Cite Ready — API

Audit an article for AI citation, from your own tools.

API tokens Open the app

Score an article for AI citation from your own pipeline

Send an article and get back one JSON object: a citation-ready / needs-work / not-citable verdict, a readiness_score out of 100 that is the sum of five weighted retrieval factors, the 40–70 word answer_block an answer engine can lift, a 3–5 pair faq, severity-ranked findings each with a concrete fix, a claim_audit with one verdict per statistic in the article, and a rewritten opening for every passage that cannot stand alone. Wire it into a docs pipeline to gate publication on a score, re-audit a content library after an editorial guideline change, or run it in CI over every changed Markdown file in a pull request. Every code step below is shown in cURL, Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP and C#; pick a language once and the whole page follows.

Basics

Base URL https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api, app slug cite-ready. Every request sends Authorization: Bearer <token> and JSON bodies with Content-Type: application/json. Responses are wrapped in an envelope: {"data": …} on success, {"error": {"code", "message"}} on failure. Audits are produced by the gpt-terra model alias (currently gpt-5.6-terra) at a publisher markup of 1000 bps — 10%. Credits are in units of 1/10 000 of a US dollar, so 10 000 credits is $1.00.

POST /guest GET /me POST /estimate POST /run GET /jobs/{id} POST /run-stream POST /collections/audits/query

Error codes

HTTPcodeWhat it means and what to do
400validation_errorThe body is missing a required field or a field has the wrong type. error.details names it. POST /guest in particular needs slug in the body — an X-App-Slug header is not accepted.
401unauthorizedNo token, a malformed token, or a token that has expired. Mint a new guest token or sign in again.
402payment_requiredThe balance cannot cover this run's minimum. Call /estimate first and compare min_credits against /me's credits.
404not_foundUnknown job id, unknown collection, or a record that belongs to another subject. Guest identities are per-token: a new guest token cannot see the previous guest's records.
409conflictAn Idempotency-Key was reused with a different body. Change the attempt counter in the key when the input changes.
429rate_limitedToo many requests. Back off and retry; do not tight-loop.
500internal_errorTransient. Retry with the same Idempotency-Key so the retry cannot bill twice.
The one call that costs money is /run and /run-stream. /guest, /me and /estimate are free, so a client can price a run, check the balance and prove the model binding without spending anything.

Step 1 · Get a token

Two ways in. If you already use the app in a browser, open the token page and press Copy shell export — it hands you the exact export SKILLSAFE_TOKEN="…" line, with no DevTools console involved. For a fully scripted client, POST /guest mints a guest token with no browser at all. Guest tokens can call /me and the free /estimate; a personal token is what bills audit runs to your own account.

# Option A — take the token this browser already has: open /tokens.html,
      # press "Copy shell export", and paste the line it gives you.
      export SKILLSAFE_TOKEN="aut_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
      
      # Option B — mint a guest token with no browser at all. Guest tokens can call
      # /me and the free /estimate; sign in for a personal token to bill audit runs
      # to your own account.
      curl -s -X POST https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/guest \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d '{"slug":"cite-ready"}'
      # => {"data":{"token":"aut_...","subject_type":"guest","credits":0}}
import os, json, urllib.request
      
      BASE = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api"
      SLUG = "cite-ready"
      
      def call(path, body=None, token=None, method=None):
          data = json.dumps(body).encode() if body is not None else None
          req = urllib.request.Request(BASE + path, data=data,
                                      method=method or ("POST" if data else "GET"))
          req.add_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
          req.add_header("User-Agent", "cite-ready-client/1.0")
          if token:
              req.add_header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
          with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as r:
              return json.loads(r.read())["data"]
      
      # Option A: the token from /tokens.html, kept in your environment.
      token = os.environ.get("SKILLSAFE_TOKEN")
      
      # Option B: a fresh guest token, no browser involved.
      if not token:
          token = call("/guest", {"slug": SLUG})["token"]
      
      print(token[:12] + "...")
const BASE = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api";
      const SLUG = "cite-ready";
      
      async function call(path, { body, token, method } = {}) {
        const res = await fetch(BASE + path, {
          method: method || (body ? "POST" : "GET"),
          headers: {
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
            ...(token ? { Authorization: "Bearer " + token } : {}),
          },
          body: body ? JSON.stringify(body) : undefined,
        });
        const json = await res.json();
        if (json.error) throw Object.assign(new Error(json.error.message), json.error);
        return json.data;
      }
      
      // Option A: paste the token from /tokens.html (or read it from your own config).
      let token = "YOUR_TOKEN";
      
