# Quick start

> Get started with the Dailybot API. Get your API key or authenticate via the CLI, make your first request, and start building integrations.

Language: en
Canonical: https://www.dailybot.com/developers/getting-started
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Last Updated: 2026-07-09

---

# Quick Start

Welcome to the Dailybot developer platform. This guide will walk you through getting your API key — or logging in via the CLI — and making your first API call in minutes.

## What you can build

The Dailybot API lets you automate team workflows, manage check-ins, track activity, send kudos, and integrate Dailybot with your existing tools. You can build custom commands, serverless add-ons, webhook-driven automations, and AI-powered agent integrations.

## Prerequisites

- A Dailybot account with an active organization
- A **paid Dailybot plan** (required to use API keys; see [Plan requirements](/developers/authentication#plan-requirements))
- The **Org Administrator** role **or** a standard member account to generate your own API key (see [Member API key access](/developers/authentication#member-api-key-access))

## Option 1 — Get an API key

1. Log in to your [Dailybot dashboard](https://app.dailybot.com)
2. Navigate to **Organization Settings** → **Integrations**
3. Click **Generate API Key**
4. **Copy and store the key immediately** — it is shown only once, at creation or after regeneration

> **Save your key immediately.** The full key is only shown once, right after creation. After that only the last 4 characters are visible. If you lose it, you must regenerate. Store it in a secrets manager or environment variable — never in version control.

## Option 2 — Authenticate via the CLI

The Dailybot CLI authenticates with a Bearer token and grants access to all `/v1/` public endpoints:

```bash
# Install
npm install -g @dailybot/cli

# Log in
dailybot login

# Verify
dailybot cli status
```

Once authenticated, the CLI automatically injects the `Authorization: Bearer …` header on every API call. See the [CLI reference](/developers/api/cli) for the full command surface.

## Your first API call

Once you have your API key, try fetching your own user profile to verify everything is working:

```bash
export DAILYBOT_API_KEY="db_live_..."

curl "https://api.dailybot.com/v1/me/" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: $DAILYBOT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"
```

**Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "id": "usr_abc123",
  "email": "you@company.com",
  "first_name": "Jane",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "role": "admin",
  "organization": {
    "id": "org_xyz789",
    "name": "Acme Corp",
    "plan": "pro"
  }
}
```

> **Note:** An API key carries both the **organization** and the **key owner** as context. Permission checks reflect the key owner's actual access levels within the organization. See [owner vs. created_by](/developers/authentication#owner-vs-created_by).

## Paginated list endpoints

Every list endpoint (`/v1/users/`, `/v1/forms/`, `/v1/checkins/`, etc.) returns a standard envelope:

```json
{
  "count": 152,
  "next": "https://api.dailybot.com/v1/...?page=2&page_size=50",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [...]
}
```

Use `page` and `page_size` parameters to paginate. Walk `next` until it is `null`. See [Pagination](/developers/conventions#pagination) for the full reference.

## Base URL & versioning

All API requests use the following base URL:

```
https://api.dailybot.com/v1/
```

The API is versioned via the URL path. The current version is `v1`. Configure your HTTP client with the full base prefix to ensure compatibility.

## Key considerations

### Plan gates

API keys require a paid Dailybot plan. Requests from keys on free-plan organizations return `403` with `code: "plan_free_api_keys_forbidden"`. CLI Bearer tokens on free plans can access a restricted allowlist of endpoints. See [Authentication](/developers/authentication#plan-requirements) for details.

### Webhook support

Dailybot supports webhooks for key actions, so you don't need to poll the API constantly. Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications when events happen in your organization. See the [Webhooks & Events](/developers/webhooks) guide.

### Exchange tokens

The platform supports an exchange token mechanism that lets you make API calls on behalf of other organization members. This is useful for scenarios like giving kudos or filling check-ins on behalf of users.

> **Tip:** Exchange tokens can be obtained via ChatOps custom commands or through a dedicated API endpoint. See the [Authentication](/developers/authentication#exchange-token) page for details.

## Next steps

- [Authentication](/developers/authentication) — Plan requirements, key lifecycle, CLI auth, and the auth method matrix
- [Conventions](/developers/conventions) — Pagination, search, and date range conventions
- [API Reference](/developers/api) — All available endpoints
- [Errors](/developers/errors) — Machine-readable error codes
- [Webhooks & Events](/developers/webhooks) — Real-time event notifications

## Enterprise API

Need higher rate limits, dedicated support, or custom integrations? [Contact our sales team](/demo) to learn about Enterprise API access.

---

## Developer portal navigation

**Getting Started**

- [Overview](/developers)
- [Quick start](/developers/getting-started) (this page)
- [Authentication](/developers/authentication)

**API Reference**

- [API Overview](/developers/api)
- [Users](/developers/api/users)
- [Organization](/developers/api/organization)
- [Teams](/developers/api/teams)
- [Invitations](/developers/api/invitations)
- [Check-ins](/developers/api/check-ins)
- [Forms](/developers/api/forms)
- [Report channels](/developers/api/report-channels)
- [Templates](/developers/api/templates)
- [Kudos](/developers/api/kudos)
- [Mood tracking](/developers/api/mood)
- [Important dates](/developers/api/important-dates)
- [Messaging](/developers/api/messaging)
- [Automations](/developers/api/workflows)
- [Webhooks](/developers/api/webhooks)
- [Commands platform](/developers/api/commands-platform)
- [Agents](/developers/api/agents)
- [OAuth2](/developers/api/oauth2)
- [Integrations](/developers/api/integrations)
- [CLI](/developers/api/cli)

**API guides**

- [Errors & Status Codes](/developers/errors)
- [Rate Limits](/developers/rate-limits)
- [Conventions](/developers/conventions)
- [API Changelog](/developers/api-changelog)
- [Recipes](/developers/recipes)

**Developer Features**

- [Custom commands](/developers/custom-commands)
- [Serverless commands](/developers/serverless)
- [Webhooks & events](/developers/webhooks)
- [Automation API trigger](/developers/workflow-trigger)
- [Activity API](/developers/activity-api)

**CLI**

- [Overview](/developers/cli)
- [Authentication](/developers/cli-authentication)
- [Command reference](/developers/cli-reference)
- [CI/CD recipes](/developers/cli-ci-cd)
- [Configuration](/developers/cli-configuration)
- [Troubleshooting](/developers/cli-troubleshooting)

**Agent Skill**

- [Overview](/developers/agent-skill)
- [Skills catalog](/skills)

---

## Site navigation

**Product:**
- [Home](/)
- [Product](/product)
- [Pricing](/pricing)
- [Enterprise](/enterprise)
- [Integrations](/integrations)
- [Templates](/templates)

**Resources:**
- [Blog](/blog)
- [Academy](/academy)
- [Changelog](/changelog)
- [Help Center](/help)
- [Developers](/developers)
- [Agents](/agents)

**Company:**
- [About](/about)
- [Careers](/careers)
- [Security](/security)
- [Contact Sales](/demo)

**Connect:**
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dailybot/)
- [X/Twitter](https://twitter.com/dailybot)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/Dailybot-Inc)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3uM9V52vwX7e3vQpCc4qvA)