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Copy Trading

Start and Manage a Strategy Bot

Start a Strategy Bot, choose Paper or Real Trading, set budget and Winnings, and use Adjust Budget, Pause or Stop.

Last updated September 11, 2026

A Strategy Bot copies eligible trades from the strategy’s current trader list. You choose the strategy, budget and available settings. New to the bot types? Read Strategy Bots and Trader Bots.

1

Choose a strategy

Open Bots and select a Strategy. Read how it works and review the current traders and settings. The trader list refreshes over time; it is not a list you edit yourself.

2

Choose Paper Trading or Real Trading

Paper Trading is free and starts a 14-day simulation. Real Trading needs Premium, a connected Polymarket wallet, available funds and trading authorization. You can start on paper without funding a wallet.

3

Set your budget and Winnings

Strategy Bots start at $100. This is trading capital, separate from your Premium subscription and trading fees. Choose Compound to reinvest realized profits or Keep to leave the budget fixed. Review the available limits before continuing.

4

Review and start

Check the mode, budget, Winnings and settings on the review screen. Complete the required confirmations, then start the bot. Real Trading gives the bot permission to place eligible trades automatically.

5

Open your bot

Go to My Bots and select the bot to see its status, activity and positions. A running bot can be quiet while it waits for eligible trades or available capital.

Adjust Budget

Open your bot and choose Adjust Budget. Enter the amount, choose Keep or Compound under Winnings, then select Save budget. Reducing the budget leaves existing positions open. If the control is unavailable, check the bot’s status.

Read the limits and any confirmation shown before saving. A budget reduction does not force positions to sell; new copies may wait while exposure comes down. Your bot’s history remains available.

Compound or Keep

Compound reinvests realized profits, allowing the bot’s budget limit to grow. Keep leaves the budget fixed and keeps profits as cash. Available cash and the bot’s other limits still apply.

Pause or stop

Pause temporarily prevents new copies and keeps existing positions. Stop and sell all ends a Real Trading bot and attempts to sell its positions; some may remain if they cannot be sold. Stop paper bot ends the simulation without moving real money.

Review the stop result and any remaining positions. A stopped bot cannot be resumed. Pausing or stopping does not cancel Premium.

If the bot needs attention

Read the status and recent activity first, then follow the not-trading checklist. To start Real Trading after trying Paper, return to the Strategy page and create a separate Real Trading bot. Paper and Real orders can have different results.

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Start and Manage a Strategy Bot | Polycopy Help Center