      // Option B: mint a guest token — good for /me and the free /estimate.
      if (token === "YOUR_TOKEN") token = (await call("/guest", { body: { slug: SLUG } })).token;
      
      console.log(token.slice(0, 12) + "...");
package main
      
      import (
          "bytes"
          "encoding/json"
          "errors"
          "fmt"
          "io"
          "net/http"
          "os"
      )
      
      const base = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api"
      const slug = "cite-ready"
      
      type envelope struct {
          Data  json.RawMessage `json:"data"`
          Error *struct {
              Code    string `json:"code"`
              Message string `json:"message"`
          } `json:"error"`
      }
      
      func call(path, token string, body any, out any) error {
          var rdr io.Reader
          method := "GET"
          if body != nil {
              b, _ := json.Marshal(body)
              rdr = bytes.NewReader(b)
              method = "POST"
          }
          req, _ := http.NewRequest(method, base+path, rdr)
          req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
          if token != "" {
              req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+token)
          }
          res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
          if err != nil {
              return err
          }
          defer res.Body.Close()
          var env envelope
          if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&env); err != nil {
              return err
          }
          if env.Error != nil {
              return errors.New(env.Error.Code + ": " + env.Error.Message)
          }
          if out != nil {
              return json.Unmarshal(env.Data, out)
          }
          return nil
      }
      
      func main() {
          token := os.Getenv("SKILLSAFE_TOKEN")
          if token == "" {
              var guest struct{ Token string `json:"token"` }
              if err := call("/guest", "", map[string]string{"slug": slug}, &guest); err != nil {
                  panic(err)
              }
              token = guest.Token
          }
          fmt.Println(token[:12] + "...")
      }
import java.net.URI;
      import java.net.http.*;
      import java.util.Map;
      
      public class CiteReady {
          static final String BASE = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api";
          static final String SLUG = "cite-ready";
          static final HttpClient HTTP = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
      
          static String call(String path, String token, String jsonBody) throws Exception {
              HttpRequest.Builder b = HttpRequest.newBuilder(URI.create(BASE + path))
                  .header("Content-Type", "application/json");
              if (token != null) b.header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token);
              b = jsonBody == null ? b.GET()
                                   : b.POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(jsonBody));
              HttpResponse<String> res = HTTP.send(b.build(), HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
              return res.body();   // {"data":...} or {"error":{...}} — parse with your JSON library
          }
      
          public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
              String token = System.getenv("SKILLSAFE_TOKEN");
              if (token == null) {
                  // POST /guest returns {"data":{"token":"aut_..."}}
                  System.out.println(call("/guest", null, "{\"slug\":\"" + SLUG + "\"}"));
              } else {
                  System.out.println(token.substring(0, 12) + "...");
              }
          }
      }
require "json"
      require "net/http"
      
      BASE = URI("https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api")
      SLUG = "cite-ready"
      
      def call(path, body: nil, token: nil, method: nil)
        uri = URI(BASE.to_s + path)
        req = (method || (body ? "POST" : "GET")) == "POST" ?
          Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri) : Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
        req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
        req["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{token}" if token
        req.body = JSON.generate(body) if body
        res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
        json = JSON.parse(res.body)
        raise "#{json['error']['code']}: #{json['error']['message']}" if json["error"]
        json["data"]
      end
      
      token = ENV["SKILLSAFE_TOKEN"] || call("/guest", body: { slug: SLUG })["token"]
      puts token[0, 12] + "..."
<?php
      const BASE = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api";
      const SLUG = "cite-ready";
      
      function call(string $path, ?array $body = null, ?string $token = null): array {
          $headers = ["Content-Type: application/json"];
          if ($token) { $headers[] = "Authorization: Bearer " . $token; }
          $ch = curl_init(BASE . $path);
          curl_setopt_array($ch, [
              CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
              CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => $headers,
          ]);
          if ($body !== null) {
              curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
              curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode($body));
          }
          $json = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
          curl_close($ch);
          if (isset($json["error"])) {
              throw new RuntimeException($json["error"]["code"] . ": " . $json["error"]["message"]);
          }
          return $json["data"];
      }
      
      $token = getenv("SKILLSAFE_TOKEN") ?: call("/guest", ["slug" => SLUG])["token"];
      echo substr($token, 0, 12) . "...\n";
using System;
      using System.Net.Http;
      using System.Net.Http.Json;
      using System.Text.Json;
      using System.Threading.Tasks;
      
      class CiteReady {
          const string Base = "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api";
          const string Slug = "cite-ready";
          static readonly HttpClient Http = new HttpClient();
      
          static async Task<JsonElement> Call(string path, object body = null, string token = null) {
              var req = new HttpRequestMessage(body == null ? HttpMethod.Get : HttpMethod.Post, Base + path);
              if (token != null) req.Headers.Add("Authorization", "Bearer " + token);
              if (body != null) req.Content = JsonContent.Create(body);
              var res = await Http.SendAsync(req);
              var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(await res.Content.ReadAsStringAsync());
              if (doc.RootElement.TryGetProperty("error", out var err))
                  throw new Exception(err.GetProperty("code").GetString() + ": " + err.GetProperty("message").GetString());
              return doc.RootElement.GetProperty("data");
          }
      
          static async Task Main() {
              var token = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SKILLSAFE_TOKEN");
              if (token == null) {
                  var guest = await Call("/guest", new { slug = Slug });
                  token = guest.GetProperty("token").GetString();
              }
              Console.WriteLine(token.Substring(0, 12) + "...");
          }
      }

Step 2 · Check who you are and what you can spend

GET /me returns subject_type (user or guest), subject_id and credits. Compare credits against /estimate's min_credits before submitting a run — a 402 after submit is a client bug, not a user problem.

