How to Get SpotGamma Data via API: The Complete Migration Guide (HIRO, TRACE, Equity Hub)

SpotGamma does offer an API, so the question is not whether you can get the data in code, but on what terms. SpotGamma gates API access to its Alpha plan (roughly $224 to $299 per month depending on billing) and Institutional above it, it is equity and index focused, the daily commentary is a human note, and there is no MCP server (verify current terms on spotgamma.com). FlashAlpha gives you the same families of data over REST and an MCP server, computed from its own flow model, with a permanent free tier to start, CME futures, and point-in-time historical replay. This guide maps every SpotGamma view to a concrete FlashAlpha call and is honest about where each one lands on tier and price, including where SpotGamma is the cheaper option.

Full disclosure: I built FlashAlpha. I will be precise about where the two differ, including where SpotGamma is the better product, because a dishonest mapping is useless to you and to me. HIRO, TRACE, and Equity Hub are SpotGamma trademarks; I reference them only to say "this endpoint serves the same use case," never as names for anything FlashAlpha sells.

Read this first. FlashAlpha is not reselling SpotGamma's numbers. The exposure and flow values are computed independently from FlashAlpha's own model (effective open interest plus aggressor-classified trades), so they will not match SpotGamma's figures cell for cell. Read them as the same family of signal, not the identical number. The JSON shapes below use illustrative placeholder values. Pricing changes over time, so confirm it on /pricing before you decide.

Quick Start: Two Calls That Replace Two Dashboards

Before the full mapping, here is the proof it works. The first call is the HIRO-style 0DTE hedge-flow equivalent (signed dealer-hedging delta-dollars for today's chain). The second is the Equity Hub key-levels equivalent (call wall, put wall, gamma flip, max pain). Same auth header, two hosts you will use throughout: lab.flashalpha.com for live, historical.flashalpha.com for replay.

The Master Mapping Table

One row per SpotGamma product. The REST route, the MCP tool name, and the minimum FlashAlpha plan that unlocks it. Symbol gates apply on top: the free tier covers roughly 250 tracked single-stock symbols only, so index symbols (SPX, VIX, RUT) and ETFs (SPY, QQQ, IWM) need Basic or above even when the endpoint itself is free.

The rest of this guide walks each product with a code example and a link to the matching deep-dive.

HIRO → Live Flow and 0DTE Hedge Flow

HIRO is SpotGamma's signature real-time view of aggregate dealer hedging impact, the running ribbon that shows whether dealers are net buying or selling as the session moves. FlashAlpha splits that into two endpoints. /v1/flow/live/{symbol} is the live aggregate dealer-flow read across the whole chain. /v1/flow/zero-dte/hedge-flow/{symbol} narrows to today's expiration and returns the signed dealer-hedging delta-dollars, the layer most HIRO users actually watch on 0DTE days. The companion /snapshot and /series routes give you the point-in-time read and the intraday time series.

The split matters for tiering: the 0DTE hedge-flow family (hedge-flow, snapshot, series) is on Growth, while the full live aggregate /v1/flow/live sits at Alpha along with the rest of the live-flow family.

# 0DTE hedge flow (Growth): signed dealer-hedging delta-dollars for today
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/zero-dte/hedge-flow/SPX"

# Live aggregate dealer flow across the chain (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/live/SPY"

import requests
HDR = {"X-Api-Key": "YOUR_KEY"}
BASE = "https://lab.flashalpha.com"

# HIRO-style 0DTE hedge flow (Growth): per-bar and cumulative signed delta-dollars
hedge = requests.get(f"{BASE}/v1/flow/zero-dte/hedge-flow/SPX", headers=HDR).json()
latest = hedge["bars"][-1]
print(latest["bar"], latest["cumulative"], hedge["side"])

# Live aggregate dealer flow (Alpha)
live = requests.get(f"{BASE}/v1/flow/live/SPY", headers=HDR).json()
print(live["live_gex"], live["live_gamma_flip"], live["as_of"])

# In Claude or any MCP client connected to lab.flashalpha.com/mcp
get_zero_dte_flow(symbol="SPX", view="hedge_flow")
get_flow_live(symbol="SPY")

{
  "symbol": "SPX",
  "expiration": "2026-06-18",
  "as_of": "2026-06-18T18:45:12Z",
  "market_open": true,
  "side": "all",
  "bar_size": "30s",
  "bars": [
    { "t": "2026-06-18T18:44:30Z", "bar": -48000000, "cumulative": -842000000 }
  ]
}

Deep dives: The Live 0DTE Flow API, Live Dealer-Flow Monitor API, and Detecting a Gamma Squeeze in Real Time.

