Is Cornerstones a broker replacement?
No. It is a market context and product-access layer for agents and applications.
Agent-native market data
Cornerstones vs raw broker data for agent workflows
Use direct private integrations for tightly controlled internal systems. Use Cornerstones when agents, docs, demos, or public clients need read-only market context with safer boundaries.
Question
When should agent workflows use a product market-data layer instead of direct private integrations?
When this problem happens
- Direct integrations can expose more infrastructure than an agent needs to complete a task.
- Public docs should not depend on private source contracts or adapter behavior.
- Agent workflows need product-level access, usage, and plan semantics that raw feeds do not provide.
Recommended architecture
Use Cornerstones for agent context and reserve raw private integrations for internal systems with explicit risk controls.
Implementation steps
- Decide whether the workflow needs execution authority or only market context.
- Use Cornerstones for read-only context, docs examples, and agent-readable onboarding.
- Keep direct integrations inside the customer runtime for order routing or specialized internal systems.
- Audit generated code so it imports Cornerstones client concepts rather than private adapter names.
Example workflow
cornerstones-client guide
# use private execution integrations only inside your own trading runtimeComparison table
| Option | Best for | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Cornerstones | Agent-readable market context, docs, and public onboarding | Not an execution venue |
| Direct private integration | Internal trading runtimes with owned risk controls | Unsafe to expose broadly to agents |
| Manual research paste | One-time analysis | Stale quickly and leaves weak evidence trails |
FAQ
Why not expose raw integrations to agents?
Agents rarely need source topology or execution authority; exposing it increases leakage and safety risk.
Can both models coexist?
Yes. Cornerstones can provide read-only context while private systems handle execution and deeper internal operations.
What should public client examples show?
They should show Cornerstones commands, account access, and market-surface concepts only.