# Quickstart: REST API

**You need:** an API key in `RA_API_KEY` and any HTTP client.

1. **Get a key.** Sign up at https://app.closefinch.com/sign-up (the Free plan, no card). An owner creates a key in Settings → API keys and picks its scopes: `crm:read` to read, plus `crm:write` and `agents:write` to make changes. Keep it in an environment variable, never in a file you commit:

   ```bash
   export RA_API_KEY=ra_live_…
   ```
2. **Call it** (no key yet? `ra sandbox create --host https://api.closefinch.com` makes a sandbox and saves its key):

   ```bash
   curl -s https://api.closefinch.com/v1/me -H "Authorization: Bearer $RA_API_KEY"
   curl -s "https://api.closefinch.com/v1/deals?q=Acme&limit=10" -H "Authorization: Bearer $RA_API_KEY"
   curl -s https://api.closefinch.com/v1/tasks -H "Authorization: Bearer $RA_API_KEY" -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -d '{"values":{"title":"Send the pricing sheet"}}'
   ```
3. **Check it.** `/v1/me` answers with your organization and scopes. The spec for every route is at
   [https://www.closefinch.com/openapi.json](https://www.closefinch.com/openapi.json), and [the reference](https://www.closefinch.com/docs/api) lists them by resource.

Errors are `{ "error": { "code", "message", "details" } }`; see [limits and errors](https://www.closefinch.com/for-agents#limits-and-errors).