Options trading can work like this? Using AI to evolve from "flipping through screens" to "typing on a keyboard."

Anyone else know this feeling?

You want to make an options trade. First you open the app to check the underlying, then switch to the options chain and scroll to an expiry, tap in to look at implied volatility (IV), decide that's not enough, and then go digging into what the big institutions have been buying lately…

By the time you're done, you've flipped through seven or eight screens — and your train of thought got cut off about that many times too.

It's not that the information isn't there. It's just scattered everywhere. All your energy goes into finding the info, and there's barely any left for actually making the call.

So here's the question: is there a way to pull all of this together in a single window, without bouncing back and forth?

We've talked before about Longbridge's AI terminal tool — it lets you check positions, watch quotes, track institutional flows and more, all in one window. If you haven't come across it yet, start here: Longbridge Terminal CLI major update: from "seeing your positions" to "seeing where the money goes" - Longbridge.

Today OptionsAlpha wants to get into this: when it comes to trading options, what can this AI tool actually do for you?

Four scenarios: how AI can help you trade options

OptionsAlpha isn't going to read you the manual — let's just jump straight into scenarios. The four below cover the full options workflow, from looking to doing to managing. Whether you're new or seasoned, you'll find yourself somewhere in here.

Scenario 1: Earnings are coming up, and I want to quickly take the "pulse" of the options market

This is the most common situation.

$Tesla(TSLA.US) is about to report earnings, and you want a read on the current mood in the options market — which expiries are available? Which strikes are most active? Where's IV sitting?

With the app, you'd first go into the stock page, tap into the options chain, pick an expiry, scroll through the strike list, and then maybe switch to another expiry to compare…

With the AI terminal, you just ask something like "show me the options chain for this stock," and it pulls the relevant data together for you — available expiries, quotes at each strike, IV and open interest levels, all laid out clearly. On top of that, it can do a first-pass analysis for you: which contracts are trading most actively, and what the current options activity might be signalling.

💡 Quick explainer of two key concepts for those new to this:

Implied volatility (IV) — think of it as the "scalper's price" on an option. Higher IV means the market expects bigger moves in the stock, so options get more expensive; lower IV means cheaper options. IV usually runs up before earnings, because everyone's scrambling for tickets.

Open interest — the number of options contracts still "alive" in the market. It tells you which strikes the market is genuinely fighting over.

These two are the "thermometers" you should check first, before any options decision. The AI terminal can grab both in seconds, saving you the page-by-page scrolling in the app.

Scenario 2: I hold some stock, I hear you can "collect rent" with options — but I have no idea how

This one's written specifically for those who've never touched options.

You've probably heard the line before: if you hold stock, you can earn extra income by selling call options — like "collecting rent" on your shares. This strategy has a proper name: the covered call.

The logic isn't complicated: you hold 100 shares of $NVIDIA(NVDA.US), then you sell one call and collect a premium. If the stock hasn't risen past the strike by expiry, that premium is pure "rent" in your pocket. If it does go past the strike, your shares get sold at the agreed price — you give up some of the upside, but you walk away with the sale proceeds plus the premium you collected earlier, so on the whole you're not losing out.

Sounds fine, but where beginners actually get stuck is: which expiry to sell? which strike to pick? is the current premium even worth selling?

These questions all come down to needing data to help you judge. The AI terminal is that assistant — you just ask, "I want to sell a call / do a covered call," and it quickly pulls the data: where your stock's resistance levels are, which expiries suit a call, how much premium each fetches, and roughly what the theoretical win rate looks like.

You don't need to tap layer by layer through the app, and you don't need to stare blankly at a wall of numbers. The AI terminal lays it all out flat in front of you, and you just choose based on your own position.

💡 A small tip for first-timers: start with the stock you know best and have held longest. Pick a strike where you'd be perfectly happy to sell at that price, and choose a near-term expiry 2–4 weeks out. Test the waters with a small position, get a feel for the "rent collection" rhythm, and don't go all in from the start.

The covered call is widely regarded as the "beginner-friendly" strategy in the options world, and the AI terminal makes that first step easier to take.

Scenario 3: Research done, I want to place the order directly — no more switching screens

This is a hidden pain point for a lot of options traders: you spend ten minutes on research, finally pick your contract, and then getting from "decided to buy" to "actually placed" still takes several more steps — switch back to the trading page, search the underlying again, find that contract, key in the price, confirm the order.

Every extra page switch in there is another chance to lose the thread. Especially when the market's moving fast — by the time you've switched screens, the price may already have changed.

The nice thing about the AI terminal: research and ordering happen in the same window. You've just looked at a contract's quote, you reckon it's worth a go, and you place the order right there in the same terminal.

And don't worry about "fat fingers" — a confirmation prompt pops up when you order, so you get one more look before it actually submits. One wrong digit won't blow things up.

Of course, easy ordering doesn't mean careless ordering. OptionsAlpha's usual refrain: position sizing comes first. Trade with money you can afford to lose, and don't lose the plot just because ordering got faster. If anything, terminal ordering calls for even more double-checking.

Scenario 4: Market's closed, I want a quick look at today's "report card"

Anyone who trades options knows options positions are more "fragmented" than stock — contracts across different underlyings, expiries and directions can all be running at once. To see the overall picture in the app, you have to expand each one.

The AI terminal is much slicker here: one command shows you total portfolio P&L, asset distribution across markets, and position details.

It's perfect for spending a minute or two after the close on a quick review: did I make or lose money overall today? Which positions drove most of the P&L? Does the position structure need adjusting?

Review is one of the first principles of investing. Even the best strategy is useless if you never review it — you won't know what you did right or wrong. The AI terminal brings the cost of that review right down: no opening several pages, just one glance in the terminal.

An Easter egg for advanced players: the AI terminal can do more

If you already have options trading experience and a bit of a foundation in data handling, there are some advanced plays worth knowing about.

For example, it supports outputting data in machine-readable format (JSON), which means you can batch-process data with scripts.

Picture this: you follow 20 stocks and want to sweep through their options IV changes every day before the open. Check them one by one manually? Too slow. But if you write a simple script that has the AI terminal auto-pull the data and generate an "IV morning report," so you just open the terminal to see it every day — that's efficiency on another level.

Of course, these advanced uses aren't required to get started. Get comfortable with the basics first — check, look, order, manage — and explore scripting later if it interests you.

How to get started?

If you've already installed the Longbridge Skill, the AI terminal is available automatically.

If not, here are two entry points to get up to speed quickly:

👉 Tutorial post: [Install guide] Step-by-step: getting Longbridge Skill + CLI set up - Longbridge

👉 Official tutorial: https://open.longbridge.com/zh-CN/docs/cli
For mainland China users: https://open.longbridge.cn/docs/cli

👉 Official account: @LongbridgeAI — sharing the latest on AI applications

👉 Related command reference: order | Longbridge Developers

Once installed, type longbridge update in the terminal to update to the latest version.

Friendly reminder

The above is for feature introduction and educational illustration only, and does not constitute any investment advice or guidance.

Options trading carries relatively high risk and complexity. Tools can make you more efficient at gathering information, but they can't replace your own investment judgment. When actually trading, please make careful decisions based on your own risk tolerance, market conditions, and specific needs.

A tool is an efficiency amplifier, not a judgment substitute. No matter how fast the data, the decision is still yours to make.

Investing carries risk; enter the market with caution.

What's the most painful part of options trading for you day to day? Finding info too slowly? The ordering flow being too long? Or review being too much of a hassle?

Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇

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