Quick Start

Get your first summary back from the API in under 5 minutes. This guide covers authentication, your first request, and reading the response.

Jun 1, 2026

8 min read

v2.4.1

Prerequisites

Before you start, you'll need a SummarAI account and an API key. If you don't have one, create a free account — no credit card required. Your API key is available from the Dashboard → Settings → API Keys.

Installation

Install the official SDK for your language. We provide first-party clients for Node.js, Python, and Go. All SDKs wrap the same underlying REST API — you can also call it directly.

Authentication

All API requests are authenticated using Bearer tokens. Pass your API key in the Authorization header of every request.

Request Parameters

The POST /v1/summaries endpoint accepts the following parameters in the request body as JSON.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`input`	`string`	`Required`	A URL (http/https), file path, or raw text string. Accepted types: PDF, DOCX, TXT, YouTube URL, Loom URL, MP3, M4A.
`format`	`string`	`Optional`	Output format. One of `paragraph`, `bullets`, `tldr`, `structured`, `action_items`. Defaults to `paragraph`.
`language`	`string`	`Optional`	BCP-47 language tag for the output. E.g. `en`, `fr`, `es`. Defaults to the detected input language.
`length`	`string`	`Optional`	Controls output verbosity. One of `short`, `medium`, `long`. Defaults to `medium`.
`features`	`string[]`	`Optional`	Array of additional features to run. Values: `sentiment`, `key_quotes`, `topics`, `data_extraction`. Pro plan required.
`webhook_url`	`string`	`Optional`	A URL to receive a `POST` callback when processing completes. Recommended for files over 50 pages or audio over 30 minutes.
`metadata`	`object`	`Optional`	Arbitrary key-value pairs attached to the summary object. Returned as-is on retrieval. Useful for your internal IDs or tags.

Async Processing

Large files and long audio recordings process asynchronously. When you submit a request, it returns immediately with status: "processing". Poll the summary's ID or use a webhook to know when it's done.

Supported Input Types

SummarAI automatically detects the content type from the URL or file extension. You can also force a specific type with the input_type parameter.

Type	Accepted Values	Max Size	Plan
`Document`	PDF, DOCX, TXT, HTML, MD	`500 pages`	Free (50p) · Pro+
`Video URL`	YouTube, Loom, Vimeo	`4 hours`	All plans
`Audio file`	MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC	`500 MB`	Pro+
`Web article`	Any public HTTP/HTTPS URL	`—`	All plans
`Raw text`	Plain string in `input` field	`100,000 chars`	All plans

Error Handling

Errors return a non-200 status code with a JSON body containing a code, human-readable message, and optional details.

POST/v1/summaries422 Unprocessable

{
  "error": {
    "code":    "file_too_large",
    "message": "The uploaded file exceeds the 50-page limit for your plan.",
    "details": {
      "pages_detected": 127,
      "plan_limit":     50
    }
  }
}

{
  "error": {
    "code":    "file_too_large",
    "message": "The uploaded file exceeds the 50-page limit for your plan.",
    "details": {
      "pages_detected": 127,
      "plan_limit":     50
    }
  }
}

{
  "error": {
    "code":    "file_too_large",
    "message": "The uploaded file exceeds the 50-page limit for your plan.",
    "details": {
      "pages_detected": 127,
      "plan_limit":     50
    }
  }
}

Common error codes

Code	Status	Description
`invalid_api_key`	`401`	Key is missing, malformed, or revoked.
`insufficient_plan`	`403`	Feature requires a higher-tier plan.
`rate_limit_exceeded`	`429`	Too many requests. Retry after the `Retry-After` header value.
`file_too_large`	`422`	File exceeds the page or size limit for your plan.
`unsupported_format`	`422`	Input type or file format is not supported.
`processing_failed`	`500`	An internal error occurred. Retry once. Contact support if it persists.

Next Steps

✓

Authenticate and make your first call

You've completed this step. Your API key is working and you can create summaries.

Explore output formats

Try format: "action_items" for meeting recordings or format: "structured" for research papers. Each format shapes the response differently.

Set up a webhook

For production workloads, use webhooks instead of polling. Pass a webhook_url and we'll push the completed result to your server.

Enable features

Add sentiment, key_quotes, or topics to the features array to enrich your summaries without making extra calls.