Day Trader Skill not working: namespace, sandbox & permissions
Not financial advice. Fixing tooling does not improve expected trading outcomes. Keep paper trading default while you debug.
Failure matrix
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
/trader-scanner not found after plugin install | Claude Code namespaces plugin skills | Call /day-trader-skill:trader-scanner, or switch to folder copy for bare names (Path C) |
| Paste URL does nothing | Chat surface lacks skill-from-URL, or typo’d fork | Confirm you used the canonical Jakeschincariol/day-trader-skill URL; try Path B/C; avoid random forks |
| Skill text runs, scripts crash | No Python 3.8+ on PATH | python3 --version; install 3.8+; re-open the terminal Claude Code uses |
| SEC / analyst / filings errors | Missing polite User-Agent identity | Set SEC_USER_AGENT="Name email@domain" or config equivalent; retry slowly |
| Empty charts / news | Network egress blocked or endpoint rate-limit | Test curl/browser access from the same machine; wait and retry; do not hammer |
| Broker ticket never sends | By design without your yes + Allow once | This is correct. Do not switch tools to Always allow. See Safety |
| Risk always BLOCK | Limits tighter than the draft order | Read the BLOCK reason; fix size/window/budget — do not disable risk to force a trade |
| Commands differ from a blog screenshot | Plugin namespace vs copied folders; upstream may be stale | Match your install path; check changelog watch / commits |
| Tests fail offline | Incomplete clone or altered fixtures | Re-clone upstream; run python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v from repo root |
| Unclear whether paper or live | Connector misconfiguration | Verify paper flags / paper account in connector settings before any yes; read Paper trading |
Namespace cheat sheet
| Install style | Example invoke |
|---|---|
| Claude Code plugin | /day-trader-skill:trader-news |
Copied trader-* folders | /trader-news |
| Single SKILL.md paste | No slash command — follow the pasted instructions in chat |
Approval-card confusion (not an install bug)
If Claude shows Allow once / Deny on a brokerage tool, that is the second safety gate working. Denying is success for a paper-only rehearsal. Switching the connector to Always allow is the failure mode — see the safety checklist.
Quick FAQ
Claude Code installed the plugin but /trader-scanner does nothing
Plugin installs are namespaced. Try /day-trader-skill:trader-scanner (and the same pattern for other skills). Or copy folders (install Path C) for bare /trader-* names.
SEC tools fail or get blocked
Set SEC_USER_AGENT or trader/config.json sec_user_agent to a real name + contact email. Be polite with rate. Corporate networks may still block EDGAR.
python3: command not found
Install Python 3.8+ and ensure python3 is on PATH. The helpers are plain Python; without an interpreter the scripts will not run even if the skill text loads.
Skills appear but market data is empty
Public Yahoo/Nasdaq endpoints can lag, change, or rate-limit. Check outbound network from the environment Claude Code runs in. Sandboxed CI-like environments often have no market access.