Option Flow Intelligence Skill
Query the OptionWhales Pro API for real-time institutional option flow analysis:
- Intent Momentum — clustered option trades scored for directional intent, coherence, and momentum
- Abnormal Trades — large or unusual option activity flagged in real-time
Free tier available! Sign up at https://www.optionwhales.io to get a free API key instantly — no credit card required. Free keys return the top 3 tickers and last 5 abnormal trades, enough to evaluate the data and build integrations. Upgrade to Pro for full access.
When to Use
✅ USE this skill when:
- "What's the option flow on AAPL today?"
- "Show me unusual options activity"
- "What are institutions buying?"
- "Is there bullish or bearish momentum in TSLA?"
- "Show me the top momentum tickers"
When NOT to Use
❌ DON'T use this skill when:
- Stock price quotes only → use a stock/market data skill
- Historical stock charts → use a charting skill
- GEX / gamma exposure queries → not exposed via Pro API
- Open interest time series → not exposed via Pro API
- Options pricing or Greeks calculation → use a quant tool
- News/earnings analysis → use a news skill
- Crypto or forex → this is US equity options only
Setup
Requires an OptionWhales API key.
- Free key (no purchase): Sign up at https://www.optionwhales.io/settings/api-keys — returns top 3 tickers + last 5 abnormal trades
- Pro key (subscription): Full access — all tickers, all fields, historical sessions, WebSocket stream
# Set the API key (works with either free or pro keys)
export OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY="ow_free_your_key_here" # or ow_pro_...
API Reference
Base URL: https://api.optionwhales.io/v1
All requests require header: X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY
Current Flow Rankings
# Get today's intent momentum rankings (top tickers by conviction)
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/flow/current" | python3 -m json.tool
Response includes per-ticker: intent_primary (Directional/Gamma/LongVol/ShortVol/Mixed),
direction_bias (bullish/bearish/neutral), intent_confidence (0-1), momentum_fast,
momentum_slow, coherence_last, strength_last, key_strikes.
Ticker Detail (Clusters + Time Series)
# Get full intent detail for a specific ticker
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/flow/current/AAPL" | python3 -m json.tool
Returns: ranking (summary), clusters (strategy clusters with dollar Greeks),
cluster_trades (individual trades), time_series (30-min momentum buckets).
Historical Sessions
# List available sessions
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/flow/sessions" | python3 -m json.tool
# Get a specific session's rankings
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/flow/2025-06-02" | python3 -m json.tool
# Get a specific ticker from a historical session
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/flow/2025-06-02/AAPL" | python3 -m json.tool
Momentum Rankings (Sorted)
# Top momentum tickers sorted by |momentum_fast|
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/momentum/rankings" | python3 -m json.tool
Momentum History
# Get momentum history for a specific ticker
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/momentum/AAPL/history" | python3 -m json.tool
Abnormal Trades
# Current session unusual/large option trades
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/abnormal-trades/current" | python3 -m json.tool
# Historical session abnormal trades
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/abnormal-trades/2025-06-02" | python3 -m json.tool
Account Usage
# Check current rate limit and usage stats
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $OPTIONWHALES_API_KEY" \
"https://api.optionwhales.io/v1/account/usage" | python3 -m json.tool
WebSocket — Real-Time Abnormal Trades (Pro Only)
# Connect to real-time abnormal trade stream
python3 -c "
import asyncio, websockets, json
async def stream():
uri = 'wss://api.optionwhales.io/v1/ws/abnormal-trades?api_key=YOUR_PRO_KEY'
async with websockets.connect(uri) as ws:
# Optional: subscribe to specific tickers
await ws.send(json.dumps({'type': 'subscribe', 'tickers': ['AAPL', 'NVDA', 'TSLA']}))
async for msg in ws:
data = json.loads(msg)
if data['type'] == 'abnormal_trade':
print(json.dumps(data['data'], indent=2))
asyncio.run(stream())
"
WebSocket message types:
abnormal_trade— new abnormal trade detected (contains full trade data)heartbeat— periodic keepalive withtstimestampsubscribed— confirmation after sending a subscribe message
Helper Script
A CLI wrapper is included for easy querying:
# Current flow rankings
python3 scripts/optionflow.py flow
# Flow for specific ticker
python3 scripts/optionflow.py flow --ticker AAPL
# Historical session flow
python3 scripts/optionflow.py flow --session 2025-06-02
# Momentum rankings
python3 scripts/optionflow.py momentum
# Top 5 momentum tickers
python3 scripts/optionflow.py momentum --top 5
# Current abnormal trades
python3 scripts/optionflow.py abnormal
# Historical abnormal trades
python3 scripts/optionflow.py abnormal --session 2025-06-02
Interpreting Results
Intent Types
| Intent | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Directional | Net delta-dominant flow — strong directional bet |
| Gamma | Gamma-dominant — positioning for rapid price moves |
| LongVol | Buying volatility (long vega, positive theta risk) |
| ShortVol | Selling volatility (short vega, positive theta) |
| Mixed | No dominant Greek — conflicting signals |
Direction Bias
- bullish: Net positive delta flow
- bearish: Net negative delta flow
- neutral: Delta share below 15% of total flow
Confidence Score
0–1 scale combining flow coherence (how aligned the trades are) and strength (total dollar Greek magnitude). Above 0.7 is high conviction.
Momentum
momentum_fast(α=0.35): responsive to recent flow changesmomentum_slow(α=0.15): trend-smoothed- Positive = bullish acceleration, negative = bearish acceleration
Example Queries → Commands
| User asks | Command |
|---|---|
| "What's the flow today?" | GET /v1/flow/current |
| "Show TSLA option activity" | GET /v1/flow/current/TSLA |
| "Top momentum tickers" | GET /v1/momentum/rankings |
| "Any unusual trades?" | GET /v1/abnormal-trades/current |
| "Is AAPL bullish or bearish?" | GET /v1/flow/current/AAPL → check direction_bias |
| "What sessions are available?" | GET /v1/flow/sessions |
| "Show my API usage" | GET /v1/account/usage |
Notes
- Data updates every 30 minutes during market hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET)
- Final daily data available after 7:30 AM ET next trading day (with full OI deltas)
- Free tier: 10 requests/minute, 200/day; top 3 tickers, last 5 abnormal trades, limited fields
- Pro tier: 60 requests/minute, 5000/day; all tickers, all fields, WebSocket, historical sessions
- US equity options only (no futures, crypto, or forex)
is_preliminary: truemeans intraday data;is_final: truemeans post-close with full OI enrichment