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Coinbase API setup: access, permissions and security

Prepare an eligible Coinbase Advanced account for SharkRule's UK Spot launch. Review the supported assets, account access, permissions and customer-approved buying and selling rules. New real-money activation is not open yet; existing connection and recovery guidance remains available.

SharkRule · Reviewed

Check availability first

This guide preserves the manual-key instructions for existing connections. The access method for new customers still requires confirmation from Coinbase before UK activation opens. Follow only the connection method offered in your account; a key that passes a technical check does not establish provider approval for hosted access.

Before you start: You need your own Coinbase account. If you do not have one, create it directly with the exchange and complete its required verification and account checks before creating an API key. SharkRule does not create an exchange account for you.

You can try a SharkRule simulation without an exchange account.

The initial UK release is being prepared for Coinbase Advanced Spot. The asset list is Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), each against GBP, USD or USDC where the customer's Coinbase account can trade the pair. You choose and approve the asset, amount, entry, exit and limits. Existing purchase-only strategies do not gain automatic selling.

The prepared connection expects a consumer or default portfolio, with View and Trade allowed and Transfer disabled. Coinbase account eligibility, product access and the permissions shown in your account still apply.

If you see “Verify your business”

Coinbase’s portal serves several products. The business-verification card for custodial APIs is separate from the personal-account API key used by SharkRule.

Open the menu (☰ on a phone), then API Keys → Secret API Keys. You can also reopen the direct key-page link after signing in. Continue with your personal Coinbase account and select the portfolio you intend to use; its displayed name may be Primary.

If Secret API Keys or your personal portfolio is unavailable, contact Coinbase Support to check your account access before continuing.

Create your secret API key

  1. Sign in to Coinbase, then open the official key page: https://portal.cdp.coinbase.com/api-keys/secret. In API Keys, choose Secret API Keys and Create API key. Check the address before entering account credentials.
  2. Set API key nickname to SharkRule so you can recognize it later. Keep this key separate from keys used by other software.
  3. In IP allowlist, enter only the server IP addresses shown inside your authenticated SharkRule connection page. Leave Allow requests from any IP address unchecked. Coinbase’s example addresses, such as 192.168.1.0/24 and 2001:db8::/32, are placeholders, not SharkRule addresses. Do not use your home or phone IP. If SharkRule shows no server addresses, wait for setup to be enabled.
  4. Open Advanced settings. Under Coinbase App & Advanced Trade, select the portfolio you intend to use; it may be named Primary. Enable View (read-only) and Trade (execute trades on your behalf). Leave Transfer (initiate transfer of funds) and Receive (receive inbound payments) unchecked. Under Account → Non-custodial, also leave Export (export private key) and Manage (modify policies) unchecked. SharkRule does not need those extra permissions.
  5. Under Signature algorithm, select ECDSA (Legacy SDKs), even if Ed25519 is marked Recommended. SharkRule’s current connection requires ECDSA / ES256. The Legacy SDKs label does not mean you should use old Coinbase Pro credentials.
  6. Select Create and complete Coinbase’s security checks. In the Save your API key window, copy API key ID and Secret into the matching SharkRule fields. API key ID is the full value beginning organizations/…/apiKeys/…; the nickname SharkRule is only a label. Secret is your ECDSA private key. Preserve its BEGIN and END lines and all line breaks. Save both values securely before closing this one-time window; Coinbase also offers Download API key. Never include the secret in screenshots, email or support messages.

If Trade cannot be selected, check your Coinbase account and portfolio access with Coinbase Support before continuing. A View-only key cannot automate trades; enabling other permissions will not fix that.

Use a phone safely

Open the same CDP address in your phone’s browser after signing in. If controls are hidden, request the desktop version or finish on a computer. This procedure does not depend on a native Coinbase app approval button.

When copying Secret, preserve the private key’s line breaks and the BEGIN and END lines. Avoid transferring it through messaging apps or a shared clipboard.

Connect and review in SharkRule

  1. Open My exchange in SharkRule and choose Coinbase. Paste the full API key ID and Secret from Coinbase’s Save your API key window into the matching fields. Check and connect performs account and permission checks; it does not place an order.
  2. Prepared Spot pairs: BTC-GBP, BTC-USD, BTC-USDC, ETH-GBP, ETH-USD, ETH-USDC, SOL-GBP, SOL-USD and SOL-USDC. A listed pair is usable only when available to your eligible account and confirmed at review. Keep the matching quote currency available in your connected portfolio.
  3. Choose one purchase after a price drop, watched for 24 hours, or scheduled purchases at least one hour apart. Set a total budget including fees, a maximum per purchase, and for schedules no more than 100 purchases.
  4. Review the exact pair, amount, entry condition, purchase limits and fees. For automatic selling, enter your own price-rise target, stop-loss percentage, or both before review. Leave both blank to buy only. Each condition uses that purchase's average fill price before fees and applies only to the asset quantity bought by this strategy. Explicitly approve the displayed buy and sell rules before starting when activation is available. The first scheduled purchase can occur after starting.

Automatic selling is monitored by SharkRule, not a standing stop or bracket order at Coinbase. It needs the service, connection and permissions to remain available. Price gaps, liquidity, fees, exchange minimums and outages can prevent a sale or leave a small remainder. A stop loss is not a guaranteed maximum loss. Scheduled purchases remain subject to the approved count and budget; sale proceeds do not increase those limits.

Orders must fill completely at the limit price or better, or cancel. An unfilled purchase stops further buys; any already approved exits remain monitored. After a confirmed unfilled sale, SharkRule may try again, up to three sell attempts per purchase at least 30 seconds apart. The purchase limit counts buy attempts. Unknown results are checked before any further order.

Coinbase determines actual fees. If reported costs exceed the approved amount, further purchases stop for review; the fee allowance is not an exchange guarantee.

Connect Coinbase to SharkRule

If verification fails

Check for a truncated API key ID, missing lines in Secret, Ed25519 instead of ECDSA, an incorrect IP allowlist, Transfer access or the wrong portfolio. A valid key can still fail if its account type is unsupported. Do not repeatedly recreate keys without checking the error.

An available balance may differ from the total portfolio value because assets are held in orders or another portfolio. Order minimums and fees also matter. Share only a redacted error and the time it occurred when seeking help.

Remove access at the provider

Stop the strategy in SharkRule before disconnecting. Stopping ends new purchases and automatic sales; it does not sell holdings. An order already sent may still complete and must be reconciled before disconnecting. Never create a replacement order to guess an unknown result. For compromised credentials, revoke the key immediately in Coinbase and review your account activity.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need my Coinbase account password in SharkRule?

No. Use only the enabled connection’s CDP key fields. Keep passwords, verification codes and recovery phrases out of SharkRule and support chats.

Is this a one-click Coinbase approval flow?

No. This guide describes manual API key preparation. Any future authorization flow and its availability must be confirmed separately.

Official documentation and references

Prepared with AI assistance from the linked official documentation. Examples are hypothetical; no live account tests or return comparisons were performed.