KuCoin
How to connect a KuCoin account to SmartDOM with an API key and what the terminal can do with this connection.
What the connection gives you
Section titled “What the connection gives you”Once connected, SmartDOM shows the account’s balances and positions, keeps the list of orders and lets you trade from the order book. Without a connection the exchange is available for viewing quotes only.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Markets for trading | Spot and Futures (USDT-perpetual) |
| Passphrase when connecting | Required |
| Demo trading (testnet) | No |
Where it is in SmartDOM
Section titled “Where it is in SmartDOM”Settings → Connection → “+ Add connection”.
Step by step
Section titled “Step by step”- Create an API key in your KuCoin account (API Management). The exchange asks you to make up a passphrase: write it down right away, it cannot be viewed on the website later. Enable the General, Spot Trading and Futures Trading permissions: a key with General only passes verification, but orders will not be placed. Which permissions are needed in general: Creating API keys and required permissions.
- An IP restriction is optional on KuCoin, but a trading key not bound to an IP address is disabled by the exchange after 30 days of inactivity. If your address is static, add it to the whitelist.
- In SmartDOM open Settings → Connection and click + Add connection.
- In the Exchange field select KuCoin.
- In the Name field enter any clear name, for example “KuCoin main”. It is used to tell connections apart.
- Paste the API Key, Secret Key and Passphrase.
- Click Verify and save. The terminal contacts the exchange and makes sure the keys work. While checking, “Verifying keys…” is shown.
- The new connection appears in the list with the status Disconnected. Click Connect to start trading.
- During verification the terminal contacts the spot and futures accounts in turn. It is enough for the key to work on at least one market: the connection is saved and the card shows which markets passed.
- The terminal works with a regular (classic) KuCoin account. The Unified Trading Account mode is not supported. This is the opposite of Bybit and OKX, where the unified account is required.
- Spot trades from the Trading account, futures from the Futures account. The terminal does not see funds in the Funding account: transfer them to the right account on the exchange website, otherwise the order comes back with “Insufficient balance to place the order”.
- Futures volume on KuCoin is measured in contracts. The terminal converts coins into a whole number of contracts, rounding down. If the selected volume is below one contract, the order is not sent and “Selected volume too small for this instrument” is shown. On expensive contracts (for example BTC or ETH) one contract can be worth tens of dollars, so small dollar volume presets give zero contracts. Order book and tape volumes on futures are also reported by the exchange in contracts.
- The futures position mode must be One-Way. If hedge mode is enabled on the account, the order is not sent and the message “Your KuCoin account is in hedge (dual) position mode…” appears. The terminal does not switch the mode itself: switch it on the exchange website after closing positions and cancelling orders.
- Leverage. In cross mode the leverage is changed on the exchange straight from the terminal. In isolated mode KuCoin sets the leverage per order: the terminal remembers the value you chose for the instrument and uses it for the next orders. The terminal does not switch the margin mode.
- Take Profit and Stop Loss on futures are placed as a stop for the whole position and trigger by mark price; pending orders trigger by the last price. On spot, conditional orders are placed with a fixed volume at the time of placement.
- Moving an order by dragging on futures, and moving conditional orders on spot, is done by the exchange as cancel plus a new order, so the order number on the exchange changes. Spot limit orders are moved without cancelling.
- Trade history is loaded from the exchange: spot for the last 7 days, futures for 3 months.
Common errors
Section titled “Common errors”- “Invalid API keys”: the key was copied incompletely, deleted on the exchange or created for another account (KuCoin codes 400003 and 400005).
- “Invalid passphrase”: the phrase does not match the one set when the key was created (code 400004). It cannot be viewed on the exchange; if in doubt, create a new key.
- “IP address is not in API key whitelist”: the exchange has an IP whitelist enabled and your current address is not in it (code 400006).
- “API key has insufficient permissions”: the Spot Trading or Futures Trading permission is not enabled (code 400007).
- “Local clock is out of sync with the exchange (>30s)”: enable automatic time synchronisation in Windows (code 400002).
- “Insufficient balance to place the order” on a futures order: there is no free margin in the Futures account, the funds are in Funding or on spot (code 330008). Transfer them to the Futures account on the exchange website.
- “KuCoin API keys are not configured or invalid” when placing an order, although the connection passed verification: the key was created without trading permission or was deleted on the exchange. Create a new key and change the connection with the Edit button.
The full list of messages and what to do about them: Common connection errors.