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

# Chronicle API

> Generate, fetch, and edit presentations from your own products, workflows, and AI agents.

## What you can do

* create a presentation from a template
* generate a presentation from a prompt
* fetch an existing presentation
* update presentation metadata
* list the templates available to a workspace

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Ways to use">
    - internal tools that generate decks on demand
    - automated workflows in Zapier, Make, or n8n
    - AI assistants that create presentations for users
    - product experiences that embed Chronicle-generated output
    - pipelines that turn structured business data into polished presentations
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example workflows">
    * A sales tool sends account notes to Chronicle and gets back a shareable presentation.
    * A workflow automation creates a weekly business review from a spreadsheet.
    * An internal app lets teams choose a template and generate a deck from a form.
    * An AI agent creates a presentation for a user inside a chat interface.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## API or MCP?

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Column>
    <Card title="Use the API for:" icon="hard-drive">
      * building a product integration
      * direct HTTP access
      * wiring Chronicle into backend services or automations
      * predictable programmatic control
    </Card>
  </Column>

  <Column>
    <Card title="Use MCP for:" icon="stars">
      * AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to use Chronicle as a capability
      * agent-driven presentation creation
      * expose Chronicle as a tool than build directly against raw endpoints
    </Card>
  </Column>
</Columns>

MCP is the agent-friendly layer, while the API is the integration layer underneath it.

***

## How it works

1. Authenticate with a workspace-scoped API key
2. Choose a template or generation flow
3. Generate a presentation
4. Receive a Chronicle presentation and URL
5. Fetch, update, or pass that result into the next step of your workflow

Some endpoints respond immediately, while generation workflows may be asynchronous and require polling.

***

## Core concepts

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Workspaces">
    API access is scoped to a Chronicle workspace.

    Templates, presentations, and permissions are tied to that workspace.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="API Keys">
    Requests are authenticated with API keys created by a workspace admin.

    Keys should be stored securely and used from trusted backend environments.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Templates">
    Templates define the starting structure and design of a presentation.

    They’re often the fastest way to create consistent output through the API.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Presentations">
    A presentation is the final Chronicle output your workflow creates or updates. API responses include a presentation `id` and a `url` your users can open directly in Chronicle.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Generation Jobs">
    Generation workflows process the request asynchronously. The API returns a `generation_id` that you can poll until the presentation is ready.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Design principles for the API

When building with Chronicle, it helps to think of the API as optimized for:

* