---
title: "Quickstart"
summary: "Sign up, connect one account, create a key and make your first call in under five minutes."
updated: "2026-09-30"
status: stable
origin: official
url: "https://swooshconnect.com/docs/quickstart/"
---

# Quickstart

Sign up, connect one account, create a key and make your first call in under five minutes.

## For AI agents

- MUST authenticate every call with `Authorization: Bearer $SWOOSHCONNECT_API_KEY`. Read the key from the environment.
- NEVER print, log or commit the key. The portal shows it once.
- DO call `list_accounts` first. It proves the key works and lists the account ids other tools need.
- DO use the REST base https://swooshrank.com/api/v1 or the MCP endpoint https://swooshrank.com/api/mcp. Both run the same tools.
- NEVER guess an account id. Read it from `list_accounts`.
- DO read the Limits page before you loop over any tool.

## Five steps

- Sign up at [https://swooshrank.com/signup](https://swooshrank.com/signup).
- In the portal open Accounts, choose New connect link, and send the link to the person who owns the account. Or connect your own. They approve on the platform's own consent screen.
- In the portal open API keys, name the key after the machine that will use it, and choose Create key. Copy it now. It is shown once.
- Export the key and make a call (below).
- Add the MCP server to your AI client (below).

## Your first call

```bash
export SWOOSHCONNECT_API_KEY="paste-your-key-here"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $SWOOSHCONNECT_API_KEY" https://swooshrank.com/api/v1/connect/accounts
```

A successful answer is JSON with a `data` object and a `summary` string. A wrong key answers 401.

## Add the MCP server

Claude Code:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http swooshconnect https://swooshrank.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <your key>"
```

Cursor, in `.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "swooshconnect": {
      "url": "https://swooshrank.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <your key>" }
    }
  }
}
```

Codex, in `~/.codex/config.toml`. Set `SWOOSHCONNECT_API_KEY` in your shell before you start Codex:

```text
[mcp_servers.swooshconnect]
url = "https://swooshrank.com/api/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "SWOOSHCONNECT_API_KEY"
```

> **Note:** Then ask your AI client to call `list_accounts`. If it lists your accounts, you are connected.

## Next

- [Authentication](https://swooshconnect.com/docs/auth/): what a key can do and how to rotate it.
- [Billing](https://swooshconnect.com/docs/billing/): what counts as a paid account.
- [Limits](https://swooshconnect.com/docs/limits/): rate limits, body caps, errors and polling.