and applies the new preset to the next signal.
Step 5 — Switch on (2 min)
Set your position size (% of account per trade — 2-5% is typical), confirm your daily drawdown cap (5-10%), and hit Start.
The bot will now wait for its next valid signal. Depending on market conditions, that might be in five minutes or five hours. Don't refresh the page every 30 seconds. Go do something else.
What happens in the next 24 hours
Your dashboard updates in real time. You'll see open trades appear with entry price, stop-loss, and take-profit levels. As trades close, P&L appears in the right column. The bot logs every action — useful if you want to understand why it did something.
Members on the Pro plan get a 1:1 onboarding call to walk through their first trades. Book yours via the contact page.
Should you also get the VPS?
If your laptop is on 24/7 and your wifi is reliable, you don't strictly need a VPS. Most people fail one of those two conditions, which is why we recommend pairing the bot with the $200 one-time VPS. It runs the bot continuously even when your machine is closed.
Your first-week checklist
- Day 1: Setup complete. Bot live.
- Day 2-3: First trades close. Check P&L, no panic.
- Day 4-7: Pattern emerges. Note your win rate and average trade size.
- End of week: Review. If it feels too slow, consider Balanced. If it feels too volatile, stay Conservative.