> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.agenticpencil.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get started with AgenticPencil API in under 5 minutes

## Get Your API Key

First, you'll need to get your API key from the AgenticPencil platform:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign Up">
    Visit [platform.agenticpencil.com](https://platform.agenticpencil.com) and create your account
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Email">
    Check your inbox and verify your email address
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate API Key">
    Navigate to the API Keys section and generate your first key
  </Step>
</Steps>

Your API key will start with `ap_` and look like this: `ap_1234567890abcdef`

<Warning>
  Keep your API key secure! Never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.
</Warning>

## Make Your First API Call

Let's start with a simple keyword research request to get you familiar with the API:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST "https://api.agenticpencil.com/v1/keywords/research" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ap_your_api_key_here" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "domain": "example.com",
      "topic": "sustainable fashion",
      "country": "US",
      "limit": 10
    }'
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  url = "https://api.agenticpencil.com/v1/keywords/research"
  headers = {
      "Authorization": "Bearer ap_your_api_key_here",
      "Content-Type": "application/json"
  }
  data = {
      "domain": "example.com",
      "topic": "sustainable fashion",
      "country": "US",
      "limit": 10
  }

  response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
  result = response.json()
  print(result)
  ```

  ```javascript Node.js theme={null}
  const axios = require('axios');

  const response = await axios.post(
    'https://api.agenticpencil.com/v1/keywords/research',
    {
      domain: 'example.com',
      topic: 'sustainable fashion',
      country: 'US',
      limit: 10
    },
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer ap_your_api_key_here',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  );

  console.log(response.data);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Understanding the Response

You'll receive a structured response with keyword opportunities:

```json Example Response theme={null}
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "keywords": [
      {
        "keyword": "eco-friendly clothing brands",
        "search_volume": 12000,
        "competition": "medium",
        "cpc": 1.25,
        "trend": "increasing",
        "difficulty": 45,
        "opportunity_score": 78
      },
      {
        "keyword": "sustainable fashion tips",
        "search_volume": 8500,
        "competition": "low",
        "cpc": 0.85,
        "trend": "stable",
        "difficulty": 32,
        "opportunity_score": 82
      }
    ],
    "total_found": 10,
    "credits_used": 5
  },
  "credits_remaining": 45
}
```

## Key Response Fields

<ResponseField name="keyword" type="string">
  The keyword phrase
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="search_volume" type="number">
  Monthly search volume
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="competition" type="string">
  Competition level: low, medium, or high
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="opportunity_score" type="number">
  AgenticPencil's proprietary opportunity score (1-100, higher is better)
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="credits_used" type="number">
  Number of credits consumed by this request
</ResponseField>

## Next Steps

Now that you've made your first successful API call, explore these powerful features:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Content Gap Analysis" icon="search" href="/api-reference/keywords-gaps">
    Find keywords your competitors rank for but you don't
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content Audit" icon="chart-bar" href="/api-reference/content-audit">
    Analyze your existing content performance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content Recommendations" icon="lightbulb" href="/api-reference/content-recommend">
    Get AI-powered content strategy suggestions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage Tracking" icon="chart-line" href="/api-reference/usage">
    Monitor your API usage and credit consumption
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Error Handling

Always check the response status and handle errors gracefully:

```python Error Handling Example theme={null}
import requests

try:
    response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
    response.raise_for_status()  # Raises an HTTPError for bad responses
    
    result = response.json()
    if result.get('status') == 'success':
        # Process successful response
        keywords = result['data']['keywords']
    else:
        # Handle API-level errors
        print(f"API Error: {result.get('error', 'Unknown error')}")
        
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
    print(f"Request failed: {e}")
```

<Tip>
  Start with small requests to understand the API structure, then scale up as you build confidence with the responses.
</Tip>