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

# Quickstart

> From a new account to your first search, and what it cost, in five minutes.

This walkthrough takes you through the core loop of the API: create a key, check your balance, search for people, and see what the search cost.

> [!NOTE]
>
> New accounts get \$1 of free calls on their first organization. After that, calls draw on a prepaid balance you top up from \$10 in the console. A search that finds nobody costs nothing.

**1. Create a key**

[Sign up](https://console.staging.outbound.dev/sign-up), then open **API keys** in the console and create a key with the scopes it needs. Copy it now: the full key is shown only once. See [Authentication](https://docs.outbound.dev/authentication.md) for scopes and daily caps.

```bash theme={null}
export OUTBOUND_API_KEY="ob_live_..."
```

**2. Check your balance**

Send the key as a Bearer token on every request. Reading the balance is free:

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.outbound.dev/v1/wallet \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTBOUND_API_KEY"
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "balanceUsd": "1.000000",
  "heldUsd": "0.000000",
  "availableUsd": "1.000000",
  "autoRecharge": { "isEnabled": false },
  "keyDailySpend": { "spentUsd": "0.000000", "resetsAt": "2026-11-15T00:00:00.000Z" }
}
```

A `401` means the key is missing, mistyped, revoked or expired: the error's `code` says which.

**3. Search for people**

Describe who you want in plain language. `limit` is how many people the page holds:

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.outbound.dev/v1/people/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTBOUND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "operations directors at logistics companies in Portugal", "limit": 5}'
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": [
    {
      "linkedinMemberId": "ACoAAB2cdEF",
      "linkedin_url": "linkedin.com/in/ana-ruiz-ops",
      "full_name": "Ana Ruiz",
      "job_title": "Director of Operations",
      "job_company_name": "Halden Freight",
      "job_company_website": "haldenfreight.com",
      "location_name": "lisbon, lisbon, portugal"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": { "nextCursor": "c2Nyb2xsXzI" },
  "filters": {
    "keywords": ["operations"],
    "job_title_levels": ["director"],
    "job_company_location_country": ["portugal"]
  }
}
```

The query was turned into `filters`, which the page answers with. People never carry an email address or a phone number.

**4. See what it cost**

Every answer carries what the call cost and the balance after it:

```text theme={null}
X-Charged-Usd: 0.000500
X-Balance-Usd: 0.999500
X-Request-Id: req_6a1f0c2b9d4e8a7f3c5b2e10
```

Five people at \$0.0001 each cost \$0.0005. The same call shows in `GET /v1/requests`, and the charge in your ledger, `GET /v1/wallet/transactions`.

**5. Get the next page**

Send the `filters` the first page answered with, and its `nextCursor` as `cursor`:

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.outbound.dev/v1/people/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTBOUND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filters": {"keywords": ["operations"], "job_title_levels": ["director"], "job_company_location_country": ["portugal"]}, "cursor": "c2Nyb2xsXzI", "limit": 5}'
```

When an answer has no `nextCursor`, that was the last page.

## Where to next

> [card] [Find people](https://docs.outbound.dev/guides/find-people.md)
>
> Refine a search with filters, count before you pay, and keep the search.

> [card] [Find companies and their people](https://docs.outbound.dev/guides/find-companies.md)
>
> Search companies, name one from its domain, and list its decision makers.

> [card] [Errors](https://docs.outbound.dev/errors.md)
>
> The one envelope every failure uses, and every code.

> [card] [Track your spend](https://docs.outbound.dev/guides/track-spend.md)
>
> Per-call headers, usage by day, and your request log.


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