bullpen-bracket

name	bullpen-bracket
description	AI-assisted bracket contest filling and management for Polymarket tournament contests (e.g. March Madness). Use when the user wants to fill a bracket, make picks, submit a tiebreaker, view standings, check results, or automate bracket strategies. Provides command reference, slot ID format, scoring rules, and strategy templates (chalk, upset-heavy, custom champion).
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"BullpenFi","version":"0.1.64","tags":["bracket","march-madness","tournament","polymarket","prediction-markets","sports"],"docs-url":"cli.bullpen.fi"}

Bullpen Bracket Skill

This is a live example of the AI agent skill format. For the full format specification, see AI Agent Skill Format Specification.

Instructions

Step 1: Identify What the User Wants to Do

Route to the right section based on intent:

User Intent	Go To
Find bracket contests	List Contests
See the full tournament bracket	Display Tournament Bracket
Submit picks (one or many)	Submit a Single Pick
Fill entire bracket automatically	Auto-Fill Bracket
Fill from a JSON file	Fill from File
See bracket summary	View Bracket Summary
Set tiebreaker score	Submit Tiebreaker
See standings / my rank	View Leaderboard / View Your Status
Check game outcomes	View Game Results
See Polymarket market mappings	View Polymarket Market Mappings
Strategy help	Strategy Templates

Read references/bracket-contest.md for full command reference, slot ID format, scoring rules, strategy templates, and the automated fill script.

Step 2: Key Rules

• Authentication required for all write operations (picks, tiebreaker). Run bullpen login first.
• Slot IDs follow the format R{round}_{region}_{game}. Get exact slot IDs from bullpen polymarket bracket bracket-view <id>.
• Team names support fuzzy matching — you can use short names like "Duke", "Illinois", "Michigan St" instead of full university names. The CLI resolves against the server's team list.
• R2+ picks work — for later-round matchups where opponents are TBD, the CLI resolves team names against all tournament entries.
• Round-by-round submission — fill-chalk and fill submit picks round by round (R1 first, then R2-R6) with automatic fallback to individual submission if a batch fails.
• Dry-run mode — use --dry-run on fill-chalk or fill to preview picks without submitting.
• Consistency warnings — picking a team in R2+ that you didn't pick to advance from the previous round triggers a warning (non-blocking).
• Tiebreaker is the predicted total points in the championship game. Submit after filling all 63 picks.
• All commands support --output json for scripting and automation.

Step 3: Execute

Run commands via bullpen CLI. Bracket commands are all under bullpen polymarket bracket.

Quick Command Map

Intent	Command
List open contests	bullpen polymarket bracket contests --status open
View contest details	bullpen polymarket bracket view <CONTEST_ID>
Display bracket tree	bullpen polymarket bracket bracket-view <CONTEST_ID>
View my picks	bullpen polymarket bracket picks <CONTEST_ID>
View picks for one round	bullpen polymarket bracket picks <CONTEST_ID> --round 1
Submit one pick	bullpen polymarket bracket pick <CONTEST_ID> --slot <SLOT> --winner "Duke"
Preview chalk bracket	bullpen polymarket bracket fill-chalk <CONTEST_ID> --dry-run
Auto-fill chalk bracket	bullpen polymarket bracket fill-chalk <CONTEST_ID> --tiebreaker 145
Fill from JSON file	bullpen polymarket bracket fill <CONTEST_ID> --file picks.json
View bracket summary	bullpen polymarket bracket summary <CONTEST_ID>
Submit tiebreaker	bullpen polymarket bracket submit <CONTEST_ID> --tiebreaker <SCORE>
View leaderboard	bullpen polymarket bracket leaderboard <CONTEST_ID>
My rank and score	bullpen polymarket bracket status <CONTEST_ID>
Game results	bullpen polymarket bracket results <CONTEST_ID>
Polymarket mappings	bullpen polymarket bracket markets <CONTEST_ID>

Examples

Example 1: Fill a Full Bracket (Chalk Strategy)

User says: "Fill my March Madness bracket picking the higher seed every time"

Actions:

