Connect Your Broker in Paper Mode

Start by connecting the broker account you'll trade from. Connect it in paper mode first, so your first trades are simulated.

Before you start

• A RelayDesk account with your community's member access activated. The previous lesson walks through it.
• An account with Alpaca, Tradier or Public.com. If you don't have one, Alpaca offers paper trading accounts. See Alpaca's paper trading documentation for details.

Connect your broker

1. Open Settings > Broker Connections.
2. Click Connect Broker and choose your broker.
3. Log in on your broker's page and authorize RelayDesk. You don't need to copy or manage API keys.
4. Select Paper mode if your broker offers it.
5. Confirm your broker shows as connected in Broker Connections.

For broker-specific details, see the Alpaca Integration and Tradier Integration guides.

Why start on paper

Paper mode runs on live market data but sends no orders to your broker. You see which signals would have executed, at what price, and how your risk caps behaved. That shows you a setting you didn't intend before it costs you anything.

If you get stuck

Post in your community's support channel with a screenshot of the step you're on.