How to Connect Alpaca to Puthouse
A clear walkthrough of connecting your Alpaca brokerage account to Puthouse, funding or transferring a portfolio, and starting with paper or live trading.
Puthouse is not a bank and not a place where you deposit funds.
Your brokerage account stays with Alpaca. Puthouse connects through that account to automate covered calls and cash-secured puts, explain trades, and apply risk guardrails. You keep visibility and control.
This guide walks through setup in plain language.
Why Alpaca
Puthouse currently supports Alpaca, a commission-free brokerage built for automated trading.
That partnership is intentional: Alpaca holds your funds and processes orders, while Puthouse handles the strategy layer. That includes screening, execution within your rules, and explanations.
If you are comparing tools, it helps to remember the split:
- Alpaca: brokerage, custody, order execution
- Puthouse: income strategies, automation, guardrails, explanations
Step-by-step setup
1. Create your Puthouse account
Sign up for free. You can explore paper trading without a credit card.
2. Open or use an Alpaca account
If you do not already have one, sign up at alpaca.markets and complete verification. That process is often same-day. Then connect back to Puthouse.
Opening an Alpaca account typically takes about five minutes to start; verification and funding can take a little longer depending on your situation.
3. Fund or transfer
Through Alpaca, you can:
- fund with cash, or
- transfer an existing portfolio in from another brokerage (ACAT-style transfer on the broker side)
Puthouse does not move your money. Funding and transfers happen with Alpaca.
4. Connect and choose your pace
Once connected, you can begin with paper trading on a simulated Alpaca account. When you are ready for live trading, upgrade to a paid plan and use real capital in your brokerage account.
5. Know the options minimums
Options are standardized at 100 shares per contract. Before live trades can be placed, you generally need:
- at least 100 shares to sell covered calls, or
- enough cash to secure 100 shares for cash-secured puts
What Puthouse can and cannot do with your account
This part matters for peace of mind.
Puthouse can: send trade instructions through the encrypted API connection, within the strategies and settings you enable.
Puthouse cannot: withdraw or transfer your cash. Your funds stay in your Alpaca brokerage account.
You can also trade manually in Alpaca alongside automation. Puthouse manages the positions you have assigned to it; you can still use Alpaca normally for other activity.
Staying in control after you connect
Connection is not a one-way door.
- Pause automation with one click if you want no new trades for a while. Existing positions stay as they are until you resume or manage them.
- Disconnect anytime from settings. Your brokerage account and positions remain; you simply stop receiving automated trades.
For a fuller trust walkthrough, see Pause, Disconnect, and Stay in Control.
After you are connected
A soft next step is to stay in paper first and read a few trade explanations. Then explore:
If something feels unclear, that is useful information. Options income works best when the process feels understandable, not rushed.
Risk disclosure: Options trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors. Brokerage services are provided by Alpaca. Puthouse does not hold customer funds. Automation does not guarantee profits or eliminate market risk.
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