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REST · OpenAPI 3.1

The government-contracts API, at full parity.

Every screen on Sell to State is backed by a documented REST endpoint under /api/v1. Search, drill into a buyer or supplier, export CSV, and keep saved lists — with one API key and the same paywall the MCP server and CLI share.

Full reference → MCP server

# 60-second quickstart

# 1. Create a key in the dashboard
#    Account → API keys
# 2. Verify it
curl -s https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/whoami \
  -H "x-api-key: sts_xxxxxxxx"

# 3. Search
curl -s "https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/search\
?scope=tenders&q=cybersecurity" \
  -H "x-api-key: sts_xxxxxxxx"

Same key works for the MCP server and the selltostate CLI.

Auth & the 402 paywall

Two credential types resolve to one entitlement check. Humans and backends send an API key as x-api-key: sts_…. Autonomous agents self-register over RFC 7591 DCR and present Authorization: Bearer client:<id>.

Until your subject has an active subscription, every data call returns 402 with a payment_link (humans) and a machine_payment affordance (agents can pay off-session via POST /api/v1/pay and continue without a browser). GET /api/v1/whoami is the exception — it returns 200 with active:false so you can decide to pay before doing work.

Plan caps: trial = 20 rows/page, paid = 5,000. Rate limit: 120 data calls/min per credential (faceted search has its own 300/min budget). Saved lists and saved searches are owner-scoped — they require a user x-api-key; an OIDC client token gets 403.

Endpoints.

All under /api/v1. Full params, schemas and "Try it" live in the reference.

GET /api/v1/whoami Auth + entitlement + scopes. Returns 200 active:false (not 402) for a valid-but-unsubscribed key — check before you spend.
GET /api/v1/search Faceted Typesense search over one scope (tenders | buyers | suppliers | sectors): hits + facet counts + pagination.
GET /api/v1/awards Paginated, filterable award rows ordered by value. CSV at /api/v1/awards.csv.
GET /api/v1/buyers/{slug} Buyer (agency) detail: summary, yearly spend trend, sector split, top suppliers.
GET /api/v1/suppliers/{slug} Supplier detail: summary, yearly awarded trend, sector split, top buyers.
GET /api/v1/sectors/{slug} Sector detail: summary, yearly trend, active partners (?kind=buyers|suppliers).
GET /api/v1/tenders/{id} Single award by numeric id or public tender id, plus related awards.
CRUD /api/v1/lists* Saved award lists. Owner-scoped — requires a user x-api-key.
CRUD /api/v1/saved-searches* Saved searches. Owner-scoped — requires a user x-api-key.

Examples.

Python — search awards

import requests

H = {"x-api-key": "sts_xxxxxxxx"}
r = requests.get(
    "https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/search",
    params={"scope": "tenders", "q": "cybersecurity", "year_min": 2023},
    headers=H,
)
if r.status_code == 402:
    print("subscribe:", r.json()["payment_link"]); raise SystemExit
data = r.json()
print(data["found"], "matches")
for hit in data["hits"]:
    print(hit)

Node — buyer detail + CSV export

const H = { "x-api-key": process.env.STS_API_KEY };

const buyer = await fetch(
  "https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/buyers/ministry-of-education",
  { headers: H },
).then((r) => r.json());
console.log(buyer.buyer, buyer.yearly);

// Stream the entitlement-capped CSV
const csv = await fetch(
  "https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/awards.csv?supplier=ACME",
  { headers: H },
).then((r) => r.text());

Saved lists (user key)

# Create a list, add a tender, read it back
LID=$(curl -s -X POST https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/lists \
  -H "x-api-key: sts_xxxxxxxx" -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Cyber FY24"}' | jq -r .id)

curl -s -X POST https://app.selltostate.com/api/v1/lists/$LID/items \
  -H "x-api-key: sts_xxxxxxxx" -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"tender_no":"MOE000ETT24300001"}'

Get an API key.

Start a free trial, create a key under Account → API keys, and you're querying in minutes. The full reference — every parameter, response schema, and a live "Try it" — is at docs.selltostate.com.

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