Installation

Follow these steps to install and configure Hydra.

Option 1: Pre-built Binaries (Recommended)

The easiest way to install Hydra is using pre-built binaries. This doesn’t require Bun or any development tools.

Quick Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rnwolfe/hydra/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

This automatically:

Detects your OS and architecture (Linux, macOS, including Apple Silicon)
Downloads the appropriate binaries
Installs to ~/.hydra/bin

Add to PATH

After installation, add Hydra to your PATH:

# For bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.hydra/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# For zsh
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.hydra/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# For fish
fish_add_path ~/.hydra/bin

Verify Installation

hydra --help

Install Specific Version

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rnwolfe/hydra/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- v0.1.0

Custom Install Location

HYDRA_INSTALL=/opt/hydra curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rnwolfe/hydra/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Available Commands

The hydra binary provides all functionality through subcommands:

Command	Description
`hydra run`	Start trading (paper mode by default)
`hydra run --mode live`	Start live trading
`hydra run --mode replay`	Replay recorded session
`hydra record`	Record market data sessions
`hydra latency`	Network latency diagnostics

Note: The TUI dashboard (hydra tui) is only available when running from source due to a library limitation.

Supported Platforms

Platform	Architecture
Linux	x64, ARM64
macOS	x64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
Windows	x64

Option 2: From Source

For development or if you prefer running from source.

Prerequisites

Git: For cloning the repository
Bun: Version >= 1.3.5 (installation guide)

Download the Code

git clone https://github.com/rnwolfe/hydra.git
cd hydra

Install Dependencies

bun install

Run Commands

When running from source, use bun run scripts:

Binary Command	Source Equivalent
`hydra run`	`bun run paper`
`hydra run --mode live`	`bun run bot`
`hydra record`	`bun run record`
`hydra run --mode replay`	`bun run replay`
N/A (source only)	`bun run tui`

Configuration

The bot requires a configuration file to function.

Create Config File

cp config.example.yaml config.yaml

By default, the bot looks for config.example.yaml. To use a different file:

# With binary
hydra run --config ./config.yaml

# From source
BOT_CONFIG=./config.yaml bun run paper

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
`POLYMARKET_PRIVATE_KEY`	Ethereum private key for live trading	Only for live mode
`BOT_CONFIG`	Path to config file	Optional (defaults to `./config.example.yaml`)

Example .env File

POLYMARKET_PRIVATE_KEY=0x...your...private...key...
BOT_CONFIG=./config.yaml

Bun automatically loads .env files. If using binaries, create the .env in your working directory.

Verification

With Binary

# Check that binary is installed
which hydra

# Run paper trading (will connect to live market data)
hydra run

From Source

# Run type checking
bun run typecheck

# Run unit tests
bun test

# Start paper trading
bun run paper

Building from Source

To create your own binaries:

# Build all binaries for current platform
bun run build:local

# Build for all platforms
bun run build:all

# Build specific entries
bun run build -- --entry=bot,tui

Binaries are output to dist/<platform>/.

Note: The TUI cannot be compiled to a binary due to a library limitation. Use bun run tui from source instead.