# Scrape.it quickstart

Every compute call requires a free user-owned API key. Start at https://api.scrape.it/auth/start, confirm an approved permanent mailbox, and verify an authenticated proxy. The onboarding flow saves the proxy as encrypted connector ciphertext and generates the first command for you.

```bash
export SCRAPEIT_API_KEY="sit_live_REPLACE_ME"
export SCRAPEIT_PROXY_CONNECTOR_ID="pxy_REPLACE_ME"

curl https://api.scrape.it/v1/scrape \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCRAPEIT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "proxyConnectorId": "'"$SCRAPEIT_PROXY_CONNECTOR_ID"'",
    "format": "markdown",
    "render": false
  }'
```

You may replace `proxyConnectorId` with one request-scoped authenticated `proxy` URL. Never send both. Inspect current availability at `GET https://api.scrape.it/v1/capabilities` and use https://scrape.it/openapi.json as the normative contract.

Do not paste API keys or proxy URLs into chat. A coding agent should read them from environment variables. For help, email support@scrape.it.