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Quick Start

Get started with Cortex in under 5 minutes! This guide will walk you through making your first API call and understanding the response structure.

🔑 Step 1: Get Your API Key​

  1. Visit usecortex.co
  2. Sign up for a free account
  3. Navigate to your dashboard
  4. Copy your API key
Free Tier

The free tier includes 100 queries per month - perfect for testing and prototyping!

🌐 Step 2: Make Your First Request​

Using cURL​

curl -X POST https://api.usecortex.co/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "latest developments in artificial intelligence",
    "max_results": 3,
    "include_sources": true
  }'

Using Python​

import requests

headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

data = {
    "query": "latest developments in artificial intelligence",
    "max_results": 3,
    "include_sources": True
}

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.usecortex.co/v1/search",
    headers=headers,
    json=data
)

result = response.json()
print(result["summary"])

Using JavaScript​

const response = await fetch('https://api.usecortex.co/v1/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    query: 'latest developments in artificial intelligence',
    max_results: 3,
    include_sources: true,
  }),
});

const result = await response.json();
console.log(result.summary);

📊 Step 3: Understand the Response​

Here's what a typical Cortex response looks like:

{
  "summary": "Recent AI developments include breakthroughs in large language models, autonomous systems, and multimodal AI capabilities. Major companies are focusing on AGI research while addressing safety concerns.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://example.com/ai-breakthrough",
      "title": "Latest AI Breakthroughs in 2025",
      "snippet": "Revolutionary advances in reasoning capabilities...",
      "confidence": 0.92,
      "published_date": "2025-01-08T10:00:00Z",
      "domain": "example.com"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "query_time": 1.23,
    "sources_found": 15,
    "sources_used": 3,
    "confidence_score": 0.89,
    "cached": false
  },
  "request_id": "req_12345abcde"
}

Response Fields Explained​

FieldDescription
summaryAI-generated summary of the search results
sourcesArray of source websites with citations
metadataPerformance and quality metrics
request_idUnique identifier for debugging

✅ Step 4: Verify Your Setup​

Test with a simple query to make sure everything works:

# Simple test query
curl -X POST https://api.usecortex.co/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "what is artificial intelligence"}'

You should get a response within 2-3 seconds with a summary and sources.

🎯 Common Use Cases​

Now that you're set up, explore these popular patterns:

  • Real-time News: "latest news about [topic]"
  • Research: "academic papers on [subject]"
  • Market Analysis: "[company] financial performance 2025"
  • Technical Updates: "[technology] latest version features"

🚀 Next Steps​

💡 Pro Tips​

Rate Limiting

Start with small requests and gradually increase as you understand your usage patterns. Free tier has generous limits for testing.

API Key Security

Never expose your API key in client-side code. Always use server-side requests or environment variables.

🆘 Having Issues?​