curl -s https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/me \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN"
      # => {"data":{"subject_type":"user","subject_id":"usr_...","credits":184213}}
      #
      # subject_type is "user" for a personal token and "guest" for a guest one.
      # credits is in credit units: 10 000 credits = $1.00.
me = call("/me", token=token)
      print(me["subject_type"], me["credits"], "credits",
            "= $%.2f" % (me["credits"] / 10000))
const me = await call("/me", { token });
      console.log(me.subject_type, me.credits, "credits =",
        "$" + (me.credits / 10000).toFixed(2));
var me struct {
          SubjectType string `json:"subject_type"`
          SubjectID   string `json:"subject_id"`
          Credits     int64  `json:"credits"`
      }
      if err := call("/me", token, nil, &me); err != nil {
          panic(err)
      }
      fmt.Printf("%s %d credits = $%.2f\n", me.SubjectType, me.Credits, float64(me.Credits)/10000)
// GET /me — {"data":{"subject_type":"user","credits":184213}}
      String me = call("/me", token, null);
      System.out.println(me);
me = call("/me", token: token)
      puts "#{me['subject_type']} #{me['credits']} credits = $#{'%.2f' % (me['credits'] / 10000.0)}"
$me = call("/me", null, $token);
      printf("%s %d credits = $%.2f\n", $me["subject_type"], $me["credits"], $me["credits"] / 10000);
var me = await Call("/me", null, token);
      var credits = me.GetProperty("credits").GetInt64();
      Console.WriteLine($"{me.GetProperty("subject_type").GetString()} {credits} credits = ${credits / 10000.0:F2}");

Step 3 · Price the run — free, and it proves the model binding

POST /estimate takes the same body as /run, creates no job and charges nothing. It returns model, model_alias, markup_bps, hold_credits, min_credits and sponsor_enabled. Present hold_credits as reserved, never as the price: the hold covers the full output cap, and the settled charged_credits is usually far lower.

# /estimate is free: no job is created, no credits are held, nothing is charged.
      # Use it to show a price and to prove the model binding before you spend anything.
      curl -s -X POST https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/estimate \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d @audit-input.json
      # => {"data":{"model":"gpt-5.6-terra","model_alias":"gpt-terra","markup_bps":1000,
      #             "hold_credits":3120,"min_credits":260,"sponsor_enabled":false}}
est = call("/estimate", body=audit_input, token=token)
      print("model", est["model"], "alias", est["model_alias"], "markup", est["markup_bps"])
      print("reserved up to $%.4f" % (est["hold_credits"] / 10000))
      if me["credits"] < est["min_credits"]:
          raise SystemExit("balance below the model minimum — top up before running")
const est = await call("/estimate", { body: auditInput, token });
      console.log(est.model, est.model_alias, est.markup_bps);
      console.log("reserved up to $" + (est.hold_credits / 10000).toFixed(4));
      if (me.credits < est.min_credits) throw new Error("balance below the model minimum");
var est struct {
          Model       string `json:"model"`
          ModelAlias  string `json:"model_alias"`
          MarkupBps   int    `json:"markup_bps"`
          HoldCredits int64  `json:"hold_credits"`
          MinCredits  int64  `json:"min_credits"`
      }
      if err := call("/estimate", token, auditInput, &est); err != nil {
          panic(err)
      }
      fmt.Printf("%s (%s) markup %d bps, reserve $%.4f\n",
          est.Model, est.ModelAlias, est.MarkupBps, float64(est.HoldCredits)/10000)
// POST /estimate with the same body you would send to /run. Free, no job.
      String est = call("/estimate", token, auditInputJson);
      System.out.println(est);
est = call("/estimate", body: audit_input, token: token)
      puts "#{est['model']} (#{est['model_alias']}) markup #{est['markup_bps']} bps"
      puts "reserved up to $#{'%.4f' % (est['hold_credits'] / 10000.0)}"
$est = call("/estimate", $audit_input, $token);
      printf("%s (%s) markup %d bps, reserve $%.4f\n",
          $est["model"], $est["model_alias"], $est["markup_bps"], $est["hold_credits"] / 10000);
var est = await Call("/estimate", auditInput, token);
      Console.WriteLine(est.GetProperty("model").GetString() + " / " +
                        est.GetProperty("model_alias").GetString() + " markup " +
                        est.GetProperty("markup_bps").GetInt32() + " bps");

Step 4 · Run the audit and poll for it

POST /run returns {"job_id"}; poll GET /jobs/{id} until status is succeeded or failed, then read data.output.output — the audit as a JSON string. Always send Idempotency-Key, derived from the input plus an attempt counter: a network blip or a retry after a malformed reply must never bill the same audit twice. Reuse the key for a retry of the same input; bump the attempt counter only when the input itself changes.

# Metered. Always send Idempotency-Key: a retry with the same key returns the
      # same job instead of billing twice.
      KEY="cite-ready:$(shasum -a 256 audit-input.json | cut -c1-16):a1"
      
      JOB=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/run \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Idempotency-Key: $KEY" \
        -d @audit-input.json | python3 -c 'import sys,json;print(json.load(sys.stdin)["data"]["job_id"])')
      
