> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.polymarket.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# L1 Methods
> These methods require a wallet signer (private key) but do not require user API credentials. Use these for initial setup.
## Client Initialization
L1 methods require the client to initialize with a signer.
```typescript theme={null}
import { ClobClient } from "@polymarket/clob-client-v2";
import { createWalletClient, http } from "viem";
import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
const account = privateKeyToAccount(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY as `0x${string}`);
const signer = createWalletClient({ account, transport: http() });
const client = new ClobClient({
host: "https://clob.polymarket.com",
chain: 137,
signer, // Signer required for L1 methods
});
// Ready to create user API credentials
const apiKey = await client.createApiKey();
```
```python theme={null}
from py_clob_client_v2 import ClobClient
import os
private_key = os.getenv("PRIVATE_KEY")
client = ClobClient(
host="https://clob.polymarket.com",
chain_id=137,
key=private_key # Signer required for L1 methods
)
# Ready to create user API credentials
api_key = client.create_api_key()
```
Never commit private keys to version control. Always use environment variables
or a secure key management system.
***
## API Key Management
***
### createApiKey
Creates a new API key (L2 credentials) for the wallet signer. Each wallet can only have one active API key at a time — creating a new key invalidates the previous one.
```typescript Signature theme={null}
async createApiKey(nonce?: number): Promise
```
Optional custom nonce for deterministic key generation. Optional.
The generated API key string.
The secret associated with the API key.
The passphrase associated with the API key.
***
### deriveApiKey
Derives an existing API key using a specific nonce. If you've already created credentials with a particular nonce, this returns the same credentials.
```typescript Signature theme={null}
async deriveApiKey(nonce?: number): Promise
```
The nonce used when originally creating the key. Optional.
The derived API key string.
The secret associated with the API key.
The passphrase associated with the API key.
***
### createOrDeriveApiKey
Convenience method that attempts to derive an API key with the default nonce, or creates a new one if it doesn't exist. **Recommended for initial setup.**
```typescript Signature theme={null}
async createOrDeriveApiKey(nonce?: number): Promise
```
The API key string, either derived or newly created.
The secret associated with the API key.
The passphrase associated with the API key.
***
## Order Signing
In CLOB V2, `expiration` is still accepted in order payloads for GTD/order
expiry handling, but it is not part of the EIP-712 signed order struct. The
signed struct uses `timestamp`, `metadata`, and `builder` instead of the V1
`expiration`, `nonce`, `feeRateBps`, and `taker` fields.
### createOrder
Create and sign a limit order locally without posting it to the CLOB. Use this when you want to sign orders in advance or implement custom submission logic. Submit via [`postOrder()`](/trading/clients/l2#postorder) or [`postOrders()`](/trading/clients/l2#postorders).
```typescript Signature theme={null}
async createOrder(
userOrder: UserOrder,
options?: Partial
): Promise
```
The token ID of the market outcome to trade.
The limit price for the order.
The size (number of shares) for the order.
The side of the order (buy or sell).
Optional expiration timestamp included in the order payload for GTD/order
expiry handling. This is not part of the CLOB V2 EIP-712 signed order struct.
The tick size used for order validation (CreateOrderOptions).
Optional flag for negative risk markets (CreateOrderOptions). Optional.
A random salt value for the signed order.
The maker's address.
The signer's address.
The token ID in the signed order.
The maker amount as a string.
The taker amount as a string.
The side of the order as a number (0 = BUY, 1 = SELL).
The expiration timestamp included in the order payload. This is not part of
the CLOB V2 EIP-712 signed order struct.
Order creation timestamp in milliseconds, used for order uniqueness in CLOB
V2.
Reserved `bytes32` metadata field.
Builder code (`bytes32`) for attribution, or zero if no builder code is
attached.
The type identifier for the signature scheme used.
The cryptographic signature of the order.
***
### createMarketOrder
Create and sign a market order locally without posting it to the CLOB. Submit via [`postOrder()`](/trading/clients/l2#postorder) or [`postOrders()`](/trading/clients/l2#postorders).
```typescript Signature theme={null}
async createMarketOrder(
userMarketOrder: UserMarketOrder,
options?: Partial
): Promise
```
The token ID of the market outcome to trade.
The order amount. For BUY orders this is a dollar amount; for SELL orders this
is the number of shares.
The side of the order (buy or sell).
Optional price limit for the market order. Optional.
Optional order type, either FOK (Fill-Or-Kill) or FAK (Fill-And-Kill).
Optional.
A random salt value for the signed order.
The maker's address.
The signer's address.
The token ID in the signed order.
The maker amount as a string.
The taker amount as a string.
The side of the order as a number (0 = BUY, 1 = SELL).
The expiration timestamp included in the order payload. This is not part of
the CLOB V2 EIP-712 signed order struct.
Order creation timestamp in milliseconds, used for order uniqueness in CLOB
V2.
Reserved `bytes32` metadata field.
Builder code (`bytes32`) for attribution, or zero if no builder code is
attached.
The type identifier for the signature scheme used.
The cryptographic signature of the order.
***
## Troubleshooting
Your wallet's private key is incorrect or improperly formatted.
**Solution:**
* Verify your private key is a valid hex string (starts with `0x`)
* Ensure you're using the correct key for the intended address
* Check that the key has proper permissions
The nonce you provided has already been used to create an API key.
**Solution:**
* Use `deriveApiKey()` with the same nonce to retrieve existing credentials
* Or use a different nonce with `createApiKey()`
Your funder address is incorrect or doesn't match your wallet.
**Solution:** New API users should use the deposit wallet address as the
funder with signature type `3`. Existing Safe and Proxy users should use
their current smart-wallet address.
Use `deriveApiKey()` with the original nonce:
```typescript theme={null}
const recovered = await client.deriveApiKey(originalNonce);
```
There's no way to recover lost credentials without the nonce. Create new ones:
```typescript theme={null}
// Create fresh credentials with a new nonce
const newCreds = await client.createApiKey();
// Save the nonce this time!
```
***
## See Also
Deep dive into L1 and L2 authentication.
Initialize the client and place your first order.
Access market data, orderbooks, and prices without auth.
Place and manage orders with API credentials.