Getting Started

Make your first API call in five minutes. You need an account that has finished onboarding.

1. Create a key

In the app, open More → API and click Create. View (read only) is enough to look around; add Trade if you’ll place orders or deploy. Step by step: Create an API key.

The key is shown once. Store it like a password.

2. Set it up

export CAPITALAI_API_KEY=...
export CAPITALAI_API_URL=https://capital.ai

3. Check who you are

REST

curl "$CAPITALAI_API_URL/api/v1/whoami" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAPITALAI_API_KEY"

{ "accountId": "acc_123" }

A 401 means the key is wrong or revoked. See Authentication.

4. Check the account is open

REST

curl "$CAPITALAI_API_URL/api/onboarding/status" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAPITALAI_API_KEY"

status must be active before anything below works. See Account Opening.

5. Place an order

This step trades on the exchange and needs the Trade scope. Pick a contract from the Markets page, for example H100SXM-11-26, and buy one at a limit price. Prices are whole dollars per contract, in cents.

REST

curl -X POST "$CAPITALAI_API_URL/api/v1/compute/commands" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAPITALAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "request_id": "0b1f0a4e-7c1e-4a44-9b1a-0a1e3c2d4f55",
    "command": {
      "type": "place_order",
      "instrument_id": "H100SXM-11-26",
      "side": "buy",
      "lots": "1",
      "price_cents": "140000",
      "time_in_force": "GTC"
    }
  }'

{ "request_id": "0b1f0a4e-…", "status": "COMMITTED", "object_id": "8123" }

COMMITTED means the exchange accepted the order; object_id is its order ID, which cancels it. REJECTED carries a message saying why. Every field is explained in Orders.

6. Deploy what you hold

Once you hold a provider’s BASIS contract and the GPU contract for the same month, ask for the machines:

REST

curl -X POST "$CAPITALAI_API_URL/api/v1/compute/deployments" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAPITALAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"basis_symbol": "BBA-10-26", "gpu_symbol": "H100SXM-10-26", "gpus": 8}'

The deployment comes back as requested. Ops provisions the machines and sends access by email; its status moves to active. See Deployments.

7. Watch it in your activity

REST

curl "$CAPITALAI_API_URL/api/v1/transactions?limit=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAPITALAI_API_KEY"

Next

• The contracts, prices and fees: Contracts.
• Fund the account from code: Funding Overview.
• Every endpoint: start at Account.