      # Poll until terminal.
      while true; do
        OUT=$(curl -s "https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/jobs/$JOB" \
          -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN")
        STATUS=$(printf '%s' "$OUT" | python3 -c 'import sys,json;print(json.load(sys.stdin)["data"]["status"])')
        [ "$STATUS" = "succeeded" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "failed" ] && break
        sleep 2
      done
      printf '%s' "$OUT" | python3 -c 'import sys,json;print(json.load(sys.stdin)["data"]["output"]["output"])'
      # => the audit, as one JSON object (see the output contract below).
import hashlib, time
      
      def idem_key(inp, attempt=1):
          seed = "\u0020".join(str(inp.get(k, "")) for k in
                          ("article", "topic", "audience", "engines", "robots", "page_url"))
          return "cite-ready:%s:a%d" % (hashlib.sha256(seed.encode()).hexdigest()[:16], attempt)
      
      def run_audit(inp, token, attempt=1):
          data = json.dumps(inp).encode()
          req = urllib.request.Request(BASE + "/run", data=data, method="POST")
          req.add_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
          req.add_header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
          req.add_header("Idempotency-Key", idem_key(inp, attempt))
          with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as r:
              job_id = json.loads(r.read())["data"]["job_id"]
          while True:
              job = call("/jobs/" + job_id, token=token)
              if job["status"] in ("succeeded", "failed"):
                  break
              time.sleep(2)
          if job["status"] == "failed":
              raise RuntimeError(job.get("error") or "run failed")
          return json.loads(job["output"]["output"])
      
      audit = run_audit(audit_input, token)
      print(audit["verdict"], audit["readiness_score"])
import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
      
      function idemKey(inp, attempt = 1) {
        const seed = ["article", "topic", "audience", "engines", "robots", "page_url"]
          .map((k) => String(inp[k] ?? "")).join(" ");
        return `cite-ready:${createHash("sha256").update(seed).digest("hex").slice(0, 16)}:a${attempt}`;
      }
      
      async function runAudit(inp, token, attempt = 1) {
        const res = await fetch(BASE + "/run", {
          method: "POST",
          headers: {
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
            Authorization: "Bearer " + token,
            "Idempotency-Key": idemKey(inp, attempt),
          },
          body: JSON.stringify(inp),
        });
        const { data, error } = await res.json();
        if (error) throw new Error(error.message);
        let job;
        do {
          await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2000));
          job = await call("/jobs/" + data.job_id, { token });
        } while (job.status !== "succeeded" && job.status !== "failed");
        if (job.status === "failed") throw new Error(job.error || "run failed");
        return JSON.parse(job.output.output);
      }
      
      const audit = await runAudit(auditInput, token);
      console.log(audit.verdict, audit.readiness_score);
import (
          "crypto/sha256"
          "encoding/hex"
          "strings"
          "time"
      )
      
      func idemKey(inp map[string]any, attempt int) string {
          parts := []string{}
          for _, k := range []string{"article", "topic", "audience", "engines", "robots", "page_url"} {
              parts = append(parts, fmt.Sprint(inp[k]))
          }
          sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(strings.Join(parts, " ")))
          return fmt.Sprintf("cite-ready:%s:a%d", hex.EncodeToString(sum[:])[:16], attempt)
      }
      
      // POST /run with the Idempotency-Key header, then poll GET /jobs/{id} every two
      // seconds until status is "succeeded" or "failed". job.Output.Output holds the
      // audit as a JSON string; unmarshal it into your own audit struct.
      func runAudit(inp map[string]any, token string) (string, error) {
          b, _ := json.Marshal(inp)
          req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", base+"/run", bytes.NewReader(b))
          req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
          req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+token)
          req.Header.Set("Idempotency-Key", idemKey(inp, 1))
          res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
          if err != nil {
              return "", err
          }
          defer res.Body.Close()
          var env envelope
          json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&env)
          var started struct{ JobID string `json:"job_id"` }
          json.Unmarshal(env.Data, &started)
          for {
              var job struct {
                  Status string `json:"status"`
                  Output struct{ Output string `json:"output"` } `json:"output"`
              }
              if err := call("/jobs/"+started.JobID, token, nil, &job); err != nil {
                  return "", err
              }
              if job.Status == "succeeded" {
                  return job.Output.Output, nil
              }
              if job.Status == "failed" {
                  return "", errors.New("run failed")
              }
              time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
          }
      }
// POST /run must carry Idempotency-Key, derived from the input plus an attempt
      // counter, so a network retry cannot bill the audit twice.
      String key = "cite-ready:" + sha256Hex(article + topic + engines).substring(0, 16) + ":a1";
      
      HttpRequest run = HttpRequest.newBuilder(URI.create(BASE + "/run"))
          .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
          .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
          .header("Idempotency-Key", key)
          .POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(auditInputJson))
          .build();
      String started = HTTP.send(run, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString()).body();
      // started => {"data":{"job_id":"job_..."}}
      // then poll GET /jobs/{job_id} until status is succeeded or failed, and read
      // data.output.output — the audit JSON as a string.
require "digest"
      
      def idem_key(inp, attempt = 1)
        seed = %w[article topic audience engines robots page_url].map { |k| inp[k].to_s }.join(" ")
        "cite-ready:#{Digest::SHA256.hexdigest(seed)[0, 16]}:a#{attempt}"
      end
      
      def run_audit(inp, token)
        uri = URI(BASE.to_s + "/run")
        req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
        req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
        req["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{token}"
        req["Idempotency-Key"] = idem_key(inp)
        req.body = JSON.generate(inp)
        res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
        job_id = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]["job_id"]
        loop do
          job = call("/jobs/#{job_id}", token: token)
          return JSON.parse(job["output"]["output"]) if job["status"] == "succeeded"
          raise "run failed" if job["status"] == "failed"
          sleep 2
        end
      end
      