TRACE → Zero-DTE Strike Heatmap and Strike-Flow

TRACE is the intraday strike-by-time heatmap: strikes down one axis, time across the other, color showing where dealer gamma or flow concentrates as the session evolves. FlashAlpha returns that exact matrix from /v1/flow/zero-dte/heatmap/{symbol} as plain JSON. You select the metric (GEX, DEX, VEX, CHEX, OI, or signed flow) and the mode (raw level or bar-over-bar delta), and the strikes come out in a top-level strikes_grid with each bar's values parallel by index, ready for any heatmap plotter. The companion /strike-flow/{symbol} gives the signed aggressor detail underneath.

The heatmap and strike-flow endpoints are on Alpha (they are the model-input granularity of the 0DTE family). The decision-layer endpoints from the HIRO section above, snapshot / series / hedge-flow, sit one tier down on Growth.

# Raw GEX heatmap, last hour, 1-minute bars (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/zero-dte/heatmap/SPX?metric=gex&mode=raw&bar=1m&minutes=60"

{
  "symbol": "SPX",
  "metric": "gex",
  "mode": "raw",
  "strikes_grid": [5995, 6000, 6005, 6010, 6015, 6020],
  "bars": [
    { "t": "2026-06-18T18:44:00Z", "spot": 6012.1,
      "values": [-1.2e9, -4.0e8, 2.1e8, 9.5e8, 1.8e9, 3.0e8] }
  ],
  "gap_intervals": []
}

Deep dive: The 0DTE Gamma Heatmap API and the strike-flow and leaderboard guide.

Equity Hub → Key Levels and Exposure Summary

Equity Hub is the two-part view most people picture when they think "SpotGamma": the key levels (call wall, put wall, gamma flip, max pain) and the exposure profile (GEX/DEX/VEX/CHEX with a regime read). FlashAlpha splits these cleanly:

• Key levels come from /v1/exposure/levels/{symbol}, which is free in the tracked single-stock universe. One call returns the gamma flip, call wall, put wall, and max pain.
• Exposure summary comes from /v1/exposure/summary/{symbol} on Growth, returning net GEX/DEX/VEX/CHEX and the regime classification. Note: the summary does not include the walls; those come from get_levels. The two are designed to be called together.

For the per-strike GEX profile, /v1/exposure/gex/{symbol} is free for a single expiration (the 0DTE expiration is Growth-gated). DEX/VEX/CHEX by strike are Basic. For the whole greeks sheet in one call, /v1/exposure/sheet/{symbol} is a static Growth snapshot, distinct from the time-evolving TRACE-style heatmap above.

# Key levels (Free, single-stock universe)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/levels/AAPL"

# Exposure summary with regime (Growth)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/summary/SPY"

import requests
HDR = {"X-Api-Key": "YOUR_KEY"}
BASE = "https://lab.flashalpha.com"

levels = requests.get(f"{BASE}/v1/exposure/levels/AAPL", headers=HDR).json()    # Free
summary = requests.get(f"{BASE}/v1/exposure/summary/SPY", headers=HDR).json()   # Growth (SPY needs Basic+ symbol gate)

print(levels["call_wall"], levels["put_wall"], levels["gamma_flip"])
print(summary["exposures"]["net_gex"], summary["regime"])

{
  "symbol": "AAPL",
  "underlying_price": 214.30,
  "gamma_flip": 212.5,
  "call_wall": 220.0,
  "put_wall": 205.0,
  "max_pain": 210.0,
  "as_of": "2026-06-18T18:45:12Z"
}

Deep dives: Build a Key-Levels Monitor, Exposure Sheet vs Separate Endpoints, and Flow vs Exposure: Which GEX API to Use.

TAPE → Option and Stock Flow (Recent + Blocks)

TAPE is the raw, trade-by-trade print feed. FlashAlpha exposes it as two endpoint families, one for options and one for stocks, each with a recent view (latest prints) and a blocks view (large prints only). All four are on Alpha, since this is the rawest layer of the flow stack.

