HTX Trading Bot in Python

This guide shows how to build a HTX trading bot in Python with LumiBot, for both AI agent trading and algorithmic trading. LumiBot connects to HTX through CCXT, the open source library that talks to more than 100 crypto exchanges. You will create a HTX account and API key, connect it, and run two examples: a simple algorithmic trading bot and an agentic trading bot where an AI agent makes the calls.

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HTX at a glance

CCXT exchange id

htx

Markets

Spot, Margin, Perpetual swaps, Dated futures

Testnet (sandbox)

No

Credentials

API key, API secret

Live data streams

prices, order book, trades, candles, your orders, your balance

CCXT request spacing

about 100 ms between requests

Official site

https://www.huobi.com

API docs

https://huobiapi.github.io/docs/spot/v1/en/

Fees

https://www.huobi.com/about/fee/

What is HTX?

HTX (formerly Huobi) is a large crypto exchange where you can buy and trade Bitcoin, Ethereum and hundreds of other coins. Through its API it offers spot trading plus futures and perpetual swaps.

Sign up for HTX

  1. Create an HTX account on the HTX website.

  2. Link Google Authenticator (GA) and your phone and email. HTX asks for SMS, email and GA codes when you create an API key.

  3. HTX shut down its testnet, so plan to test with a very small amount.

Open a HTX account

Create a HTX API key

  1. Log in on the HTX website, click the account icon in the upper right and choose API Management.

  2. Fill in the Note field (a name for the key). It is required.

  3. Enter the IP address of the machine that runs your bot, choose the permissions (see below) and click Create.

  4. Complete the SMS, email and Google Authenticator checks, then click Confirm.

  5. Copy the Access Key and Secret Key from the pop-up. HTX shows the Secret Key only once. If you lose it, you must make a new key.

Which permissions to turn on: HTX keys have three permissions: Read, Trade and Withdraw. Turn on Read and Trade for a trading bot. Leave Withdraw off, a bot never needs to move money out of your account. One HTX key works for spot, futures, swaps and options.

Warning

Never turn on withdrawals for a HTX trading bot key. Bind the key to your server’s IP address when HTX lets you, keep the secret out of your code and out of Git, and delete the key if it ever leaks.

Connect HTX to LumiBot

The simplest way: put these lines in a .env file next to your strategy. LumiBot loads the file, sees TRADING_BROKER=htx and connects to HTX for you, so your strategy needs no broker code.

TRADING_BROKER=htx
HTX_API_KEY=your_apiKey
HTX_API_SECRET=your_secret

LumiBot reads exactly the fields CCXT needs for HTX (apiKey, secret). If one is missing, LumiBot stops at start-up and names the variable you still need.

You can also build the broker in code. This is handy when one script talks to more than one exchange, or when you need extra CCXT options. The keys in the config are CCXT’s own credential names for HTX:

import os

HTX_CONFIG = {
    "exchange_id": "htx",
    "apiKey": os.environ.get("HTX_API_KEY"),
    "secret": os.environ.get("HTX_API_SECRET"),
    "sandbox": False,  # live connection
}

from lumibot.brokers import Ccxt

broker = Ccxt(HTX_CONFIG)
# then: MyStrategy(broker=broker, ...)

Either way, LumiBot turns on CCXT’s built-in rate limiting for you.

Testing on HTX

HTX shut down its testnet, and CCXT lists no test URL for it, so test with a very small amount. With environment variables, leave HTX_SANDBOX unset. In a code config, set "sandbox": False.

Algorithmic trading example: a simple HTX bot

This bot buys about 50 USDT of BTC on HTX once and then holds it. It is a starting point to check that your keys, balances and orders work. If the exchange’s minimum order is larger, raise the amount. HTX accepts only limit orders through CCXT, so the example places a limit order just above the last price.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class HtxBuyOnce(Strategy):
    """Buy a small amount of BTC once, then hold it."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "1H"
        self.set_market("24/7")  # crypto trades all day, every day

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        coin = Asset("BTC", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO)
        if self.get_position(coin) is not None:
            return  # already holding BTC
        price = self.get_last_price(coin, quote=self.quote_asset)
        if price:
            quantity = round(50 / price, 6)  # about 50 USDT worth
            # This exchange takes only limit orders through CCXT.
            order = self.create_order(coin, quantity, "buy", limit_price=price * 1.002, quote=self.quote_asset)
            self.submit_order(order)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = HtxBuyOnce(quote_asset=Asset("USDT", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

Agentic trading example: an AI agent that trades on HTX

Agentic trading means an AI agent reads the market and decides what to do. In this example one LumiBot agent looks at prices and your HTX account, then places the orders itself. There is no Python logic in between: you set the rules in plain English in the prompt, such as what it may trade and how big each order can be. This follows the same pattern as LumiBot’s AI trading team examples.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class HtxAITrader(Strategy):
    """One AI agent researches the market and places the trades itself."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "4H"
        self.set_market("24/7")
        self.agents.create(
            name="trader",
            model="openai/gpt-6-luna",
            reasoning_effort="high",
            allow_trading=True,
            system_prompt=(
                "You manage a small crypto account on HTX. "
                "You may trade BTC and ETH against USDT (asset_type 'crypto', quote_symbol 'USDT'), or hold cash. "
                "Before every order, call account_portfolio, account_positions and "
                "market_last_price for that exact symbol in the same run. "
                "Keep each order under 10% of the account value. "
                "Explain each decision in one short paragraph."
            ),
        )

