wtf is polymarket-arbitrage-trading-bot?

This repository is an automated trading bot built for Polymarket, a prediction market platform, specifically targeting its short-duration Up or Down markets, the kind that ask whether a price will be higher or lower within a short window like 15 minutes. The bot connects to Polymarket's live orderbook over a WebSocket feed, watches price movements to guess a likely direction with a confidence score attached, and then places limit orders based on that guess while trying to manage risk with configurable position limits. To run it, someone needs Node.js version 18 or newer, a Polygon blockchain wallet funded with USDC, the stablecoin used for trading, and access to a Polygon network RPC endpoint, which the bot uses to approve token spending and redeem winnings. Setup involves creating a .env configuration file with a Polygon wallet private key, the list of markets to trade, how many shares to buy per side, price precision settings, and various optional limits like a minimum balance requirement or a maximum number of buys per side. The README is explicit that this private key must never be shared with anyone. Once configured, the bot is started with a single npm command, and separate commands exist for redeeming resolved markets and checking current holdings. Internally, the code is split into a runner that handles startup checks like validating configuration, confirming balances, and syncing token allowances, a providers layer that talks to Polymarket's order book service, a security layer that checks wallet balances and manages spending allowances, and a strategy engine that resolves which market to trade and decides on prices and order placement. The README describes this software as experimental and includes a clear warning that anyone using it does so at their own risk, with only money they could afford to lose, and that the people maintaining the project are not responsible for financial losses, misconfiguration, or the bot going offline. No license is stated in the README shown.