Your First Request

This page walks through making your first API calls to Universal API.

TIP

If you haven't set up authentication yet, start with the Quick Start guide.

Check Your Account

curl -s https://api.universalapi.co/user/info \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" | jq

{
  "authenticated": true,
  "userId": "d468e4e8-...",
  "alias": "yourname",
  "credits": 100,
  "subscriptionTier": "free",
  "needsAlias": false
}

Call an MCP Server Tool

MCP servers expose tools via the Model Context Protocol. You can call them directly:

curl -s -X POST https://mcp.api.universalapi.co/mcp/s/snowtimber/serpapi \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "google_search",
      "arguments": {"query": "Universal API MCP servers"}
    }
  }' | jq

INFO

MCP servers are designed to be used by AI clients (Claude, Cline) via the MCP protocol. Direct HTTP calls work but the primary use case is connecting them to your AI assistant. See Quick Start.

Chat with an Agent

Agents use a dedicated streaming endpoint:

curl -s -X POST https://stream.api.universalapi.co/agent/AGENT_ID/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "What can you help me with?"}'

The response streams back as text, followed by metadata:

I can help you with many things! I have access to tools for...

__META__{"conversationId":"conv-xxx","agentId":"agent-xxx","bedrockProvider":"platform"}
__METRICS__{"totalCycles":1,"totalTokens":500,"toolsUsed":[]}

To continue the conversation, include the conversationId:

curl -s -X POST https://stream.api.universalapi.co/agent/AGENT_ID/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "Tell me more about that", "conversationId": "conv-xxx"}'

Search for Resources

Find resources using semantic search — no auth required for public resources:

curl -s "https://api.universalapi.co/search?q=send+email&type=mcp-tool&limit=5" | jq

What's Next?

• Authentication — Deep dive into tokens, keys, and security
• Core Concepts — Credits, pricing, resource types
• Creating MCP Servers — Build your own tools
• Creating Agents — Build conversational AI