Lighter Protocol

Trade on Lighter - a zero-knowledge rollup orderbook DEX with millisecond latency and zero fees.

Quick Start (Read-Only)

# Markets are public - no credentials needed
curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/orderBooks"

What is Lighter?

Zero fees for retail traders
Millisecond latency
ZK proofs of all operations
Backed by Founders Fund, Robinhood, Coinbase Ventures

API Endpoint: https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai Chain ID: 300

⚠️ Security Considerations

Third-Party Dependencies

This skill can work with just requests library for read-only operations. For signing orders, you have two options:

Option A: Minimal (Read-Only)

pip install requests

Only for public data (markets, order books, prices).

Option B: Full Trading Requires the official Lighter SDK. Review and verify before installing: - SDK Repository: https://github.com/elliottech/lighter-python - Verify the repository owner, stars, and code before running any setup

External Code

Only proceed with external SDK if you: 1. Have reviewed the GitHub repository 2. Understand what the code does 3. Use a dedicated burner wallet, not your main wallet

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description	Where to Find
`LIGHTER_API_KEY`	For orders	API key from Lighter SDK setup	See "Getting an API Key" section below
`LIGHTER_ACCOUNT_INDEX`	For orders	Your Lighter subaccount index (0-252)	See "Getting Your Account Index" section below
`LIGHTER_L1_ADDRESS`	Optional	Your ETH address (0x...) used on Lighter	Your MetaMask/Wallet address

Setting Up Your Credentials

Step 1: Get your L1 Address - This is your Ethereum address (e.g., 0x1234...abcd) - Use the same wallet you connect to Lighter dashboard

Step 2: Get your Account Index

curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/accountsByL1Address?l1_address=YOUR_ETH_ADDRESS"

Response returns sub_accounts[].index — that's your account index (typically 0 for main account).

Step 3: Get your API Key 1. Install Lighter Python SDK: pip install lighter-python 2. Follow the setup guide: https://github.com/elliottech/lighter-python/blob/main/examples/system_setup.py 3. The SDK generates API keys tied to your account 4. Store the private key securely — never commit to git

Quick test (read-only, no credentials):

curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/orderBooks"

API Usage

Public Endpoints (No Auth)

# List all markets
curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/orderBooks"

# Get order book
curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/orderBook?market_id=1"

# Get recent trades
curl "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/trades?market_id=1"

Authenticated Endpoints

# Account balance (requires API key in header)
curl -H "x-api-key: $LIGHTER_API_KEY" 
  "https://mainnet.zklighter.elliot.ai/api/v1/account?by=index&value=$LIGHTER_ACCOUNT_INDEX"

Getting Your Account Index

See "Setting Up Your Credentials" table above for the quick curl command.

Getting an API Key

See "Setting Up Your Credentials" table above for the step-by-step guide.

Common Issues

"Restricted jurisdiction": - Lighter has geographic restrictions - ensure compliance with their terms

SDK signing issues: - Use create_market_order() instead of create_order() for more reliable execution

Market IDs

ID	Symbol
1	ETH-USD
2	BTC-USD
3	SOL-USD

Additional Examples

See USAGE.md in this skill folder for: - Detailed curl commands for all endpoints - Order book and trade queries - Account and position checks - Signed transaction flow (nonce → sign → broadcast)

Disclaimer: Review all external code before running. Use dedicated wallets for trading.

lighter

Installation