---
title: "Developer quickstart"
description: "Load credit, mint a bk_live_ key, run one sourced site check, and read the usage receipt."
last_updated: "2026-09-20"
---

Load at least $10 of prepaid credit, mint a key, run one priced site check, and
read the receipt. A key is a server-side credential. CORS stays off — do not
ship it to a browser.

A free account includes **10 site lookups / month**, including headless use. A
$10 load is **110 checks in month one**, then 100 per $10 after that. Each
sourced check is **$0.10 USD**. Uncovered sites return HTTP 202 with
`charged: false` and are not billed.

## 1. Load credit and mint a key

1. Sign in and open [Settings → Developer](https://buckybuild.com/en/settings/developer).
2. Load at least **$10 USD**.
3. Create a key. Copy the secret once. Prefixes are `bk_live_` in production and
   `bk_test_` locally.

```bash
export BUCKY_API_KEY='bk_live_…'
```

## 2. Four curls

Anonymous coverage is free. The site check is the only priced route.

```bash
curl -sS https://buckybuild.com/api/v1/coverage/divisions/toronto-on
```

```bash
curl -sS -i \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUCKY_API_KEY" \
  'https://buckybuild.com/api/v1/sites/check?address=100%20Queen%20St%20W,%20Toronto'
```

Read `usage` in the JSON body and the receipt headers:
`X-Bucky-Receipt-Id`, `X-Bucky-Price-Usd`, `X-Bucky-Debit-Usd`,
`X-Bucky-Balance-Usd`, `X-Bucky-Billing-Reason`. A 304 still carries those
headers. A 402 reports the shortfall without a second round trip.

```bash
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUCKY_API_KEY" \
  https://buckybuild.com/api/v1/usage/balance
```

```bash
curl -sS https://buckybuild.com/openapi.json | head
```

Coverage and OpenAPI are free. Address suggest is also free but needs a UUID
`sessionToken` — skip it here. `sites/check` is the meter.

## 3. CLI

The CLI is not on npm. Install the promoted binary, then hit the same coverage
route:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/markbucky/bucky/main/apps/bucky-cli/install.sh | sh
bucky coverage get toronto-on
```

Balance is the same `GET /api/v1/usage/balance` call as the third curl. Auth
for product commands is `bucky auth login`. See [CLI](/docs/cli).

## Next

- [API](/docs/api) — priced check, free reads, redaction, CORS, and the 401 taxonomy.
- [MCP](/docs/mcp) — agents.
- [CLI](/docs/cli) — install and product commands.


## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.