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        self.agents["trader"].run(
            task_prompt="Review recent BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT prices and your current holdings, then decide whether to buy, sell or hold.",
            context={"exchange": "HTX", "quote": "USDT", "date": self.get_datetime().isoformat()},
        )


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = HtxAITrader(quote_asset=Asset("USDT", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

The agent needs a model key such as OPENAI_API_KEY in your environment. See the AI agents quickstart for models, tools and memory.

What you can trade on HTX

Market

Listed by CCXT

Spot

Yes

Margin

Yes

Perpetual swaps

Yes

Dated futures

Yes

Options

Not listed by CCXT

CCXT lists these order features for HTX: stop orders, stop-loss orders, take-profit orders, editing open orders, canceling orders.

For perpetual contracts, use the full CCXT symbol so the settlement currency is clear, for example BTC/USDT:USDT. See the CCXT guide for contract quantities, position modes and leverage.

Perpetual futures example on HTX

HTX also lists perpetual swaps. This bot opens one small long position in BTC/USDT:USDT worth about 50 USDT and then holds it. LumiBot treats a perpetual as asset_type="crypto_future" and sizes it in contracts, the same model as LumiBot’s Bitunix futures broker. Contract symbols can differ by exchange, so check the symbol in self.broker.api.markets before going live. In hedge mode, add position_side="long" to create_order. HTX accepts only limit orders through CCXT, so the example places a limit order just above the last price.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class HtxOpenOneLong(Strategy):
    """Open one small long BTC perpetual position, then hold it."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "1H"
        self.set_market("24/7")  # crypto trades all day, every day

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        # The full CCXT symbol keeps the settlement currency clear.
        contract = self.broker.get_asset("BTC/USDT:USDT")
        if self.get_position(contract) is not None:
            return  # already holding the position
        price = self.get_last_price(contract)
        if price:
            # Each contract covers contract.multiplier BTC; size the order to about 50 USDT.
            quantity = round(50 / (price * contract.multiplier), 6)
            # This exchange takes only limit orders through CCXT.
            order = self.create_order(contract, quantity, "buy", limit_price=price * 1.002)
            self.submit_order(order)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = HtxOpenOneLong(quote_asset=Asset("USDT", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

Fees and partner IDs on HTX

You pay HTX’s normal trading fees. CCXT, the library underneath, tags HTX orders with its own partner ID and adds it again while signing each request, so LumiBot cannot remove it yet. A partner ID does not change what you pay. LumiBot may attach its own exchange partner ID instead. That costs you nothing extra. LumiBot never adds an extra builder fee unless one is turned on, and it logs a warning when one is.

HTX tips

  • Bind an IP address to your key. HTX says a key with no IP binding expires after 90 days. A key can hold up to 20 IP addresses.

  • HTX sub-accounts keep assets and trades apart, and each one can have its own API keys with read and trade permissions. Create them on the website under Sub-Account Management. A separate sub-account per bot keeps bot trades apart from manual trades.

  • HTX’s API still uses its old Huobi hostnames, such as api.huobi.pro. HTX also runs api-aws.huobi.pro, which it says has lower delay for servers on AWS.

  • Spot symbols look like BTC/USDT. USDT-margined perpetual swaps use the full CCXT form, for example BTC/USDT:USDT.

Frequently asked questions

Can I build a HTX trading bot in Python?

Yes. Install LumiBot (pip install lumibot), set your HTX keys and use the htx CCXT exchange id as shown above.

Does HTX have a testnet?

No testnet is set up for HTX in LumiBot. Start with a small amount, and in a code config set "sandbox": False.

Which API permissions does a HTX bot need?

HTX keys have three permissions: Read, Trade and Withdraw. Turn on Read and Trade for a trading bot. Leave Withdraw off, a bot never needs to move money out of your account. One HTX key works for spot, futures, swaps and options.

Can an AI agent trade on HTX by itself?

Yes. The agentic example above gives one agent permission to trade. You control what it may trade and how much through its prompt.

Can I trade HTX perpetual futures with LumiBot?

CCXT lists perpetual swaps for this exchange. Use the full contract symbol, such as BTC/USDT:USDT.

Is LumiBot free?

Yes. LumiBot is open source on GitHub at https://github.com/Lumiwealth/lumibot. You pay only your exchange’s trading fees and, for AI agents, your model provider.

Run it in the cloud with BotSpot

Do not want to keep a computer running for your HTX bot? BotSpot is the hosted home for LumiBot strategies and AI trading agents: build with AI, backtest, connect a broker, and watch every trade with logs and alerts.

Try BotSpot

Sources