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AI in Markets Checklist

Broker API Integration Checklist

A trading API is unforgiving because its errors move money. This checklist covers wiring a broker connection correctly before it touches real orders.

12 ITEMSPublished May 26, 2026Live Content
By AI Fin Hub Research · AI Fin Hub Team
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Broker API Comparator

Alpaca vs IBKR vs Tradier vs Schwab vs Robinhood — compare auth, rate limits, order types, market data, MCP, and fees before wiring a line of code.

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On This Page

Progress 12 items Pro tips

Checklist Progress

Move item by item and keep your place

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Checklist Sections

Work in focused batches instead of one long wall

Section 1

Phase 1: Capability fit

3 items

Section 2

Phase 2: Order safety

3 items

Section 3

Phase 3: Rate limits and resilience

3 items

Section 4

Phase 4: Reconciliation and rollout

3 items

Pro Tips

Small moves that make the checklist easier to finish

Idempotency keys are not optional on a trading API. The first time a timeout makes you retry and you discover the original order already filled, you will wish you had attached a unique ID.
A timeout is not a failure, it is an unknown. Always query order status before retrying, because the safest-looking retry is exactly how you end up double-filled.
Reconcile against the broker on a timer, not just at startup. The broker's record is ground truth, and any drift in your internal state poisons every decision until you detect it.

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Finance MCP Directory

Security-graded catalog of finance MCP servers — Alpaca, Polygon, Databento, IBKR, Tradier, Tiingo, NautilusTrader. Scope, auth, idempotency, transport.

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Trading System Blueprinter

Pick your data source, LLM, broker, storage, risk engine, and logger. Get a Mermaid architecture diagram, a starter repo scaffold (ZIP), and a list.

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Execution Simulator

Model realistic order fills — square-root market impact, linear temporary impact, latency jitter, partial fills, and queue position. See the real cost.

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Sources & References

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Planning estimates only — not financial, tax, or investment advice.