Risk Management
alpha-mcp has hardcoded safety limits to protect your capital. These limits cannot be overridden by the AI or by users.
The limits below live in code, not in a prompt. There is no flag, setting, or instruction — to Claude or otherwise — that can bypass them. Asking to "ignore the risk limits" or "override safety for this one trade" will always be rejected.
Built-in Limits
| Limit | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Max position size | 15% | No single asset can exceed 15% of portfolio |
| Total exposure cap | 50% | Maximum 50% can be in risk assets |
| Daily loss threshold | 5% | Trading pauses if daily loss exceeds 5% |
| Min cash reserve | 50% | Always keep 50% in stablecoins |
| Stop-loss trigger | 15% | Auto-exit positions down 15% |
15% max position, 50% exposure cap, 5% daily loss, 50% cash reserve, 15% stop-loss. These values are not user-configurable in the current version.
How Enforcement Works
Every trade goes through alpha_risk before execution:
1. Claude wants to buy $500 ETH
2. alpha_risk checks:
- Would this exceed 15% position size?
- Would total exposure exceed 50%?
- Would cash reserve drop below 50%?
- Are we in daily loss lockout?
3. If any check fails → trade rejected with reason
4. If all checks pass → trade proceeds to alpha_swap
Example Scenarios
Scenario 1: Position Size Limit
Portfolio: $1000 total
Current ETH: $100 (10%)
Requested: Buy $100 more ETH
Check: Would ETH be 20%? > 15% limit
Result: REJECTED - "Would exceed 15% position limit"
Scenario 2: Cash Reserve
Portfolio: $1000 total
Current cash: $600 (60%)
Requested: Buy $200 of tokens
Check: Would cash be 40%? < 50% minimum
Result: REJECTED - "Would violate 50% cash reserve"
Scenario 3: Daily Loss Lockout
Portfolio started day: $1000
Current value: $940 (-6%)
Check: Daily loss > 5% threshold
Result: ALL TRADES REJECTED until next day
Scenario 4: Approved Trade
Portfolio: $1000 total
Current cash: $700 (70%)
Current ETH: $50 (5%)
Requested: Buy $100 ETH
Checks:
- ETH would be 15% ✓ (at limit, not over)
- Cash would be 60% ✓ (above 50% minimum)
- Total exposure would be 40% ✓ (below 50% cap)
- No daily loss lockout ✓
Result: APPROVED
Why These Limits?
15% Max Position
Prevents overconcentration. Even if AI is confident, diversification protects against being wrong.
50% Cash Reserve
Ensures you always have capital to:
- Average down on good opportunities
- Cover unexpected losses
- Exit positions gradually
50% Exposure Cap
Combined with cash reserve, this means:
- Max 50% in risk assets
- Min 50% in stablecoins
- Balanced exposure regardless of market conditions
5% Daily Loss Threshold
Circuit breaker to prevent catastrophic losses. If the day is going badly, stop trading and reassess.
15% Stop-Loss
Automatic exit to prevent holding losing positions indefinitely. Losses are cut, not hoped away.
What You Cannot Do
Even if you ask Claude to:
❌ "Buy 50% of my portfolio in PEPE" → Rejected (exceeds position limit)
❌ "Go all-in on ETH" → Rejected (violates cash reserve)
❌ "Ignore the risk limits" → Limits are hardcoded, not prompts
❌ "Override safety for this one trade" → No override mechanism exists
What You Can Do
✅ Trade within limits freely
✅ Ask Claude to optimize within constraints
✅ Use multiple smaller positions
✅ Let Claude manage risk automatically
Viewing Current Risk Status
What's my current risk status?
Claude will show:
- Current positions as % of portfolio
- Remaining room in each limit
- Whether any limits are close
- Daily P&L status
Best Practices
- Start small — Test with amounts you can afford to lose
- Trust the limits — They exist to protect you
- Review trades — Check alpha_memory for decision history
- Monitor daily — Check portfolio and P&L regularly
Customization
Currently, risk limits are fixed. Future versions may support user-configurable limits with minimum safety floors.