Nija

Platform Account Configuration - Required for Full Operation

Version: 1.2
Last Updated: March 2026
Status: REQUIRED — without Platform account, new entries are blocked (standalone mode)

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The ONE Fix for Full Trading Operation

Current Behavior (Platform Account Missing)

When running NIJA with only user accounts (no Platform account), you will see:

• ⚠️ Hierarchy warnings about Platform account not connected
• 🔒 Standalone mode enforced — new entries are blocked for affected users
• ✅ Exit cycles run normally — NIJA continues managing existing positions for profit exits and risk
• ℹ️ Step-by-step instructions to restore full trading

How to Restore Full Trading

Step 1: Connect Platform Kraken Account

Set the following environment variables for your Platform Kraken account:

KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY=<your-platform-api-key>
KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET=<your-platform-api-secret>

Step 2: Restart NIJA

After setting the variables, restart the bot:

./start.sh

Result:

• ✅ New entries will resume immediately
• ✅ Hierarchy warnings will clear
• ✅ Platform becomes PRIMARY, users become SECONDARY
• ✅ Unified reporting and capital protection fully enabled

Step 3: Monitor Exit Cycles

While you are in standalone mode (before Platform account is connected), NIJA automatically manages your existing positions for profit exits and risk:

• 🔄 Stop-loss orders are enforced
• 🎯 Take-profit targets are tracked
• 📈 Trailing stops are active
• ⚠️ No new entries will be opened

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Understanding Standalone Mode

When the Platform account is not connected and a user account is connected, NIJA automatically enforces standalone mode (RECOVERY) for the affected user:

⚠️  HIERARCHY ISSUE — STANDALONE MODE ACTIVE
   Platform account NOT connected: KRAKEN
   User accounts are temporarily acting as primary.
   🔒 NEW ENTRIES BLOCKED (exits still work).
      Connect the Platform account first, then configure users as secondary.

Standalone mode means:

• ❌ No new trade entries will be accepted
• ✅ Existing positions continue to be managed (exits, stops, take-profits)
• ✅ The bot runs exit cycles every 2.5 minutes automatically

This protects capital and prevents incorrect exposure while the hierarchy is misconfigured.

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Understanding the Architecture

Primary / Secondary Structure

NIJA enforces a strict account hierarchy:

🔷 PLATFORM ACCOUNT (PRIMARY)
   ↓ Must be connected first
   ↓ Routes trades and maintains correct exposure limits
   ↓ Enables unified reporting and risk aggregation
   ↓ Enables capital orchestration

👤 USER ACCOUNT (SECONDARY)
   ↓ Connects after Platform
   ↓ Adopts positions and risk limits from Platform context
   ↓ Trades with its own capital under Platform oversight

Without Platform account:

• ❌ Risk aggregation is incomplete
• ❌ Capital orchestration is unavailable
• ❌ Reporting may be inconsistent
• ❌ New entries are blocked (standalone/RECOVERY mode)
• ✅ Exit management still works

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How to Configure Platform Account

Step 1: Get Kraken API Credentials

1. Log in to Kraken.com
2. Go to Settings → API
3. Click “Generate New Key”
4. IMPORTANT: Use “Classic API Key” (NOT OAuth)
5. Enable required permissions:
   • ✅ Query Funds
   • ✅ Query Open Orders & Trades
   • ✅ Query Closed Orders & Trades
   • ✅ Create & Modify Orders
   • ✅ Cancel/Close Orders
   • ❌ Do NOT enable “Withdraw Funds”
6. Copy the API Key and API Secret

Step 2: Set Environment Variables

For Local Development (.env file):

# Platform Kraken credentials (REQUIRED for new entries)
KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET=your-api-secret-here

For Railway/Render/Heroku (Platform Dashboard):

Add these environment variables:

• KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY = your API key
• KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET = your API secret

For Railway Specifically:

1. Go to your project → Variables tab
2. Click ”+ New Variable”
3. Add KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY with your API key
4. Add KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET with your API secret
5. Click Deploy

Step 3: Verify Configuration

After setting credentials, restart the bot and check logs:

Quick Check (Recommended):

# Run the credential validation script
python3 check_platform_credentials.py

This script will:

• ✅ Check if credentials are configured
• ✅ Detect whitespace issues
• ✅ Provide actionable fix instructions
• ✅ Verify configuration is correct

Manual Check in Logs:

✅ Success indicators:

✅ Kraken Platform credentials detected
🔷 PLATFORM ACCOUNTS (Primary Trading Accounts):
   • KRAKEN: ✅ CONNECTED
✅ HIERARCHY VALID: Platform is PRIMARY, all users are SECONDARY

❌ Still in standalone mode?

