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Recurring markets (5-minute, hourly, daily crypto, etc.) run as a series of timed slots. /markets/active only ever returns the slot that is currently open, so it cannot be used to pre-fetch the next one. The timeline endpoints return the upcoming and past slots for a recurring series, including each slot’s slug and a tradable flag, so you can resolve the next slug and warm up an orderbook subscription before it opens. Both endpoints are public and require no authentication.

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By current slug

If you already have the current slug (e.g. from /markets/active):
  • Route: GET /markets/{slug}/timeline
  • Query: before (default 1), after (default 24) — number of slots to return on each side of the anchor.
curl "https://api.limitless.exchange/markets/btc-5m-1771934700/timeline?before=1&after=24"

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By symbol and frequency

If you do not have a current slug, anchor on the recurring series directly:
  • Route: GET /markets/timeline
Query paramTypeRequiredDescription
symbolstringYesUnderlying symbol, e.g. BTC.
frequencystringYesOne of minutely, hourly, daily, weekly.
subFrequencystringRequired for minutely / hourlySlot size, e.g. minutes_5, minutes_15, hours_1.
beforenumberNoPast slots to return (default 10, max 500).
afternumberNoFuture slots to return (default 10, max 500).
# Upcoming 5-minute BTC slots
curl "https://api.limitless.exchange/markets/timeline?symbol=BTC&frequency=minutely&subFrequency=minutes_5&before=2&after=10"

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Response

{
  "current": {
    "slotId": 4821,
    "slug": "btc-5m-1771934700",
    "state": "OPEN",
    "tradable": true,
    "startAt": "2026-05-28T12:05:00.000Z",
    "endAt": "2026-05-28T12:10:00.000Z",
    "countdownSec": 142
  },
  "next": {
    "slotId": 4822,
    "slug": "btc-5m-1771935000",
    "state": "PRE_OPEN",
    "tradable": false,
    "startAt": "2026-05-28T12:10:00.000Z",
    "endAt": "2026-05-28T12:15:00.000Z",
    "countdownSec": 442
  },
  "batch": [
    {
      "slotId": 4822,
      "index": 1,
      "slug": "btc-5m-1771935000",
      "state": "PRE_OPEN",
      "tradable": false,
      "startAt": "2026-05-28T12:10:00.000Z",
      "endAt": "2026-05-28T12:15:00.000Z"
    }
  ]
}

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Slot fields

FieldTypeDescription
slugstringMarket slug for this slot. Use it to fetch the orderbook or place orders once tradable.
statestringPRE_OPEN, OPEN, SETTLING, SETTLED, or FAILED.
tradablebooleanWhether orders are currently accepted for this slot.
startAt / endAtstringISO 8601 slot window bounds.
countdownSecnumberSeconds to the next boundary (current / next only).
indexnumberSlot offset from the anchor (batch only).
The GET /markets/{slug}/timeline variant additionally returns anchor and job metadata describing the recurring series.
A slot can exist in PRE_OPEN before orders are accepted. Gate order submission on tradable: true / state: "OPEN" rather than on startAt alone.

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Pre-fetch pattern

  1. Poll the timeline a few seconds before the current slot ends.
  2. Read next.slug and open its orderbook subscription early.
  3. Submit the moment next flips to state: "OPEN" / tradable: true.
Responses are cached for a few seconds, so polling once per second per series is safe.