Quickstart

Save your first AI-generated document in under 5 minutes

Quickstart

1. Install the SDK

   pip install surfacedocs
   
2. Get your API key

   Sign up at app.surfacedocs.dev and create an API key from your dashboard. Keys start with sd_live_.

   You can pass it directly or set it as an environment variable:

   export SURFACEDOCS_API_KEY=sd_live_...
   
3. Generate and save a document

   Choose your LLM provider:

   OpenAI

   from surfacedocs import SurfaceDocs, DOCUMENT_SCHEMA, SYSTEM_PROMPT
   from openai import OpenAI
   
   openai = OpenAI()
   docs = SurfaceDocs()
   
   response = openai.chat.completions.create(
       model="gpt-4o",
       messages=[
           {"role": "system", "content": SYSTEM_PROMPT},
           {"role": "user", "content": "Write documentation for user authentication"},
       ],
       response_format={
           "type": "json_schema",
           "json_schema": {"name": "document", "schema": DOCUMENT_SCHEMA},
       },
   )
   
   result = docs.save(response.choices[0].message.content)
   print(f"Saved: {result.url}")
   

   Gemini

   from surfacedocs import SurfaceDocs, DOCUMENT_SCHEMA, SYSTEM_PROMPT
   import google.generativeai as genai
   
   genai.configure(api_key="...")
   docs = SurfaceDocs()
   
   model = genai.GenerativeModel(
       model_name="gemini-2.0-flash",
       system_instruction=SYSTEM_PROMPT,
       generation_config=genai.GenerationConfig(
           response_mime_type="application/json",
           response_schema=DOCUMENT_SCHEMA,
       ),
   )
   
   response = model.generate_content("Write documentation for user authentication")
   result = docs.save(response.text)
   print(f"Saved: {result.url}")
   

   Anthropic

   from surfacedocs import SurfaceDocs, DOCUMENT_SCHEMA, SYSTEM_PROMPT
   import anthropic
   
   client = anthropic.Anthropic()
   docs = SurfaceDocs()
   
   response = client.messages.create(
       model="claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
       max_tokens=4096,
       system=SYSTEM_PROMPT,
       messages=[
           {"role": "user", "content": "Write documentation for user authentication"},
       ],
       tools=[{
           "name": "create_document",
           "description": "Create a structured document",
           "input_schema": DOCUMENT_SCHEMA,
       }],
       tool_choice={"type": "tool", "name": "create_document"},
   )
   
   tool_use = next(b for b in response.content if b.type == "tool_use")
   result = docs.save(tool_use.input)
   print(f"Saved: {result.url}")
   
4. View your document

   Open the URL printed in the previous step. Your document is live and shareable at https://app.surfacedocs.dev/d/....

Next steps

Python SDK Reference

Explore all SDK methods and models.

LLM Providers

Detailed guides for each LLM provider.