# Get Started

> The agent lifecycle from discovery to purchase — what works today, what's coming, and a simulated walkthrough of the self-serve flow.

## Two facts before you start

1. **The API is real and callable right now.** Base URL `https://api.reply.io/v3`, Bearer-token auth, scoped keys, 100 requests/minute. The [MCP server](/mcp) is equally live.
2. **The account boundary still needs a human today.** Signup, key creation, and payment happen in the Reply.io app. Every step below is labeled honestly; the simulated demo shows where the self-serve flow is going.

## Authenticate and make your first call

```bash
export REPLY_API_KEY=...   # from Reply.io app → Settings → API Key

# whoami — verify the key and see your user context
curl https://api.reply.io/v3/whoami \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $REPLY_API_KEY"

# list sequences — requires the sequences:read scope
curl https://api.reply.io/v3/sequences \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $REPLY_API_KEY"
```

Scopes follow a `domain:verb` model (`contacts:read`, `sequences:operate`, `inbox:write`, …); broader verbs include narrower ones. Details: [authentication reference](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/authentication).

## Pick your surface

- **REST** — the full catalog, documented per module in [APIs](/apis) with OpenAPI files.
- **MCP** — live at `mcp2.reply.io` (70 tools); best inside Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client. See [MCP](/mcp).
- **CLI / Skills** — available. Install the CLI with `npm i -g reply-cli`; add the [Agent Skill](/skills) with one git clone. See [CLI](/cli) and [Skills](/skills).

## The agent lifecycle, step by step

### Discover capabilities

Fetch /llms.txt or /catalog.json on this site for the module index, or read the official reference at docs.reply.io (which serves its own llms.txt and OpenAPI). Everything here is also plain markdown — append .md to any page URL.
- Today's real path: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt)

### Create an account (Coming soon)

Agent self-registration (an agent creating its own Reply.io account programmatically) is specified but not yet live. Today, a human signs up — 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
- Today's real path: [Sign up at run.reply.io/register (14-day free trial)](https://run.reply.io/register)
- In the simulated demo: POST /v3/agents/register → 201 — agent account created (simulated)

### Create a workspace (Coming soon)

A workspace is created during signup today. Programmatic workspace creation for agents ships with self-registration.
- Today's real path: [Created automatically during signup](https://run.reply.io/register)
- In the simulated demo: POST /v3/agents/workspaces → 201 — workspace demo-agent-ws created (simulated)

### Get an API key

API keys with granular scopes (contacts:*, sequences:*, inbox:*, …) exist today — a human creates one in the Reply.io app under Settings → API Key and hands it to the agent. Self-issued keys ship with self-registration.
- Today's real path: [Reply.io app: Settings → API Key](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/authentication)
- In the simulated demo: POST /v3/agents/api-keys → 201 — key reply_sim_k3y issued with scopes contacts:operate, sequences:operate (simulated)

### Get trial access

The 14-day free trial includes API access, multichannel sequences, the B2B database, and reporting. Data/enrichment operations meter against plan credits (Live Data credits).
- Today's real path: [Trial terms at reply.io/free-trial](https://reply.io/free-trial/)
- In the simulated demo: GET /v3/agents/credits → 200 — 100 trial credits granted (simulated)

### Call the API

Authenticate with your API key and call any module without a Coming soon label — REST at api.reply.io/v3 (Bearer), or the live MCP server at mcp2.reply.io (x-api-key or Bearer, 70 tools).
- Today's real path: [First call — GET /v3/whoami](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/user-account/get-current-user)
- In the simulated demo: POST /v3/sequences → 201 — sequence 5417 created; 1 credit spent (simulated)

### Track usage and credits (Coming soon)

Usage and credit balances are visible in the Reply.io app today; a billing/credits API surface for agents is specified but not yet live.
- Today's real path: [Usage in the Reply.io app](https://run.reply.io/)
- In the simulated demo: GET /v3/agents/credits → 200 — 99 credits remaining (simulated)

### Add credits (Coming soon)

Autonomous purchasing is not live. Today the agent generates an upgrade link and hands it to its human, who completes checkout on reply.io. Agent-initiated purchase with spend guardrails is on the roadmap.
- Today's real path: [Pricing & checkout at reply.io/pricing](https://reply.io/pricing/)
- In the simulated demo: POST /v3/agents/upgrade-link → 200 — checkout link generated; hand it to your human: reply.io/pricing (simulated)

## FAQ

**Can an AI agent register for Reply.io by itself today?**

Not yet. Today a human creates the account (14-day free trial, no credit card) and generates an API key in Settings → API Key; the agent uses that key. Agent self-registration is specified and coming soon.

**What can an agent do completely autonomously today?**

Everything behind the API key — search and manage contacts, run sequences, send outreach, read and answer replies, pull reports — via REST or the live MCP server. The account/billing boundary (signup, purchase) still needs a human.

**How does an agent pay for more credits?**

Today it generates value and hands its human the pricing/checkout link. Autonomous purchasing with spend guardrails is on the roadmap, marked coming soon.