1. Find the active contest: bullpen polymarket bracket contests --status open --output json
2. Auto-fill all 63 picks with chalk (higher seed always wins): bullpen polymarket bracket fill-chalk <CONTEST_ID> --tiebreaker 145
3. Review the bracket summary: bullpen polymarket bracket summary <CONTEST_ID>
4. Override specific picks if desired: bullpen polymarket bracket pick <CONTEST_ID> --slot R1_E2 --winner "TCU"
5. Verify: bullpen polymarket bracket picks <CONTEST_ID>

Example 2: Fill a Bracket with a Specific Champion

User says: "Fill my bracket with Duke winning it all"

Actions:

1. Find contest: bullpen polymarket bracket contests --status open --output json
2. Start with chalk base: bullpen polymarket bracket fill-chalk <CONTEST_ID> --tiebreaker 152
3. Override Duke's path to the championship — work backwards from R6:
   • bullpen polymarket bracket pick <CONTEST_ID> --slot R6_CH1 --winner "Duke"
   • bullpen polymarket bracket pick <CONTEST_ID> --slot R5_FF1 --winner "Duke"
   • (continue for Elite 8, Sweet 16, etc.)
4. Review: bullpen polymarket bracket summary <CONTEST_ID>
5. Verify all 63 picks: bullpen polymarket bracket picks <CONTEST_ID>

Example 3: Check Standings Mid-Tournament

User says: "How am I doing in the bracket contest?"

Actions:

1. Quick overview: bullpen polymarket bracket summary <CONTEST_ID>
2. Check your rank: bullpen polymarket bracket status <CONTEST_ID>
3. View recent results: bullpen polymarket bracket results <CONTEST_ID>
4. See leaderboard: bullpen polymarket bracket leaderboard <CONTEST_ID>
5. Compare max possible points vs current leader to assess your path to winning

Example 4: Fill from a JSON File

User says: "I have my picks in a file, submit them all"

Actions:

1. Create a picks file (picks.json):

   {
     "picks": [
       {"slot": "R1_E1", "winner": "Duke"},
       {"slot": "R1_E2", "winner": "TCU"},
       {"slot": "R1_E3", "winner": "Illinois"}
     ],
     "tiebreaker": 148
   }
   

2. Submit: bullpen polymarket bracket fill <CONTEST_ID> --file picks.json
3. Team names support fuzzy matching — "Duke", "Illinois", "Michigan St" all work.
4. Verify: bullpen polymarket bracket summary <CONTEST_ID>

March Madness Quick Reference

64 teams, 4 regions (East, West, South, Midwest), 63 total picks

Round	Games	Pts/Pick	Max Pts
First Round	32	1	32
Second Round	16	2	32
Sweet 16	8	4	32
Elite 8	4	8	32
Final Four	2	16	32
Championship	1	32	32
Total	63	—	192

Historic upset rates (Round 1):

• 12 over 5: ~35%
• 11 over 6: ~37%
• 10 over 7: ~40%
• 13 over 4: ~21%
• 14 over 3: ~15%
• 15 over 2: ~6%
• 16 over 1: ~1% (has happened once in history)

Troubleshooting

Error	Fix
"Not authenticated"	Run bullpen login
"Contest not found"	Run bullpen polymarket bracket contests to get valid IDs
"Invalid slot ID"	Use bracket-view --output json to get exact slot IDs
"No team matching..."	Check team names with bracket-view. Fuzzy matching works for short names ("Duke", "UNC")
"Ambiguous team name..."	Be more specific — the error lists matching candidates
"Warning: ... not picked to advance"	Consistency warning — your later-round pick doesn't match an earlier pick. Non-blocking.
"Picks deadline passed"	Contest is closed — check bracket-view for deadline field
Command not found	Run bullpen upgrade to get the latest version

Full Reference

See references/bracket-contest.md for:

• Complete command syntax and all flags
• Full slot ID format specification
• All strategy templates (chalk, upset-heavy, custom champion, contrarian)
• Automated fill script
• Polymarket market mapping usage

Resources

• Docs: cli.bullpen.fi
• Bug reports: github.com/BullpenFi/bullpen-cli-releases/issues
• Support: help.bullpen.fi
• Releases: github.com/BullpenFi/bullpen-cli-releases