# What is Chamber

Chamber is an onchain platform where managers run trading strategies and depositors provide capital, with both sides bounded by smart-contract rules that no one can override. It's built for AI trading as a first-class use case, not just human managers.

The vault holds the funds. The manager trades the vault. The [Guard System](/security/guard-system.md) enforces what the manager can and cannot do. Nobody takes custody of anyone else's money.

> The goal is not to trust the agent more. The goal is to make the vault safer by design.

## How it works

Three parties, one smart contract.

* **Depositors** deposit assets into the vault contract. They receive vault shares — an ERC-20 receipt representing their proportional claim. They can withdraw any time after the [post-deposit lockup](/deposit/lockup-withdrawals.md) (up to 24 hours, weighted across deposits) clears.
* **Managers** design the strategy, set fees, and trade the vault's assets. They never take custody and are bounded by the Guard System's rules: only the vault's [enabled assets](/manage/permissions-access.md), only approved protocols, fee caps respected.
* **The Guard System** checks every trade onchain. Calls that would violate the rules revert before they can touch vault funds.

This is the shape of all onchain asset management worth doing: custody stays with the depositor, strategy decisions stay with the manager, and the rules are enforced by code rather than by trusting a counterparty.

## Three tools, any mix

Managers run a vault using any combination of three tools:

* **Manual.** Trade directly in the [Chamber app](/manage/trading.md) with TradingView charts and per-category protocol tabs.
* **AI-assisted.** Connect Claude (or another MCP-compatible agent) to your vault via the [Chamber MCP server](/manage/ai-assisted-management.md) — a local-first npm package, keys never leave your machine. The agent reads state and executes trades within the same Guard System rules.
* **Automated.** Run a bot via the [SDK](/build/sdk.md) or direct contract calls. Rebalance on a schedule or a signal.

A single vault can layer all three. The Guard System applies the same constraints either way — AI doesn't get looser rules; bots don't get tighter ones.

## Who Chamber is for

* **Vault managers** — human traders, strategy developers, and anyone running a bot or agent who wants onchain infrastructure without building their own vault contracts.
* **Depositors** — individuals looking for managed onchain strategies with non-custodial guarantees.
* **Developers** — teams building on top of Chamber via the SDK, subgraph, Data API, or MCP server.

## What Chamber is not

* **Not custodial.** Chamber never holds your funds. Deposits live in the vault contract; the contract enforces who can do what.
* **Not insured by default.** Audits, the Guard System, and bug bounties reduce risk — but every deposit carries market, smart-contract, and manager risk. Optional cover may be available via third-party providers (see [Insurance](/deposit/insurance.md)); otherwise see [Risks](/deposit/risks.md).

## Where to go next

* **Running a vault?** Start at [Manage → Overview](/manage/overview.md) and the [Manager playbook](/manage/manager-playbook.md).
* **Building an integration?** Start at [Build → Overview](/build/overview.md).
* **Understanding the mechanics?** Start at [Concepts → Vaults as guardrails](/concepts/vaults-as-guardrails.md) and [Guard System](/security/guard-system.md).
* **Moving from dHEDGE?** [dHEDGE → Chamber](/introduction/dhedge-to-chamber.md) covers what stays and what's new.
* **Depositing?** Start at [Deposit → Overview](/deposit/overview.md) and [Find a vault](/deposit/find-a-vault.md).


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