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:

Have reviewed the GitHub repository
Understand what the code does
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

Install Lighter Python SDK: pip install lighter-python
Follow the setup guide: https://github.com/elliottech/lighter-python/blob/main/examples/system_setup.py
The SDK generates API keys tied to your account
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.