API Quick Start The Dacard.ai API lets you score products, retrieve results, and manage your account programmatically. This guide walks you through authentication, your first API call, and key concepts.
Authentication All authenticated endpoints accept a Bearer token in the Authorization header. You can obtain tokens in two ways:
Generate an API key under Settings > API Keys in the platform. API keys are long-lived and suitable for server-to-server integrations. curl -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ https://app.dacard.ai/api/scores
If you are building a client-side integration, use Clerk’s getToken() method to obtain a short-lived JWT. const token = await clerk . session ?. getToken (); const res = await fetch ( 'https://app.dacard.ai/api/scores' , { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${ token } ` }, });
Never expose API keys in client-side code or public repositories. Use environment variables for all credentials.
Score a product Send a POST request to /api/score with the product URL:
curl -X POST https://app.dacard.ai/api/score \ -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "url": "https://linear.app", "context": "Linear is a project management tool for software teams" }'
The response includes the full scoring result:
{ "id" : "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" , "url" : "https://linear.app" , "companyName" : "Linear" , "totalScore" : 78 , "stageName" : "Leading" , "dimensions" : [ { "dimensionId" : "market_intelligence" , "dimensionName" : "Market Intelligence" , "score" : 4 , "stageName" : "Compounding" , "evidence" : "..." , "confidence" : "high" , "reasoning" : "..." } ], "strengths" : [ "delivery_velocity" , "experience_design" , "architecture_systems" ], "gaps" : [ "cost_token_economics" , "data_strategy_flywheel" , "pricing_packaging" ], "createdAt" : "2026-04-07T12:00:00.000Z" }
The optional context field helps the scoring engine understand the product better, especially for products with minimal public-facing content. Include a brief description of what the product does and who it serves.
Retrieve results Scoring results are accessible by ID. This endpoint is public (no auth required), supporting shareable result URLs.
curl https://app.dacard.ai/api/score/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
To list your score history:
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ https://app.dacard.ai/api/scores
F3 AI Product Assessment Score a product using the F3 framework (AI-nativeness assessment):
curl -X POST https://app.dacard.ai/api/score/product \ -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "url": "https://linear.app", "context": "Linear is a project management tool with AI features" }'
Lifecycle assessment Retrieve lifecycle stage definitions (public, no auth):
curl https://app.dacard.ai/api/lifecycle/stages
Submit a lifecycle self-assessment:
curl -X POST https://app.dacard.ai/api/lifecycle/assessment \ -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "productId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000", "answers": { "task_define_problem": "completed", "task_user_research": "in_progress", "task_competitive_analysis": "not_started" } }'
Rate limits and credits Resource Limit URL score 10 credits per score Chat message 1 credit per message API call 0.1 credits per call Rate limit Plan-dependent (see Settings > Usage)
Credits reset monthly. Monitor your usage with the usage endpoint:
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer dac_your_api_key_here" \ https://app.dacard.ai/api/usage
Error codes Code Status Description AUTH_REQUIRED401 Missing or invalid authentication FORBIDDEN403 Insufficient permissions NOT_FOUND404 Resource not found INVALID_URL400 URL is malformed or unreachable CRAWL_FAILED400 Failed to crawl the target URL QUOTA_EXCEEDED429 Monthly credit limit reached ANON_RATE_LIMIT429 Anonymous rate limit (1 per IP per hour)
Health check Verify the platform is operational:
curl https://app.dacard.ai/api/health
Returns component-level status for database, auth, billing, scoring, and environment checks.
Next steps
Full API Reference Complete endpoint documentation with request/response schemas.
SDKs Client libraries for TypeScript and other languages.
