> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.watchdoc.sphinxhq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Submit a document, get an id, and poll until analysis completes.

Detect forged, tampered, and AI-generated documents. Upload a PDF or image and get back a
`decision` (`clear` / `pending` / `suspicious` / `fraudulent`), a `risk_level`, a plain-language `summary`, and a list of structured `flags`.

Analysis takes longer than a normal HTTP request (often 10-60s), so the API is async by
default: submit returns an id immediately, then you poll until it finishes.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an API key">
    Sign in, open **Settings**, and generate an API key for your workspace.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit a document">
    `POST /api/v1/document-checks/` with either a multipart `file` or a JSON `url`.
    The response is `201` with an `id` and `status: "processing"`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Poll until complete">
    `GET /api/v1/document-checks/{id}/` until `status` is `completed` or `failed`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Example

```bash theme={null}
# 1. Submit
curl https://api.sphinxhq.com/api/v1/document-checks/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPHINX_API_KEY" \
  -F file=@statement.pdf \
  -F mode=normal
```

Response (`201`):

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "dc_01jq8x...",
  "object": "document_check",
  "status": "processing",
  "decision": null,
  "flags": [],
  "document": { "filename": "statement.pdf", "mime_type": "application/pdf" }
}
```

```bash theme={null}
# 2. Poll
curl https://api.sphinxhq.com/api/v1/document-checks/dc_01jq8x.../ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPHINX_API_KEY"
```

When `status` is `completed`, the same object is filled in with `decision`, `summary`, and
`flags`. See [The result model](/result-model).

## Alternatives to polling

| Option                  | When to use                                                           |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Poll `GET /{id}/`       | Default path.                                                         |
| `webhook_url` on submit | We `POST` the completed check to your URL. See [Webhooks](/webhooks). |
| `?wait=true` on submit  | Blocks the submit request for up to 55s.                              |

## Modes

| Mode      | Behavior                                                  |
| --------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| `normal`  | Default. Balanced precision/recall.                       |
| `strict`  | More aggressive: prefer catching fraud over false clears. |
| `lenient` | Prefer clears when signals are weak.                      |

## Listing checks

`GET /api/v1/document-checks/` returns your checks newest first, in a `data` array with a
`has_more` boolean. Page with `limit` (1-100, default 20) and `starting_after`:

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.sphinxhq.com/api/v1/document-checks/?limit=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPHINX_API_KEY"

# next page: pass the last id from the previous one
curl "https://api.sphinxhq.com/api/v1/document-checks/?limit=20&starting_after=dc_01jq8x..." \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPHINX_API_KEY"
```

## Next

* [Authentication](/authentication)
* [Rules](/rules)
* [Flag reference](/flags)
* [Webhooks](/webhooks)