# Query default paper watchlist

**URL:** <https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/query-default-paper-watchlist/12249>\
**Category:** Alpaca Account Troubleshooting\
**Created:** [April 24, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/query-default-paper-watchlist/12249 "2023-04-24T18:27:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kizik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kizik](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Kizik)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/query-default-paper-watchlist/12249/1 "2023-04-24T18:27:33Z")

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## Environment

**Language**  
Python

**Alpaca SDK Version**  
Using raw api requests

**Other Environment Details**  
I use the pythonista app available for iOS for a majority of what I do. Which is why I don’t use the alpaca sdk, it has dependencies I can’t install.

## Problem

**Summary**  
I am trying to get the api to return the default paper watchlist

**Paper or Live Tradng?**  
Paper.

**Example Code**  
Can be provided if necessary but my issue is pretty straight forward

When I do a api request for the watchlists on my paper account it returns an empty list, which is fine, however when I use the web front end I can clearly add symbols to a watchlist and they are remembered between sessions. Where is this default list accessed through the api?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kizik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kizik](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Kizik)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/query-default-paper-watchlist/12249/2 "2023-04-24T18:37:31Z")

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As a side note, I queried the live account and discovered the watchlist that was displaying on the web front end was named “Primary Watchlist”

I tried to create a watchlist for the paper account to match this to see if I could create the default watchlist and have it displayed on the paper account. I received a 422 status code which was read as the “name was not unique”. Which tells me the “Primary Watchlist” exists on the paper account but isn’t listed when returning all watchlists through the api.