How to run AI trading agents for about $2 a day

Keep a multi-agent AI trading desk under a hard daily budget with code detectors, cheap models and caps.

Most work needs no AI at all

Ranges, levels, breakouts and volume spikes are arithmetic. Code detects them for zero tokens, and the AI is only called when something is worth a look.

Right model for each job

Grok for the one step that needs live X and news search. A Flash model (GLM Flash or DeepSeek Flash) for summaries, reviews and nightly study, at a few cents per million tokens.

A cap the bot cannot ignore

Every AI call goes through one function that adds up today's spend and refuses new calls once the cap is reached. Background study stops at 80% so the live desk always has budget.

Batch the learning

Reviews and lessons run once a night over the whole day, instead of after every trade.