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Getting started

Getting started with SENTINEL Trader

A 5-minute tour of your first day on the platform — from invite to your first scored opportunity.

Updated 2026-05-14 · getting-started

Welcome. SENTINEL Trader replaces the spreadsheet, the group chat and the late-night ALG lookup with one operating surface. This is the shortest path from your invite email to a scored opportunity on your dashboard.

Day-one checklist

  1. Accept the invite. Use the magic link in the welcome email. It's single-use and expires in 24 hours — if you miss the window, ask your admin to resend from Settings → Team.
  2. Set your bidding limits. Open Settings → Bidding and set per-minute, per-hour and per-day caps. Caps are hard ceilings — the autopilot cannot exceed them, even with operator override.
  3. Pick your sourcing channels. Toggle the auction connectors you have credentials for (OPENLANE, ADESA, Manheim) and the off-auction sources (lease returns, wholesale brokers, repo). You can add more later — start with two or three.
  4. Define your buy box. Go to Acquisitions → Buy box and drop in your usual segments: years, kilometres, body styles, price ceiling. The Oracle uses this to score every opportunity that lands.
  5. Connect your transport. Settings → Dispatch lets you wire OPENLANE gate passes to your transporter. If you self-haul, link your driver app account so dispatch flows to the cab directly.

Three things to know on day one

  • Triple-check is on by default. No autonomous bid leaves the platform without passing a budget check, a margin check, and a market alignment check. You cannot turn this off — it's the spine of the platform.
  • Confidence scores are honest. When the model isn't sure, it tells you. Anything below 70% asks for a human decision before acting.
  • The audit log is signed. Every AI action is cryptographically traceable. Open Insights → Audit any time to see the why behind a decision.

What to do next

Browse to Acquisitions → Opportunities. You'll see a feed of vehicles already scored against your buy box. The Oracle ranks them; you read the top three and decide which one moves to the bid floor. That's a real day on SENTINEL Trader.

Need help setting up a specific connector? See your first acquisition.

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