# Recent option prints (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/options/NVDA/recent"

# Large block prints on the underlying (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/stocks/NVDA/blocks"

Deep dive: Options Flow API: Recent Trades, Blocks, and Leaderboard.

Flow Alerts → Flow Signals

SpotGamma-style flow alerts surface sweeps and blocks that look meaningful. FlashAlpha's /v1/flow/signals/{symbol} does the same job: it labels sweeps and blocks with a conviction score and returns the top results by score. The default window is 240 minutes and the default cut is the top 50. One honest note: there is no literal "smart money" signal type. The endpoint scores structures (sweeps, blocks) by conviction; it does not claim to identify who is behind a trade. On Alpha.

# Conviction-scored sweeps and blocks (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/signals/TSLA?windowMinutes=240&limit=50"

Deep dives: Flow Signals API: Scoring Unusual Options Activity and Flow Signals Compared.

Net Dealer Premium → Dealer-Premium Endpoint

Net dealer premium answers a single question: are dealers net long or net short premium today? FlashAlpha computes it at /v1/flow/options/{symbol}/dealer-premium. Because it lives under the /v1/flow/ family, it is on Alpha. Treat the number as a derived signal off FlashAlpha's customer-flow tape, not exchange-audited dealer accounting.

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/options/SPY/dealer-premium"

Deep dive: Net Dealer Premium API: Are Dealers Long or Short Premium?

Expected Move, Pin Risk, and Max Pain

The pin-and-magnet trio maps to three endpoints. Expected move and the 0DTE state come from /v1/exposure/zero-dte/{symbol} (Growth; 0DTE is Growth-gated everywhere on the platform). Flow-adjusted pin risk is /v1/flow/pin-risk/{symbol} (Growth). Max pain is /v1/maxpain/{symbol} (Basic), and it also surfaces inside the free key-levels call.

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/zero-dte/SPX"   # expected move, 0DTE (Growth)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/pin-risk/SPX"        # flow-adjusted pin risk (Growth)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/maxpain/AAPL"             # max pain (Basic)

Deep dives: Live 0DTE Pin-Risk API and Build a Max-Pain Pin Tracker.

Volatility and IV Suite

SpotGamma surfaces some vol context (IV, skew, term). FlashAlpha exposes a fuller suite. Term structure (/v1/exposure/term-structure/{symbol}), skew, and VIX state are on Growth. The SVI IV surface (/v1/surface/svi/{symbol}), VRP, and the realized/forecast analytics step up to Alpha. Each has a dedicated MCP tool: get_surface, get_term_structure, get_skew_term, get_vrp, get_vix_state.

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/surface/svi/SPY"               # SVI IV surface (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/term-structure/SPY"   # term structure (Growth)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/vrp/SPY"                       # VRP (Alpha)

Deep dives: Real-Time IV API, Term Structure, and How to Calculate VRP.

Daily Commentary → Narrative (Algorithmic)

SpotGamma's Founder's Notes are written by humans twice a day. FlashAlpha's nearest equivalent is /v1/exposure/narrative/{symbol} (Growth), which generates a plain-English read of the current exposure state. Be clear: this is algorithmic, not a human research note. It is built to be LLM-ready and reproducible from the underlying numbers, which is exactly why it works well inside automated pipelines, but it is not a substitute for an analyst's judgment.

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/narrative/SPY"

Deep dive: Plain-English GEX Narrative API.

Historical Replay (?at=)

SpotGamma is a live dashboard. FlashAlpha adds something it has no equivalent for: point-in-time replay. Every analytics endpoint has a historical twin at historical.flashalpha.com that takes a required ?at=YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss parameter and returns the exact state at that minute, back to 2018-04-16. Same response shape as live, so the same SDK code runs against both with a base-URL swap. The Historical API is Alpha.

# Replay SPX key levels as they stood at a specific past minute (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://historical.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/levels/SPX?at=2020-03-16T14:30:00"

Deep dives: Historical Options Analytics API and Backtesting Gamma Exposure Strategies.

Futures → ES=F, NQ=F, RTY=F, YM=F

SpotGamma is equity and index focused. FlashAlpha extends the same exposure and flow endpoints to CME futures via the =F suffix. Call ES=F, NQ=F, RTY=F, or YM=F on any endpoint and you get the options-on-futures chain (Black-76 pricing, correct multipliers). The tier for each route is the same as its equity equivalent.