⚠️  HIERARCHY ISSUE — STANDALONE MODE ACTIVE
   Platform account NOT connected: KRAKEN
   🔒 NEW ENTRIES BLOCKED (exits still work).

If you see warnings, verify:

1. Environment variables are spelled correctly (case-sensitive)
2. No leading/trailing whitespace in credential values
3. Deployment platform has restarted after setting variables
4. API credentials are valid (check Kraken dashboard)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Platform account required?

A: Yes, for new entries. Without Platform account:

• ✅ Existing positions are managed (exits, stops, take-profits)
• 🔒 No new entries are accepted (standalone/RECOVERY mode enforced automatically)
• ⚠️ Risk aggregation and capital orchestration are unavailable

For full trading capability, Platform account is required.

Q: What happens to my existing positions while in standalone mode?

A: NIJA continues to manage them automatically:

• 🔄 Stop-loss orders are enforced
• 🎯 Take-profit targets are tracked
• 📈 Trailing stops are active
• ⏱️ Exit cycles run every 2.5 minutes

Q: Will configuring Platform account change my existing user account trading?

A: No disruption to existing positions. Platform account connection:

• Restores new entry capability for users
• Enables unified reporting and risk aggregation
• Enables capital orchestration
• Resolves hierarchy warnings

Q: What if I only want one account to trade?

A: Configure that one account as the Platform account:

• Set KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY and KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET
• Don’t configure any user account credentials
• System will run in single-account mode with clean hierarchy

Q: Can I have Platform account on one exchange and user accounts on another?

A: Yes. For example:

• Platform account on Kraken
• User accounts on Alpaca (stocks) or OKX (crypto)

Each exchange can have its own Platform account if needed.

Q: Do I need Platform accounts for all exchanges?

A: You only need Platform account for exchanges where you have user accounts. For example:

Scenario A: Only user accounts on Kraken

• ✅ Configure KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY/SECRET (required for new entries)
• ❌ Don’t need Alpaca Platform credentials

Scenario B: User accounts on Kraken AND Alpaca

• ✅ Configure KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY/SECRET (required)
• ✅ Configure ALPACA_API_KEY/SECRET (Platform account, required)

Q: What if Platform account connection fails?

A: Check logs for specific errors:

• Invalid credentials → Verify in Kraken dashboard
• Whitespace in credentials → Re-paste without extra spaces
• Wrong permission → Enable required API permissions
• Network issues → Check Kraken API status

System will continue attempting connection and display warnings until Platform account connects successfully. Users remain in standalone mode (exits only) until Platform connects.

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Troubleshooting

Issue: Hierarchy warnings still appear after configuring Platform credentials

Solution:

1. Verify environment variables are set correctly:

   # Local development
   cat .env | grep KRAKEN_PLATFORM
      
   # Production (Railway)
   # Check Variables tab in Railway dashboard
   

2. Check for whitespace in credentials:
   • Leading/trailing spaces cause authentication failures
   • Re-paste credentials carefully
3. Restart the application after setting variables
4. Check logs for connection errors
5. Verify API permissions in Kraken dashboard

Issue: “MALFORMED” credential warnings

Solution: This happens when credentials contain only whitespace:

1. In Railway/Render dashboard, delete the variable
2. Re-add with correct value (no extra spaces)
3. Click Save and redeploy

Issue: Platform connects but still shows warnings

Solution: Check if Platform account is actually connected:

🔷 PLATFORM ACCOUNTS (Primary Trading Accounts):
   • KRAKEN: ❌ NOT CONNECTED  ← Should be ✅ CONNECTED

If showing “NOT CONNECTED”, check:

• API credentials are valid
• API permissions are enabled
• No IP restrictions on API key
• Kraken service is operational

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Related Documentation

• API_CREDENTIALS_GUIDE.md - Detailed credential setup
• PLATFORM_ONLY_GUIDE.md - Platform-only trading mode
• BROKER_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md - Multi-broker setup
• .env.example - Environment variable template
• MULTI_USER_PLATFORM_README.md - Multi-user architecture

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Quick Reference

Restore Full Trading in 3 Steps

1. Set KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_KEY=<key>
2. Set KRAKEN_PLATFORM_API_SECRET=<secret>
3. Restart NIJA

Result:

• ✅ New entries resume
• ✅ Hierarchy warnings clear
• ✅ Platform PRIMARY, users SECONDARY
• ✅ Full reporting and risk aggregation active

While in Standalone Mode

NIJA automatically monitors your existing positions:

• ✅ Exit cycles run every 2.5 minutes
• ✅ Stop-loss protection active
• ✅ Take-profit targets tracked
• ✅ Trailing stops enforced
• 🔒 No new entries until Platform account connected