Prediction Markets · Education & API Guide

The World Bets
On What Happens
Next.

Your complete guide to Polymarket — the world's largest prediction market. Learn how it works, explore live markets, and connect your AI agents via the API.

Learn How It Works API for AI Agents
$1B+ Total Volume
1,000+ Active Markets
CLOB Order Book Model
Polygon Blockchain
// what is polymarket

Bet on Real-World
Outcomes with USDC

Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market platform where anyone — human or AI — can trade on the probability of future events using real money.

🎯

What Is a Prediction Market?

A prediction market lets you buy and sell shares in the outcome of a future event. If you think something will happen, you buy YES shares. If not, you buy NO shares. Prices reflect the market's collective probability estimate — e.g. a YES price of $0.72 means the crowd gives it a 72% chance.

💵

USDC-Denominated & On-Chain

All markets settle in USDC (a USD-pegged stablecoin) on the Polygon blockchain. Every position is transparent, auditable, and non-custodial — you control your own funds via a crypto wallet like MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet.

📊

Central Limit Order Book (CLOB)

Unlike AMM-based markets, Polymarket uses a professional order book model. You can place limit orders at specific prices, enabling tighter spreads and more efficient price discovery — the same mechanics used by institutional trading venues.

🔮

Resolution & Settlement

Markets resolve based on real-world outcomes using UMA Protocol as the optimistic oracle. When an event concludes, YES shares in the winning outcome pay out $1.00 USDC and NO shares expire worthless — or vice versa.

// how it works

From Question to
Settlement

Whether you're a human trader reading headlines or an AI agent executing strategies programmatically, the mechanics are the same.

01
Humans & Agents

A Question Is Created

Polymarket or approved market creators post a binary yes/no question about a real-world event — elections, sports, crypto prices, geopolitics, science, and more. Each market has a defined resolution source and end date.

02
Human Traders

Connect Your Wallet

Human traders visit Polymarket.com, connect a crypto wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, etc.), deposit USDC, and start browsing markets. The interface shows current odds, volume, and order book depth.

03
AI Agents

Authenticate via API

AI agents authenticate using an API key + wallet private key (L1/L2 auth), then access the CLOB API to fetch market data, query order books, and submit signed orders programmatically — no browser required.

04
Humans & Agents

Place Orders in the Order Book

Traders submit limit or market orders. The CLOB matches buy and sell orders automatically. Prices update in real time as new information arrives and participants adjust their positions.

05
Humans & Agents

Event Resolves → Payout

When the event concludes, UMA Protocol verifies the outcome. Correct shares automatically redeem for $1.00 USDC each. The entire process — from order to settlement — is transparent and on-chain.

// live markets

What People Are
Betting On Now

LIVE DATA

Sample of active markets pulled from the Polymarket API. Prices represent the current probability implied by market participants.

⟳  Fetching live markets from Polymarket API…

Data sourced from the Polymarket CLOB API. This site does not facilitate trading. For educational purposes only.

// for ai agents & developers

Connect Your Agent
to Polymarket

Polymarket exposes a full REST API and WebSocket feed. Build agents that monitor markets, analyze probabilities, and execute strategies — all programmatically.

# Fetch top markets from Polymarket API import requests # Get active markets url = "https://gamma-api.polymarket.com/markets" params = { "active": True, "closed": False, "limit": 20, "order": "volume", "ascending": False } response = requests.get(url, params=params) markets = response.json() # Print market question + probability for m in markets: price = m["outcomePrices"][0] print(f"{m['question']} → {price}") # CLOB API — fetch order book clob_url = "https://clob.polymarket.com/book" book = requests.get(clob_url, params={ "token_id": "<CONDITION_TOKEN_ID>" }).json()
🔌

REST API — Gamma & CLOB

Two complementary APIs: Gamma API for market metadata, search, and stats. CLOB API for real-time order books, trade history, and order placement.

⚡

WebSocket Streams

Subscribe to live price feeds and order book updates via WebSocket. Ideal for agents that need to react to probability changes in real time.

🔐

L1 / L2 Authentication

Agents authenticate using EIP-712 signed messages derived from your wallet's private key. No centralized login — fully non-custodial and cryptographically verifiable.

🐍

Official Python Client

Anthropic provides an official py-clob-client library on GitHub that wraps authentication, order signing, and all API endpoints.

📡

No Rate-Limit on Public Endpoints

Public market data endpoints (prices, order books, market list) are freely accessible without an API key — ideal for read-only agents and research bots.

// faq

Common Questions

Everything you need to know before you start.

Polymarket is not currently available to US residents. In 2022, Polymarket settled with the CFTC and is geo-restricted in the United States. Users outside the US can access it freely. Always check the laws in your jurisdiction before participating in prediction markets.
Polymarket supports MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, and most WalletConnect-compatible wallets. You'll also need USDC on the Polygon network. You can bridge USDC from Ethereum mainnet or purchase it directly on Polygon via exchanges.
Markets use UMA Protocol's optimistic oracle. After an event concludes, anyone can propose a resolution with a USDC bond. If unchallenged within the dispute window, it's accepted. Anyone can dispute by posting a counter-bond, triggering UMA's decentralized dispute resolution mechanism.
Yes. Polymarket's CLOB API is fully accessible to automated agents. You can build bots that monitor markets, fetch real-time order book data, and submit signed orders programmatically using the py-clob-client library or direct API calls. Many active participants are algorithmic traders and AI agents.
The Gamma API (gamma-api.polymarket.com) is a higher-level REST API for browsing markets, searching by keyword, and getting aggregated stats. The CLOB API (clob.polymarket.com) is the low-level trading API — it exposes real-time order books, enables order placement, and handles authenticated trading actions.
No. Polymarket.app is an independent educational resource about Polymarket. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Polymarket.com or its parent company. This site does not facilitate trading — it is for informational and educational purposes only.