# ES futures key levels (Free endpoint; symbol gate may apply)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/exposure/levels/ES=F"

# NQ futures live dealer flow (Alpha)
curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY" "https://lab.flashalpha.com/v1/flow/live/NQ=F"

Deep dives: Live Dealer Flow on ES/NQ Futures and The ES/NQ Futures Handbook.

What Is Different From SpotGamma

An honest comparison so you know exactly what you are trading away and what you are gaining:

The summary: SpotGamma is a finished product, a polished dashboard with human research and a real community. FlashAlpha gives you the same families of data, computed independently, as raw callable JSON. The numbers will not match cell for cell because the models differ. The live flow, TAPE, and flow-signals families sit at the top (Alpha) tier, the narrative is algorithmic rather than a human note, and HIRO, TRACE, and Equity Hub are SpotGamma marks I reference only for compatibility, with no affiliation or endorsement. If what you want is daily expert analysis in a clean UI, SpotGamma earns its price. If what you want is each data family in code, this guide is the migration path.

Which FlashAlpha Tier Replaces What

The plans below are the published self-serve tiers. Verify current pricing on /pricing, it changes over time.

The practical read: if you mostly watch Equity Hub levels, you can start on Free (single-stock) or Basic (for SPY/SPX/QQQ). If you live in 0DTE hedge flow, expected move, and the vol suite, that is Growth. If you cannot live without the HIRO live ribbon, the TRACE heatmap, the raw TAPE, and the flow alerts, that is Alpha. Calling an endpoint below its tier returns a 403 tier_restricted naming the plan you need.

Migrate in 60 Seconds

1. Get a free key. Sign up on /pricing. No credit card for the free tier.
2. Install an SDK (optional): pip install flashalpha, npm install flashalpha, dotnet add package FlashAlpha, or go get github.com/FlashAlpha-lab/flashalpha-go. Or just use curl with the X-Api-Key header.
3. Replace your Equity Hub levels view first. Call GET /v1/exposure/levels/{symbol} on a single-stock symbol. It is free and returns the gamma flip, call wall, put wall, and max pain in one shot.
4. Pick the tier that matches your most-used view from the table above (Growth for 0DTE hedge flow and vol, Alpha for HIRO/TRACE/TAPE/signals).
5. Optionally wire up MCP. Point any MCP client at https://lab.flashalpha.com/mcp (or /mcp-oauth) and your AI assistant can call the same data natively. See Connect Claude to FlashAlpha via MCP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Reading

• Best GEX API 2026: FlashAlpha vs SpotGamma vs Unusual Whales
• SpotGamma vs Unusual Whales vs FlashAlpha (2026 Review)
• The 0DTE Gamma Heatmap API (TRACE and Heatseeker Alternative)
• Net Dealer Premium API: Are Dealers Long or Short Premium?
• Flow Signals API: Scoring Unusual Options Activity
• Build a Key-Levels Monitor: Put/Call Wall and Gamma Flip Tracker
• Live Dealer Flow and GEX on ES/NQ Futures
• Connect Claude to FlashAlpha via MCP (OAuth)
• Best Options Analytics Platforms: Live + Historical Replay 2026
• FlashAlpha Pricing and Tiers

SpotGamma offers an API on its Alpha plan and up, so for a developer the real question is terms, not availability: where you can start, whether you get futures, whether you can replay a past minute, and whether your AI agent can call it. This guide maps every branded view to a concrete FlashAlpha call: HIRO to live and 0DTE hedge flow, TRACE to the strike-by-time heatmap, Equity Hub to free key levels plus the exposure summary, TAPE to the option and stock print feeds, flow alerts to conviction-scored signals, and net dealer premium to its own endpoint, all over REST and an MCP server, across 6,000+ US stocks, ETFs, and CME futures. The honest caveats stand: the numbers are computed independently and will not match cell for cell, the narrative is algorithmic rather than a human note, FlashAlpha's live flow and TAPE sit at its Alpha tier where SpotGamma's Alpha plan is actually the cheaper way to get the HIRO ribbon, and pricing should always be verified on /pricing. If you want a polished dashboard with daily human research, SpotGamma earns its price. If you want each data family as callable JSON with a free starting point, futures, replay, and an MCP server, start free and map your first view in one call.