> For clean Markdown of any page, append `.md` to the page URL.
> Documentation index: https://you.com/docs/llms.txt (section indexes: append `/llms.txt` to any section URL).
> Search these docs: Docs MCP at https://you.com/docs/_mcp/server (`searchDocs`, no API key).
> Call live You.com APIs: Product MCP at https://api.you.com/mcp (keyless `?profile=free` exposes `you-search` and `you-discover`. Research and finance use `/mcp/research`, `/mcp/finance`, or `?tools=` on `/mcp`). To pick an API or integration path, call `you-discover` on that server instead of guessing.
> OpenAPI: https://you.com/docs/openapi.json—auth header `X-API-Key`, env `YDC_API_KEY`.

# Research API Quickstart

The Research API returns grounded, natural-language answers to questions of varying complexity. It runs multiple searches, reads sources, and synthesizes a Markdown answer with inline citations.

> **Info**
>
> Get an API key at [you.com/platform](https://you.com/platform). The samples below read `YDC_API_KEY`. See the [site Quickstart](/docs/quickstart) for the five-API tour and [API key management](/docs/administration/api-keys) for best practices.

```python maxLines=0
from youdotcom import You
from youdotcom.models import ResearchEffort

you = You()

res = you.research(
    input="Top 5 EV-selling companies worldwide in 2025 so far",
    research_effort=ResearchEffort.STANDARD,
)

print(res.output.content)

for i, source in enumerate(res.output.sources, 1):
    print(f"[{i}] {source.title or 'Untitled'}: {source.url}")
```

```typescript
const response = await fetch("https://api.you.com/v1/research", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "X-API-Key": process.env.YDC_API_KEY,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    input: "Top 5 EV-selling companies worldwide in 2025 so far",
    research_effort: "standard",
  }),
});

const result = await response.json();

console.log(result.output.content);

result.output.sources.forEach((s, i) => {
  console.log(`[${i + 1}] ${s.title ?? s.url}: ${s.url}`);
});
```

```curl
curl -X POST https://api.you.com/v1/research \
  -H "X-API-Key: $YDC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "input": "Top 5 EV-selling companies worldwide in 2025 so far",
    "research_effort": "standard"
  }'
```

> **TypeScript, MCP, or the Python SDK**
>
> TypeScript and JavaScript have three paths. Use `fetch` against the REST APIs when the application needs the JSON. Use [`@youdotcom-oss/mcp`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@youdotcom-oss/mcp), or the hosted server at `https://api.you.com/mcp`, when an agent should call the tools. Use the [Python SDK](/docs/integrations/python-sdk) when you want a typed client that tracks new API fields. The `@youdotcom-oss/sdk` package is deprecated.

#### [Try in Postman](https://www.postman.com/youdotcom/you-com-api-workspace/collection/46015159-b2f6290f-99e7-46e0-9a73-1e5fcd0e81a3)

Fork the Research API collection, add your API key to the `production` environment, and hit Send.

`research_effort` controls depth: `lite` for quick lookups, `standard` (the default) for most production use, `deep` or `exhaustive` when thoroughness matters more than speed, and `frontier` for long-running tasks that require [background requests](/docs/guides/research/background-requests).

## Next Steps

#### [Research API Overview](/docs/guides/research)

Effort levels, how research works, use cases, and pricing

#### [Background Requests](/docs/guides/research/background-requests)

Queue long-running research and poll or stream for the result

#### [Structured Output](/docs/guides/research/structured-output)

Return JSON that follows a schema instead of free-form Markdown

#### [API reference](/docs/api-reference/research/v1-research)

Full parameter reference, request/response schemas, and playground