Option Flow workspace

The Option Flow page polls option prints for one underlying and lays them out in three columns: the tape on the left, the underlying chart and premium panels in the middle, contract rankings and pressure on the right. Its header states the market status and the data status separately.

Senzoukria · Documentation · Updated September 2026

Where to find it

Where
Option Flow in the main menu (/flow)
Requires
Alpaca API keys — the page shows 'Add your free Alpaca paper-trading keys to load the Option Flow feed' until one is stored
Default source
Alpaca, on a 15-minute delay (free tier)
Poll cadence
Every 4 s with auto-refresh on; the underlying 1-minute bars refresh every 60 s
Window
A ring of the last 500 prints
Session
The feed only carries new trades Mon–Fri 09:30–16:00 New York

What it does

The workspace polls the backend for new option prints on one underlying — SPY by default — and keeps them in a bounded window. The header carries the symbol panel, the count of prints currently kept, and two chips that answer two different questions. The market chip says whether the US options market is open, with a countdown; the data chip says whether polling itself is working: POLLING…, NO DATA, PROVIDER ERROR, or a status line giving the source's delay and how long ago the last successful poll returned.

The two chips exist separately on purpose. A header that says the market is open tells you nothing when the provider is returning errors and every card reads zero. The data chip names the case: a successful poll that returned nothing is a result, a failed poll is a failure, and the tape then shows prints from the last good poll with the age written in its tooltip.

Below the header come the stat cards, then the filters, then a three-column grid. The left column is the tape you read continuously. The middle column holds the underlying 1-minute chart with GEX levels overlaid when a GEX snapshot for the same symbol is loaded, the call/put premium race, and the premium concentration heatmap. The right column holds the top contracts by premium, the strike ladder and the hedging pressure chart.

Settings

Header controls, including the ones folded behind the three-dot menu
SettingDefaultWhat it changes
Refresh—Runs one poll immediately; disabled while a poll is in flight ('Polling…')
SourceAlpaca · 15-min delayTradier RT (real-time, Lite account) and Databento (historical OPRA, 5 to 15 minutes behind, live OPRA licence required) appear only when their key is stored
Auto-refresh every 4 sOnKeeps polling on a 4-second cadence, including when the window is hidden
Last poll ageRead-onlyTime since the last successful poll, even one that returned no print
Clear prints—Drops every print kept so far; the next poll starts a fresh window
Underlying overlayAutomaticGEX levels are drawn on the 1-minute chart only while a GEX snapshot for the same symbol is loaded; otherwise the hint reads 'Load <symbol> in GEX to overlay levels'

How to use it

  • Check the data chip before reading any number: a zero under PROVIDER ERROR is not a market observation.
  • Set the source that matches the keys you hold. The delay differs by source and is written in the tooltip of each source button.
  • Outside 09:30–16:00 New York, the empty tape states which state the market is in and when it returns — it is not a connection problem.
  • Load the same symbol in the GEX page to get the walls and zero gamma drawn on the Option Flow underlying chart; levels from another symbol are never drawn.

Limits and pitfalls

The window is bounded at 500 prints, so every total on the page is a total over that window, not over the whole session. Clearing prints or switching symbol or source starts a new window, and late responses belonging to a previous symbol or source are discarded rather than mixed in.

Market data is billed by the provider on their own terms, and the free Alpaca tier publishes on a 15-minute delay. Nothing on this page places orders: the Option Flow module is read-only analysis.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does the page ask for Alpaca keys before showing anything?
The flow feed needs a configured options source. Until a key is stored the route shows the API key notice with the message 'Add your free Alpaca paper-trading keys to load the Option Flow feed' and a button that opens the API keys screen.
Why do Tradier and Databento not appear in the source list?
They are listed only when their credential is present. The header checks for a Tradier token and a Databento key at mount and adds each button only if the check succeeds; with none of them, the menu simply reads 'Alpaca · 15-min delay'.
Does auto-refresh stop when the window is in the background?
No. The 4-second cadence runs unconditionally so the window stays current while you are working elsewhere.

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