REST API and API keys

The REST API lives under /api/v1 and spends the same credit balance as the dashboard. Its full contract is published as OpenAPI 3.1 at /openapi.json. To use AuditAE from an AI client such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, connect the MCP server instead: Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. The same key works for both.

Get an API key

1. Go to API keys.
2. Click Create key.
3. Copy the key from the banner right away: AuditAE shows it only once. Lose it and you'll need to Rotate it, which issues a new key and revokes the old one. Revoke turns a key off for good.

A key starts with ae_live_ and acts for the workspace it was created in, spending that workspace's balance. Signing in to an AI client with OAuth always uses your personal workspace, so use a key for a team workspace.

Authentication

Send the key as a Bearer token on every request:

curl https://auditae.app/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ae_live_…" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"brand": "Acme", "domain": "acme.com", "prompt": "best project management tool for agencies"}'

A missing, invalid or revoked key gets 401 with a WWW-Authenticate header.

Endpoints

Free endpoints never touch your balance. Paid endpoints need at least 5¢ of credit (one check at the cheapest engine) to start, and bill only the work that runs. Request and response shapes for every endpoint are in /openapi.json.

Prices

• Checks and audits: one check per prompt × engine, priced per engine: Perplexity 5¢, ChatGPT 7¢, Google AI Overviews 9¢, Google AI Mode 10¢ (opt-in), Gemini 12¢. Leave out engines to run the default engines.
• Audits: up to 10 prompts per call. The workspace runs at most 4 audits at once; at that cap a new audit answers 202 with status: "queued" and starts within a minute of a slot opening. Poll GET /api/v1/audits/{id} for the result.
• Crawls: 1¢ per page crawled, 25 pages unless you set max_pages (up to 250). The balance has to cover max_pages × 1¢ to start.

All prices, the free signup credit and top-ups are on Credits, prices and top-ups.

When you run out of credit

A paid call that the balance can't cover answers 402 with the exact call to make next:

{
  "error": "Insufficient credits",
  "balance_cents": 0,
  "required_cents": 5,
  "top_up": {
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://auditae.app/api/v1/billing/top-up",
    "body": {
      "amount_usd": 5
    },
    "min_usd": 5,
    "max_usd": 1000,
    "note": "Returns a Stripe Checkout URL. Give it to the account owner to pay; credit lands within seconds."
  },
  "top_up_url": "https://auditae.app/dashboard/billing"
}

POST /api/v1/billing/top-up with { "amount_usd": 20 } returns a Stripe Checkout link for the account owner to pay. Add "shared_payment_token": "spt_…" to pay directly with a Stripe shared payment token the owner approved. GET /api/v1/billing returns the balance.

If the balance runs out partway through an audit, the response comes back with partial: true and out_of_credits: true, holding the cells that did run. Cells that didn't run aren't billed.

Rate limits

• 60 requests a minute per API key.
• 30 failed authentications a minute per IP address. Only failed attempts count, so many customers behind one office IP aren't blocked by each other.

Over a limit, the API answers 429 with {"error": "rate_limited", "retry_after": <seconds>} and a Retry-After header. The same limits apply to the MCP server, which shares the key.

Not in the API yet

Not yet over REST or MCP: recurring schedules (trackers). One-off re-checks are live over MCP (schedule_recheck, get_recheck, cancel_recheck). Also still on the list: a per-site audit-history endpoint and citation-trend exports. GA4 and Search Console reads are already live over MCP (query_search_console, query_google_analytics) and in AEBOT. Got a request? Send it from Support or email support@auditae.app.