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Create a Bitget API key

Used for: Auto-Trade (live) and positions view. Menu names can differ slightly between the website and app versions.

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bitget.com

Account

Assets
Orders
Referral
API keys
Settings

Illustration · menu names can differ slightly on the website and app

Tick only these

  • Read
  • Futures: Orders
  • Futures: Positions / Holdings

Never tick

  • Withdraw / Withdrawals
  • Transfer / Universal transfer
  • Anything else you do not need

Our server IP (whitelist this on the key)

187.127.177.38

Before you start

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open API management

    Log in at bitget.com (or open the app), tap your profile icon at the top right and choose API keys (sometimes shown as API Management).

  2. 2

    Create a system-generated key

    Click Create API key → System-generated API key.

    Name it Kestrel so you recognise it later.

  3. 3

    Set a passphrase

    Type a passphrase of 8-32 letters and numbers and write it down. Kestrel needs it together with the key; Bitget will not show it again.

  4. 4

    Choose permissions

    Select Read and write.

    Under Futures (Contract), tick Orders and Positions (Holdings).

    Leave Withdraw and Transfer unticked. Spot permissions are not needed.

  5. 5

    Bind our server IP

    Tick Bind IP address and enter 187.127.177.38.

    Bitget keys without an IP binding expire after 90 days, which would silently stop Auto-Trade.

  6. 6

    Confirm and copy

    Confirm with your email / authenticator code.

    Copy the API key and the Secret key. The secret is shown only once: if you lose it, delete the key and create a new one.

  7. 7

    Paste into Kestrel

    In Kestrel open Exchanges & keys → Bitget, paste the API key, secret and passphrase, and click Save. We check the key with Bitget immediately and tell you if a permission is missing.

Fund your futures wallet

Move the USDT you want to trade into your USDT-M Futures account: Assets → Transfer, from Spot to USDT-M Futures.

Kestrel sets one-way position mode, isolated margin and the leverage for each coin automatically. If you have open positions in hedge mode, close them first.

If saving the key fails

"IP not whitelisted" / "Invalid IP"
The IP bound to the key is not 187.127.177.38. Edit the key on Bitget and add it.
"Incorrect passphrase"
The passphrase is the one you typed when creating the key, not your login password.
"Permission denied" when placing orders
Futures Orders or Positions is not ticked. Edit the key on Bitget, tick both, then save the key in Kestrel again.
Create a Kestrel account

Kestrel stores keys encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and checks them live with Bitget before saving.