      audit = run_audit(audit_input, token)
      puts "#{audit['verdict']} #{audit['readiness_score']}"
function idem_key(array $inp, int $attempt = 1): string {
          $seed = implode(" ", array_map(fn($k) => (string)($inp[$k] ?? ""),
              ["article", "topic", "audience", "engines", "robots", "page_url"]));
          return "cite-ready:" . substr(hash("sha256", $seed), 0, 16) . ":a" . $attempt;
      }
      
      function run_audit(array $inp, string $token): array {
          $ch = curl_init(BASE . "/run");
          curl_setopt_array($ch, [
              CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
              CURLOPT_POST => true,
              CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($inp),
              CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
                  "Content-Type: application/json",
                  "Authorization: Bearer " . $token,
                  "Idempotency-Key: " . idem_key($inp),
              ],
          ]);
          $job_id = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true)["data"]["job_id"];
          curl_close($ch);
          while (true) {
              $job = call("/jobs/" . $job_id, null, $token);
              if ($job["status"] === "succeeded") { return json_decode($job["output"]["output"], true); }
              if ($job["status"] === "failed") { throw new RuntimeException("run failed"); }
              sleep(2);
          }
      }
      
      $audit = run_audit($audit_input, $token);
      echo $audit["verdict"] . " " . $audit["readiness_score"] . "\n";
using System.Security.Cryptography;
      using System.Text;
      
      static string IdemKey(Dictionary<string, object> inp, int attempt = 1) {
          var seed = string.Join(" ", new[] { "article", "topic", "audience", "engines", "robots", "page_url" }
              .Select(k => inp.TryGetValue(k, out var v) ? v?.ToString() ?? "" : ""));
          var hash = Convert.ToHexString(SHA256.HashData(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(seed))).ToLowerInvariant();
          return $"cite-ready:{hash[..16]}:a{attempt}";
      }
      
      var req = new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Post, Base + "/run") {
          Content = JsonContent.Create(auditInput)
      };
      req.Headers.Add("Authorization", "Bearer " + token);
      req.Headers.Add("Idempotency-Key", IdemKey(auditInput));
      var started = JsonDocument.Parse(await (await Http.SendAsync(req)).Content.ReadAsStringAsync());
      var jobId = started.RootElement.GetProperty("data").GetProperty("job_id").GetString();
      
      // Poll GET /jobs/{jobId} every two seconds; on "succeeded", data.output.output is
      // the audit as a JSON string.

Step 5 · Or stream it

POST /run-stream is the same call over server-sent events, which is what the web app uses so it can show progress. The frame name arrives on the event: line — job, delta, done — and is not a type field inside the payload. Concatenate every delta payload's text to rebuild the JSON, and read charged_credits and truncated from the done frame. If truncated is true the output cap was reduced to fit the balance: render what parsed and tell the user, rather than presenting a clipped audit as complete.

# Server-sent events. Frame names arrive on the `event:` line, not as a field in
      # the payload — `delta` carries text chunks, `job` the job id, `done` the
      # settlement (charged_credits, truncated).
      curl -N -X POST https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/run-stream \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -H "Idempotency-Key: $KEY" \
        -d @audit-input.json
      # event: job
      # data: {"job_id":"job_..."}
      # event: delta
      # data: {"text":"{\"verdict\":\"needs-work\","}
      # ...
      # event: done
      # data: {"status":"succeeded","charged_credits":812,"truncated":false}
def run_stream(inp, token, attempt=1, on_delta=None):
          data = json.dumps(inp).encode()
          req = urllib.request.Request(BASE + "/run-stream", data=data, method="POST")
          req.add_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
          req.add_header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
          req.add_header("Idempotency-Key", idem_key(inp, attempt))
          raw, event = "", None
          with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as r:
              for line in r:
                  line = line.decode().rstrip("\n")
                  if line.startswith("event:"):
                      event = line[6:].strip()
                  elif line.startswith("data:"):
                      payload = json.loads(line[5:].strip() or "{}")
                      if event == "delta":
                          raw += payload.get("text", "")
                          if on_delta:
                              on_delta(payload.get("text", ""))
                      elif event == "done":
                          return json.loads(raw), payload
          raise RuntimeError("stream ended without a done frame")
      
      audit, settle = run_stream(audit_input, token)
      print(audit["verdict"], "charged", settle["charged_credits"])
async function runStream(inp, token, onDelta, attempt = 1) {
        const res = await fetch(BASE + "/run-stream", {
          method: "POST",
          headers: {
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
            Authorization: "Bearer " + token,
            "Idempotency-Key": idemKey(inp, attempt),
          },
          body: JSON.stringify(inp),
        });
        const reader = res.body.getReader();
        const dec = new TextDecoder();
        let buf = "", raw = "", event = null;
        for (;;) {
          const { value, done } = await reader.read();
          if (done) break;
          buf += dec.decode(value, { stream: true });
          const lines = buf.split("\n");
          buf = lines.pop();
          for (const line of lines) {
            if (line.startsWith("event:")) event = line.slice(6).trim();
            else if (line.startsWith("data:")) {
              const payload = JSON.parse(line.slice(5).trim() || "{}");
              if (event === "delta") { raw += payload.text || ""; onDelta?.(payload.text || ""); }
              else if (event === "done") return { audit: JSON.parse(raw), settle: payload };
            }
          }
        }
        throw new Error("stream ended without a done frame");
      }
      
