# Blocker: Alpaca Sandbox Funding for $100k Starting Capital

**Date:** 2026-04-07
**Status:** Awaiting Alpaca support
**Owner:** Product (contact Alpaca)
**Affects:** SimTrade provisioning for new users

## The Problem

NAN-93 specifies $100k starting capital per user. Current funding flow can't reliably deliver this in sandbox.

## What We Tried

| Method | Result |
|---|---|
| **JNLC journal** ($100k from firm) | JNLC Transaction Limit was $50 (default). After raising via dashboard, journals execute in ~4s. **But firm account only has $50k total** — depletes after one user. |
| **ACH transfer** ($50k cap) | Doesn't touch firm balance, but capped at $50k/day per account and **slow settlement** (hours to days in sandbox). |
| **`/v1/instant_funding`** | Returns 403 Forbidden — **not enabled on our sandbox by default**. |

## The Solution: Instant Funding

`POST /v1/instant_funding` is the correct mechanism:
- Does NOT touch firm balance (credit line, not transfer)
- Does NOT consume ACH daily limit
- Sandbox default limit is $100k per account
- Instant credit, no settlement wait
- Identical UX to current flow

## Action Required

**Contact Alpaca support** to enable `/v1/instant_funding` on the NanoStreet sandbox account.

**Request template:**
> Please enable the Instant Funding feature (`/v1/instant_funding`) on our Broker API sandbox account so we can fund paper trading sub-accounts up to $100k per user for our SimTrade simulation feature.

## Current Workaround

- ACH + journal split code works for limited users
- Firm account must be manually topped up via dashboard when depleted
- Acceptable for internal testing, NOT production-ready for many users

## After Alpaca Enables It

Backend replaces `_ensure_funded()` with a single `POST /v1/instant_funding` call. Estimated effort: ~30 min.

## References

- Backend report: `.agent-status/backend-integration.json`
- Alpaca docs: https://docs.alpaca.markets/docs/funding-accounts#sandbox-funding
- Sandbox config blog: https://alpaca.markets/blog/overview-new-features-and-enhancements-added-to-broker-api-dashboard/#sandbox-configurations
- Linear: NAN-93 (provisioning ticket, $100k spec)