Getting Started

This guide walks you through generating an API key, authenticating requests, and executing your first query against the Outtake API.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An active Outtake account with API access enabled
• Access to the Outtake dashboard

Step 1: Generate an API key

API keys are managed from the Outtake dashboard. Follow these steps to create your first key:

1. Log in to the Outtake dashboard at app.outtake.ai
2. Click API Keys in the left sidebar
3. Click Create API Key and give it a descriptive name
4. Copy your new API key immediately — it won’t be shown again

Step 2: Authenticate your requests

All Outtake API requests require a bearer token in the Authorization header:

$
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key you generated in Step 1.

Step 3: Make your first request

Let’s run a simple search query to verify your setup. This example searches for content related to “brand impersonation” using the hybrid search mode:

$
curl --request POST "https://app.outtake.ai/api/v1/search" \
>
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
>
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
>
  --data '{
>
    "query": "brand impersonation",
>
    "searchType": "hybrid",
>
    "pagination": {
>
      "pageIndex": 0,
>
      "pageSize": 10
>
    }
>
  }'

A successful response returns matching content from the Outtake index:

1
{
2
  "data": [...],
3
  "totalHits": 42,
4
  "pagination": {
5
    "pageIndex": 0,
6
    "pageSize": 10
7
  }
8
}

Common authentication errors

Managing your API keys

You can return to the API Keys page at any time to:

• Create additional keys for different environments (development, staging, production)
• Revoke compromised or unused keys
• Rotate keys regularly as a security best practice

We recommend creating separate keys for each integration and rotating them periodically.

Next steps

Now that you’re authenticated, explore these resources:

• Search guide — Learn advanced search techniques and async discovery
• Collections guide — Organize content and track narratives
• API Reference — Complete endpoint documentation