      const { audit, settle } = await runStream(auditInput, token, (t) => process.stdout.write(t));
      console.log("\n", audit.verdict, "charged", settle.charged_credits);
// POST /run-stream and read the SSE frames. The frame name is on the `event:`
      // line; `delta` payloads carry {"text":"..."} and concatenate into the audit JSON.
      req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", base+"/run-stream", bytes.NewReader(bodyBytes))
      req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
      req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+token)
      req.Header.Set("Idempotency-Key", idemKey(inp, 1))
      res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
      if err != nil {
          panic(err)
      }
      defer res.Body.Close()
      
      sc := bufio.NewScanner(res.Body)
      sc.Buffer(make([]byte, 1<<20), 1<<20)
      var raw strings.Builder
      event := ""
      for sc.Scan() {
          line := sc.Text()
          switch {
          case strings.HasPrefix(line, "event:"):
              event = strings.TrimSpace(line[6:])
          case strings.HasPrefix(line, "data:"):
              payload := strings.TrimSpace(line[5:])
              if event == "delta" {
                  var d struct{ Text string `json:"text"` }
                  json.Unmarshal([]byte(payload), &d)
                  raw.WriteString(d.Text)
              } else if event == "done" {
                  fmt.Println("settled:", payload)
                  fmt.Println("audit:", raw.String())
                  return
              }
          }
      }
// POST /run-stream with BodyHandlers.ofLines() and fold the SSE frames yourself.
      HttpRequest stream = HttpRequest.newBuilder(URI.create(BASE + "/run-stream"))
          .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
          .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + token)
          .header("Idempotency-Key", key)
          .POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(auditInputJson))
          .build();
      
      StringBuilder raw = new StringBuilder();
      String[] event = { "" };
      HTTP.send(stream, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofLines()).body().forEach(line -> {
          if (line.startsWith("event:")) {
              event[0] = line.substring(6).trim();
          } else if (line.startsWith("data:") && event[0].equals("delta")) {
              // parse {"text":"..."} with your JSON library and append it
              raw.append(extractText(line.substring(5).trim()));
          }
      });
      System.out.println(raw);   // the audit JSON
def run_stream(inp, token, attempt = 1)
        uri = URI(BASE.to_s + "/run-stream")
        req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
        req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
        req["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{token}"
        req["Idempotency-Key"] = idem_key(inp, attempt)
        req.body = JSON.generate(inp)
        raw = ""
        event = nil
        settle = nil
        Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) do |http|
          http.request(req) do |res|
            res.read_body do |chunk|
              chunk.each_line do |line|
                line = line.chomp
                if line.start_with?("event:")
                  event = line[6..].strip
                elsif line.start_with?("data:")
                  payload = JSON.parse(line[5..].strip.empty? ? "{}" : line[5..].strip)
                  raw << payload.fetch("text", "") if event == "delta"
                  settle = payload if event == "done"
                end
              end
            end
          end
        end
        [JSON.parse(raw), settle]
      end
      
      audit, settle = run_stream(audit_input, token)
      puts "#{audit['verdict']} charged #{settle['charged_credits']}"
// POST /run-stream with a write callback; the frame name arrives on `event:`.
      $raw = "";
      $event = "";
      $ch = curl_init(BASE . "/run-stream");
      curl_setopt_array($ch, [
          CURLOPT_POST => true,
          CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($audit_input),
          CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
              "Content-Type: application/json",
              "Authorization: Bearer " . $token,
              "Idempotency-Key: " . idem_key($audit_input),
          ],
          CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION => function ($ch, $chunk) use (&$raw, &$event) {
              foreach (explode("\n", $chunk) as $line) {
                  $line = rtrim($line);
                  if (str_starts_with($line, "event:")) {
                      $event = trim(substr($line, 6));
                  } elseif (str_starts_with($line, "data:") && $event === "delta") {
                      $payload = json_decode(trim(substr($line, 5)), true) ?: [];
                      $raw .= $payload["text"] ?? "";
                  }
              }
              return strlen($chunk);
          },
      ]);
      curl_exec($ch);
      curl_close($ch);
      $audit = json_decode($raw, true);
      echo $audit["verdict"] . "\n";
var sreq = new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Post, Base + "/run-stream") {
          Content = JsonContent.Create(auditInput)
      };
      sreq.Headers.Add("Authorization", "Bearer " + token);
      sreq.Headers.Add("Idempotency-Key", IdemKey(auditInput));
      
      using var sres = await Http.SendAsync(sreq, HttpCompletionOption.ResponseHeadersRead);
      using var reader = new StreamReader(await sres.Content.ReadAsStreamAsync());
      var raw = new StringBuilder();
      string? evt = null, line;
      while ((line = await reader.ReadLineAsync()) != null) {
          if (line.StartsWith("event:")) {
              evt = line[6..].Trim();
          } else if (line.StartsWith("data:")) {
              var payload = JsonDocument.Parse(line[5..].Trim() is { Length: > 0 } s ? s : "{}");
              if (evt == "delta" && payload.RootElement.TryGetProperty("text", out var t))
                  raw.Append(t.GetString());
              else if (evt == "done")
                  Console.WriteLine("settled: " + payload.RootElement);
          }
      }
      Console.WriteLine(raw.ToString());

Step 6 · Read the audit history

Past audits are stored in a declared collection named audits, with title, verdict, score, stat_count, unsourced_count and ran_at as indexed fields — so a client can trend a score across re-runs of the same article without reading every document. Every where entry must be an operator object ({"eq": …}); a bare value is rejected. Operators: eq ne lt lte gt gte in contains. Records are scoped to the calling subject, and each POST /guest mints a new guest identity, so reuse one token across writes and reads.

