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Broker Packs

OpenAlice 0.81 moves live broker SDKs into optional, versioned Broker Packs. The installed core contains Alice, UTA Core, and the Mock simulator; integrations for CCXT, Alpaca, IBKR, LeverUp, and Longbridge are downloaded only when you choose a broker or public crypto data source that needs them.

This keeps a fresh OpenAlice installation smaller and lets research, Chat, Issues, Inbox, and the simulator work even when no live broker support is installed.

Three separate layers

LayerResponsibility
UTA CoreAccounts, approvals, snapshots, FX, HTTP, and the common broker interface
Broker PackOne broker engine plus its external SDK dependencies
Market-data routingWhether an installed engine participates in K-lines and contract discovery

Installing a Pack does not create an account, enable live trading, or turn on a public data source. Disabling a data source also does not uninstall its Pack.

Install and update from the Trading UI

OpenAlice surfaces Pack installation where it is needed:

  • choosing a broker stops before the credential form and offers Install or Repair when its engine is absent;
  • existing accounts show Install, Update, or Repair when their Pack needs attention;
  • enabling a public Binance, OKX, or Bybit data source first requires the CCXT Pack;
  • an already enabled source can still be disabled when its Pack is missing.

The installation transaction:

  1. selects the exact OpenAlice version, operating system, and architecture;
  2. downloads the matching catalog and Pack archive;
  3. verifies the published SHA-256 checksum and package identity;
  4. extracts into an immutable, content-addressed release directory;
  5. atomically switches the active Pack pointer;
  6. restarts UTA so it can load the new engine.

Failure before the pointer switch leaves the previous active release intact. Repair creates a new immutable copy rather than overwriting files a Windows UTA process may still have open.

Automatic updates after an OpenAlice upgrade

Broker Pack compatibility follows the Pack API version, not exact equality with the OpenAlice product version. After a production upgrade, Alice reconciles only Packs that already have an active downloaded release:

  1. a compatible older Pack can continue serving while Alice downloads the current platform artifact;
  2. Alice verifies and installs the new immutable release;
  3. it atomically switches active.json;
  4. Guardian restarts UTA so the new engine is loaded.

An older Pack with an unsupported API is not loaded, but Alice can still replace it automatically. Missing Packs remain an explicit installation choice, and malformed or corrupt releases remain visible Repair cases.

Set OPENALICE_BROKER_PACK_AUTO_UPDATE=0 only as an emergency way to disable startup reconciliation. Source development and test runtimes do not perform this automatic network update.

Pack mapping

PackUsed by
ccxtBinance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Hyperliquid, custom CCXT, and keyless public crypto data
alpacaAlpaca paper and live accounts
ibkrTWS and IB Gateway accounts
longbridgeLongbridge accounts
leverupLeverUp accounts
Built-in MockLocal simulator; no download required

Pack availability is platform-specific. The 0.81 release publishes catalogs and archives for macOS Arm64, macOS Intel, Windows x64, and Linux x64.

Some native dependencies have operating-system requirements. For example, the current Longbridge Linux Pack requires glibc 2.39; OpenAlice rejects an incompatible host before loading the native module instead of crashing UTA.

Installed location

Packs are replaceable runtime state under the selected complete data home:

<OPENALICE_HOME>/runtime/broker-packs/<engine>/
├── active.json
└── releases/
    └── <openalice-version>-<content-id>/

They are intentionally outside portable data/. Back up user data, Workspaces, sealing.key, and credentials; reinstall Broker Packs after moving to a different machine or architecture.

See Data & Credentials for complete home selection and backup boundaries.

Missing or degraded Pack

A missing Pack affects only the accounts and data sources that require that engine:

  • Alice and Workspace Chat remain usable;
  • UTA Core still starts;
  • the Mock simulator remains available;
  • other installed engines remain independent;
  • OpenAlice never silently falls back to another market-data provider.

Use Repair when checksum, extraction, or runtime validation reports a damaged Pack. If a platform requirement is unsupported, move the Runtime to a compatible host rather than bypassing the check.

Safety boundary

Broker Packs change how integration code is distributed, not the trading approval model. Adding a Pack does not grant an agent permission to execute. Accounts still follow UTA, Trading as Git, and the configured manual/AI push policy.

Start with Mock, paper, demo, or testnet accounts. Validate connection, account reads, staging, approval, push, synchronization, and recovery before live funds.

Next Steps