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

# Quickstart

> Authenticate, call the REST API, and connect the MCP server.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your API key">
    Create an account and get an API key from your [monid.ai](https://monid.ai?fpr=dhruv-15136b) dashboard. This is your own key, not ours. Every request authenticates with it in the `X-API-KEY` header, and every call bills your own Monid wallet. We never store or log it.

    ```bash Terminal theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
    export MONID_API_KEY=<your-api-key>
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Note the base URL">
    REST and MCP are served from one host.

    ```bash Terminal theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
    export BASE_URL=https://financialdatasets.rip
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make your first REST request">
    Pull Apple's most recent annual income statement.

    Route: `GET /financials/income-statements`

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash curl theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
      curl -s 'https://financialdatasets.rip/financials/income-statements?ticker=AAPL&period=annual&limit=1' \
        -H 'X-API-KEY: <your-api-key>'
      ```

      ```python Python (requests) theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
      import requests

      BASE_URL = "https://financialdatasets.rip"
      API_KEY = "<your-api-key>"

      resp = requests.get(
          f"{BASE_URL}/financials/income-statements",
          params={"ticker": "AAPL", "period": "annual", "limit": 1},
          headers={"X-API-KEY": API_KEY},
      )
      resp.raise_for_status()
      data = resp.json()
      print(data["income_statements"][0]["revenue"])
      ```

      ```javascript JavaScript (fetch) theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
      const BASE_URL = "https://financialdatasets.rip";
      const API_KEY = "<your-api-key>";

      const url = new URL(`${BASE_URL}/financials/income-statements`);
      url.search = new URLSearchParams({ ticker: "AAPL", period: "annual", limit: "1" });

      const res = await fetch(url, { headers: { "X-API-KEY": API_KEY } });
      if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
      const data = await res.json();
      console.log(data.income_statements[0].revenue);
      ```

      ```go Go (net/http) theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
      package main

      import (
      	"fmt"
      	"io"
      	"net/http"
      )

      func main() {
      	req, err := http.NewRequest(
      		"GET",
      		"https://financialdatasets.rip/financials/income-statements?ticker=AAPL&period=annual&limit=1",
      		nil,
      	)
      	if err != nil {
      		panic(err)
      	}
      	req.Header.Set("X-API-KEY", "<your-api-key>")

      	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
      	if err != nil {
      		panic(err)
      	}
      	defer resp.Body.Close()

      	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
      	fmt.Println(string(body))
      }
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    This exact call measured \$0.0006 on Monid the last time it was run. Here is the response shape, trimmed to the fields worth pointing at:

    ```json Response (abridged) theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
    {
      "income_statements": [
        {
          "ticker": "AAPL",
          "report_period": "2025-09-27",
          "fiscal_period": "FY2025",
          "period": "annual",
          "currency": "USD",
          "accession_number": "0000320193-25-000079",
          "form_type": "10-K",
          "filing_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019325000079/0000320193-25-000079-index.htm",
          "filing_date": "2025-10-31",
          "revenue": 416161000000.0,
          "net_income": 112010000000.0,
          "earnings_per_share": 7.49,
          "earnings_per_share_diluted": 7.46
        }
      ],
      "next_page_url": null
    }
    ```

    `period` defaults to `annual` and `limit` defaults to `4` on this REST route when you omit them. The example sets both so the request is unambiguous. See the [API Reference](/api-reference) for the full parameter list per endpoint, and note that the MCP tool for this same data defaults `period` differently, covered in [MCP Tools](/mcp-tools/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect the MCP server">
    `https://financialdatasets.rip/mcp` is a streamable-HTTP MCP endpoint exposing all 27 Financial Datasets-named tools. Give the client the same `X-API-KEY` header.

    ```json Claude Desktop / Cursor mcp.json theme={"theme":"css-variables"}
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "monid-finance": {
          "url": "https://financialdatasets.rip/mcp",
          "headers": { "X-API-KEY": "<your-api-key>" }
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    See [MCP setup](/integrations/mcp-server) for Claude Code, Cursor, and the full tool catalog.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/overview/authentication">
    How `X-API-KEY` billing and key scoping work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pagination" icon="list" href="/guides/how-to-use-pagination">
    What the cursor holds and how paging through a list works.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Errors" icon="triangle-alert" href="/guides/errors">
    Every status code and error code this API returns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compatibility" icon="git-compare" href="/overview/coverage">
    What's implemented, what isn't, and every known gap.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>