# The audit's own history lives in a declared collection called `audits`, so a
      # scripted client can read and write the same records the web app does.
      curl -s -X POST https://api.skillsafe.ai/v1/app-api/collections/audits/query \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSAFE_TOKEN" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d '{"where":{"verdict":{"eq":"needs-work"},"score":{"lt":70}},
             "order_by":[{"field":"ran_at","dir":"desc"}],"limit":20}'
      # Every `where` entry must be an operator object: {"eq":...}, not a bare value.
      # Operators: eq ne lt lte gt gte in contains.
# Trend the score across re-runs of the same article.
      res = call("/collections/audits/query", body={
          "where": {"verdict": {"in": ["needs-work", "not-citable"]}},
          "order_by": [{"field": "ran_at", "dir": "desc"}],
          "limit": 20,
      }, token=token)
      for rec in res["records"]:
          d = rec["doc"]
          print(d["ran_at"], d["score"], d["unsourced_count"], "unsourced", d["title"])
const res = await call("/collections/audits/query", {
        token,
        body: {
          where: { score: { lt: 70 } },
          order_by: [{ field: "ran_at", dir: "desc" }],
          limit: 20,
        },
      });
      for (const rec of res.records) {
        const d = rec.doc;
        console.log(d.ran_at, d.score, d.unsourced_count, "unsourced", d.title);
      }
// POST /collections/audits/query with an operator object per where field.
      query := map[string]any{
          "where":    map[string]any{"score": map[string]any{"lt": 70}},
          "order_by": []map[string]string{{"field": "ran_at", "dir": "desc"}},
          "limit":    20,
      }
      var res struct {
          Records []struct {
              RecordID string         `json:"record_id"`
              Doc      map[string]any `json:"doc"`
          } `json:"records"`
      }
      if err := call("/collections/audits/query", token, query, &res); err != nil {
          panic(err)
      }
      for _, r := range res.Records {
          fmt.Println(r.Doc["ran_at"], r.Doc["score"], r.Doc["title"])
      }
// POST /collections/audits/query
      String q = "{\"where\":{\"score\":{\"lt\":70}}," +
                 "\"order_by\":[{\"field\":\"ran_at\",\"dir\":\"desc\"}],\"limit\":20}";
      System.out.println(call("/collections/audits/query", token, q));
res = call("/collections/audits/query", body: {
        "where" => { "score" => { "lt" => 70 } },
        "order_by" => [{ "field" => "ran_at", "dir" => "desc" }],
        "limit" => 20,
      }, token: token)
      res["records"].each do |rec|
        d = rec["doc"]
        puts "#{d['ran_at']} #{d['score']} #{d['unsourced_count']} unsourced #{d['title']}"
      end
$res = call("/collections/audits/query", [
          "where" => ["score" => ["lt" => 70]],
          "order_by" => [["field" => "ran_at", "dir" => "desc"]],
          "limit" => 20,
      ], $token);
      foreach ($res["records"] as $rec) {
          $d = $rec["doc"];
          echo "{$d['ran_at']} {$d['score']} {$d['unsourced_count']} unsourced {$d['title']}\n";
      }
var q = new {
          where = new { score = new { lt = 70 } },
          order_by = new[] { new { field = "ran_at", dir = "desc" } },
          limit = 20
      };
      var res = await Call("/collections/audits/query", q, token);
      foreach (var rec in res.GetProperty("records").EnumerateArray()) {
          var d = rec.GetProperty("doc");
          Console.WriteLine($"{d.GetProperty("ran_at")} {d.GetProperty("score")} {d.GetProperty("title")}");
      }

The input schema

These are the exact fields the app submits. article is the only required one; everything else sharpens the audit. The prescan* fields are the browser's own deterministic read, and they are what the model is held to — claim_audit must return exactly one entry per prescan_statistics id. A client that does not compute a prescan may send empty objects and arrays; the audit still works, it simply has nothing to be reconciled against.

