Developer and agent access

Search for Agents publishes an open encyclopedia of search systems. Agents can read the public site and its content API without an account or API key. Editorial changes, private intelligence tools, and webhook subscriptions are separate, permissioned workflows.

When to use this site

Use the encyclopedia to explain the steps between finding a source and producing a cited answer. Use Lay of the Land to discover search APIs, source collections, retrieval systems, and models by their documented capabilities. Use articles for worked examples of checking whether a result supports a claim. The provider directory records cited capabilities; it does not benchmark or rank providers. Follow the evidence links to verify a provider's current offering.

Read public content

1. Fetch llms.txt to discover the site index, or sitemap.xml for canonical pages.
2. Search public articles with GET /api/v1/search?q=web%20search&limit=5. Results include stable content IDs and canonical URLs.
3. Retrieve a complete article with GET /api/v1/content/{id}. Open the cited sources before treating a result as evidence.
4. Request a page's advertised .md URL, such as the homepage Markdown, for a plain-text version. The same pages remain available as HTML for readers.

For example, an anonymous request to the public search endpoint:

curl -sS 'https://www.searchforagents.com/api/v1/search?q=web%20search&limit=5'

The public OpenAPI specification lists methods, parameters, response shapes, and access requirements. The full agent index and versioned change feed provide additional read-only access. Use the API's JSON error code and HTTP status when handling a failed request; a 429 response means the client should back off.

Scope and updates

Public content is available without a credential. Protected editorial and subscription endpoints require scoped access and are not part of the anonymous read API. Version 1 endpoints use the /api/v1/ prefix; breaking changes will use a new version, and retiring endpoints will be announced here before removal. The methodology explains how directory entries and evidence are maintained.