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

# Quickstart

> Make your first Carboncopy API call in under 5 minutes.

## Overview

This guide walks you through:

1. Creating a Carboncopy account
2. Generating an API key
3. Making your first request
4. Iterating from there

***

## Step 1 — Create an account

Head to [carboncopy.inc](https://www.carboncopy.inc) and sign in with your email. Once authenticated, connect your Polymarket wallet under [**Settings**](https://www.carboncopy.inc/settings).

***

## Step 2 — Generate an API key

Navigate to [**Settings → API Keys**](https://www.carboncopy.inc/settings) in the Dashboard, then click **New Key**.

Configure the scopes you need — for a read-only monitoring bot, `portfolio:read` and `traders:read` are sufficient. For a bot that can follow/unfollow traders, also add `traders:write`.

<Note>
  The key secret (`cc_<64 hex chars>`) is shown **exactly once** at creation time. Copy it to your password manager or secrets store immediately.
</Note>

***

## Step 3 — Make your first request

Verify the API is reachable (no auth required):

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl https://carboncopy.inc/api/v1/health
```

```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "timestamp": 1741600000000
}
```

Now fetch your portfolio summary using your new key:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
export CC_API_KEY="cc_your_key_here"

curl https://carboncopy.inc/api/v1/portfolio \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CC_API_KEY"
```

```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
  "totalValue": 5420.75,
  "positionsValue": 1840.22,
  "currentExposure": 1840.22,
  "grossVolume": 7392.10,
  "totalVolume": 7392.10,
  "realizedPnl": 355.20,
  "unrealizedPnl": 65.30,
  "totalPnl": 420.50,
  "pnlPercentage": 8.41,
  "openPositions": 12,
  "tradersFollowing": 7
}
```

***

## Step 4 — Follow a trader

To start copying a wallet, your key needs `traders:write` scope:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl -X POST https://carboncopy.inc/api/v1/traders \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "walletAddress": "0xAbCd1234...",
    "copyPercentage": 25,
    "maxCopyAmount": 500
  }'
```

This will copy 25% of every trade by `0xAbCd1234...`, up to a maximum of \$500 USDC per trade.

***

## Step 5 — Monitor your positions

Poll open positions to track what's currently deployed:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl "https://carboncopy.inc/api/v1/portfolio/positions?limit=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CC_API_KEY"
```

See [Pagination](/pagination) for iterating beyond the first page.

***

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="shield-halved" href="/authentication">
    Learn about API key scopes and security.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Full interactive endpoint documentation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Errors" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/errors">
    Handle errors gracefully in your bot.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pagination" icon="list" href="/pagination">
    Iterate over large result sets with cursors.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>