Siftwright API docs

Version 1 · Base URL https://siftwright.com/v1

The Siftwright API gives you our YouTube transcript, website screenshot/PDF and Google News tools behind one key. Every endpoint takes a JSON body with POST and returns JSON. Get a key by subscribing to a plan.

Authentication

Send your key in the Authorization header on every request:

Authorization: Bearer sw_live_YOUR_KEY

Keys are shown once after checkout, and we store only a hash of them. Keep your key server-side, and never put it in browser or mobile app code. If a key leaks or is lost, email support@siftwright.com and we'll replace it.

Endpoints

POST /v1/youtube-transcript

Transcripts and subtitles for YouTube videos, Shorts, playlists and channels.

Field	Type	Notes
`url` or `urls`	string / array	Required. 1 to 10 video, Shorts, playlist or channel URLs (or video IDs).
`language`	string	Preferred transcript language, default `en`.
`translateTo`	string	Optional language code to auto-translate into.
`outputFormats`	array	Any of `text`, `segments`, `srt`, `vtt`. Default `["text","segments"]`.
`maxVideosPerSource`	integer	For playlists and channels, 1 to 25, default 10.
`includeMetadata`, `preferManual`	boolean	Default `true`.

Counts one result per video whose transcript came back.

POST /v1/screenshot

PNG/JPEG screenshots or PDFs of web pages. Each result includes a fileUrl to download the file.

Field	Type	Notes
`url` or `urls`	string / array	Required. 1 to 5 http(s) URLs.
`format`	string	`png` (default), `jpeg` or `pdf`.
`fullPage`	boolean	Default `true`.
`viewportWidth`, `viewportHeight`	integer	Default 1280 × 800.
`deviceScaleFactor`	integer	1 to 3, default 1.
`pdfPageFormat`	string	`A4`, `A3`, `Letter` or `Legal`.
`blockCookieBanners`	boolean	Default `true`.
`waitForSelector`, `delaySec`	string / integer	Wait for an element, or up to 10 seconds, before capturing.

Counts one result per page captured.

POST /v1/google-news

Google News articles for a keyword, brand or topic.

Field	Type	Notes
`query`	string	Required.
`maxItems`	integer	1 to 100, default 30.
`language`, `country`	string	Default `en` and `US`.

Counts one result per article returned.

Response

{
 "endpoint": "google-news",
 "count": 10,
 "billed": 10,
 "results": [ { "title": "...", "link": "...", "source": "...", "publishedAt": "...", "status": "ok" } ],
 "usage": { "plan": "pro", "used": 1210, "quota": 50000, "remaining": 48790, "period_end": "2026-10-28T12:00:00.000Z" }
}

Each item has a status. Only items with "status": "ok" count toward your plan (billed); failed items are included so you can see why, and they're free.

Examples

curl

curl https://siftwright.com/v1/screenshot \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SIFTWRIGHT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com", "format": "pdf"}'

Python

import os, requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://siftwright.com/v1/youtube-transcript",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SIFTWRIGHT_API_KEY']}"},
    json={"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "outputFormats": ["text"]},
    timeout=300,
)
r.raise_for_status()
for item in r.json()["results"]:
    print(item["title"], item.get("wordCount"))

JavaScript (Node 18+)

const res = await fetch("https://siftwright.com/v1/google-news", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SIFTWRIGHT_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query: "electric vehicles", maxItems: 20 }),
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error((await res.json()).error.message);
const { results, usage } = await res.json();
console.log(results.length, "articles;", usage.remaining, "results left this period");

Limits

Plan	Price	Successful results / month
Starter	$29/month	10,000
Pro	$99/month	50,000
Business	$299/month	250,000
Enterprise	$999/month	1,500,000

Rate limit: 60 requests per minute per key.
Requests run synchronously and can take up to about 5 minutes for large batches, so set a generous client timeout. Smaller batches return faster.
Usage resets at the start of each billing period. Unused results don't roll over.
A request never uses more than your remaining results. Large batches are trimmed to fit.

Errors

Errors return a JSON body like {"error": {"code": "invalid_api_key", "message": "..."}}.

Status	Code	Meaning
400	`invalid_body`, `invalid_input`	The JSON body is missing or a field is invalid.
401	`missing_api_key`, `invalid_api_key`	No key, or the key isn't recognised.
402	`subscription_inactive`	The subscription is canceled or a payment failed. Update your card in the billing portal.
429	`quota_exceeded`	You've used this period's included results. Upgrade or wait for the next period.
429	`rate_limited`	More than 60 requests per minute. Retry after the `Retry-After` header.
502 / 504	`upstream_error`, `upstream_timeout`	The tool failed or took too long. Nothing is counted; retry, or send a smaller batch.

AI agents and MCP

A hosted MCP server for Siftwright API keys isn't available yet. For now, agents can call the REST endpoints above as tools, or use every Siftwright tool through Apify's hosted MCP server with an Apify account (that's billed by Apify, separately from this API).

Billing

Plans renew monthly through Stripe. Cancel, switch plans or update your card anytime from Manage subscription. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid period. Questions: support@siftwright.com.