FieldTypeMeaning
articlestringThe article. Markdown, plain text or raw HTML — HTML is required if you want the JSON-LD checked. Up to about 26 000 characters; longer input should have its middle dropped with a marker, never its tail, because the closing sections carry the FAQ and the sources.
topicstringThe question the author wants to be cited for, phrased the way a user would type it. Empty is allowed; the audit then infers it from the H1.
audiencestringWho the article is for. Optional.
enginesstringall, or one of perplexity, chatgpt, claude, gemini. Findings about an excluded engine are suppressed.
robotsstringThe site's robots.txt. Optional, but a blocked crawler is the one GEO defect nothing on the page can compensate for. When empty, crawler_actions comes back empty.
page_urlstringThe canonical URL. Used in the generated schema. Optional.
current_datetimestringThe caller's local time, used to judge freshness.
prescanobjectCounts and flags from the browser's read: format, readiness_score, verdict, factor_scores, counts, schema_types, author, freshness, entity, answer_first, crawlers_supplied, crawlers_blocked, article_clipped.
prescan_statisticsarray{id, values, sentence, attributed, browser_read} per statistic found. browser_read is original, cited or bare.
prescan_passagesarray{id, words, dangling, named, opener} per retriever-sized chunk. dangling means the chunk opens on an unresolved reference.
prescan_checklistarray{id, group, label, pass, detail} for the thirteen checklist items C1C8 and T1T5.
prescan_gapsarray{id, label, why} per gap the browser could see.
retry_notestringSend only when re-asking after a malformed reply, with the same idempotency key seed and a bumped attempt counter.

A complete body

{
  "article": "# What is Generative Engine Optimization?\n\nBy Dana Whitfield...",
  "topic": "What is Generative Engine Optimization?",
  "audience": "Technical marketers at B2B software companies",
  "engines": "all",
  "robots": "User-agent: GPTBot\nAllow: /",
  "page_url": "https://example.com/blog/what-is-geo",
  "current_datetime": "2026-08-06T09:15:00+08:00 (Thursday)",
  "prescan": {
    "format": "html",
    "readiness_score": 91,
    "verdict": "citation-ready",
    "factor_scores": ["relevance:40/40", "keyword:17/20", "authority:15/15",
                      "freshness:7/10", "diversity:12/15"],
    "counts": { "words": 498, "statistics": 2, "unattributed_statistics": 0,
                "passages": 4, "dangling_passages": 0, "faq_pairs": 6 },
    "schema_types": ["Article", "Person", "FAQPage"],
    "answer_first": { "present": true, "why": "an explicit summary marker appears in the opening" },
    "crawlers_supplied": true,
    "crawlers_blocked": [],
    "article_clipped": ""
  },
  "prescan_statistics": [
    { "id": "S1", "values": ["1,240", "3.1x"], "sentence": "In our own audit of 1,240 published articles...",
      "attributed": true, "browser_read": "original" }
  ],
  "prescan_passages": [
    { "id": "P1", "words": 118, "dangling": false, "named": true,
      "opener": "Generative Engine Optimization is the practice of..." }
  ],
  "prescan_checklist": [
    { "id": "C2", "group": "content", "label": "Summary / TL;DR at the top", "pass": true,
      "detail": "an explicit summary marker appears in the opening" }
  ],
  "prescan_gaps": []
}

The output contract

The reply is one JSON object and nothing else. Parse defensively anyway: strip a stray code fence, take the span from the first { to the last }, and re-ask once with a retry_note and the same idempotency seed if it does not parse. These are the fields the app's own render path requires, and the constraints it enforces.

FieldConstraint
verdictExactly one of citation-ready, needs-work, not-citable.
readiness_scoreInteger 0–100, and it must equal the sum of the five factor_reads scores. The app surfaces a mismatch rather than hiding it.
headlineOne sentence.
summaryThree to six sentences.
factor_readsExactly five entries, key in this order: relevance (max 40), keyword (20), authority (15), freshness (10), diversity (15). Each has an integer score within its ceiling, a verdict of strong/adequate/weak, and a why citing something specific.
answer_block{heading, text}. text is 40–70 words built only from claims already in the article.
faq3 to 5 {q, a} pairs. q ends in ?; a is 30–60 words and introduces no fact the article does not contain.
findings3 to 12 entries, most damaging first. {id, severity, checklist, where, problem, fix}. severity is critical/high/medium/low; checklist is a C1C8/T1T5 id or "".
claim_auditExactly one entry per prescan_statistics id, in the same order. {id, attributed, verdict, action}; verdict is sourced/original/needs-source/soft, and action is empty only when sourced. Skipped or invented ids are reported to the user.
passage_rewritesOne entry per dangling passage, up to 8. {id, problem, after}, where id is a real P id and after is the rewritten opening sentence only.
schema_actionsArray of sentences. May be empty.
crawler_actionsArray of sentences. Must be empty when no robots was supplied.
next_stepsArray of sentences: edits that would raise the score on the next run.
The prohibition that matters most: nothing in answer_block, faq or passage_rewrites may introduce a fact the article does not contain. The author publishes that text under their own byline, so a fabricated statistic in an answer block is worse than no answer block. If you build your own client, keep that check in your render path.

The free lane is client-side, and you can have it too

Everything under prescan is computed in the browser by geoscan.js, which ships with the app and calls no network: retriever-style chunking with a stand-alone check per chunk, statistic extraction with source classification, definition and named-quote detection, FAQ pair detection, freshness and authorship markers, JSON-LD @type extraction from HTML, robots.txt resolution per engine, the thirteen-item checklist, the five weighted factor scores, and generation of the Article, Person and FAQPage JSON-LD. It exposes window.GeoScan.analyze(text, {topic, robots}), clip(text, max), buildJsonLd(scan, {url}) and buildRobots(). A pipeline that wants a score on every commit without spending anything can run that module alone and only call /run for the articles that fall below a threshold.

Reading the module in Node needs a window stub (global.window = global) and a Blob shim; it has no other dependencies and does no I/O.