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Shoal supports two access modes:
  • API key for regular usage and broader account access
  • pay-per-request for the public paid surface

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Option 1: API Key (Bearer Token)

Send your API key in the Authorization header using the Bearer scheme.
Get your API key at app.shoal.xyz.

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Error Responses

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Option 2: Pay-Per-Request

No API key is required for the public paid endpoints. Shoal supports pay-per-request flows over HTTP 402. Most users do not need protocol details to get started. If you are building a custom client or agent, see the dedicated MPP/x402 guide.

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How It Works

  1. Send a request to a paid endpoint without an API key
  2. Shoal returns 402 Payment Required
  3. Your client pays and retries
  4. Shoal returns the response

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Quick Start

Use the mppx CLI to test a paid endpoint: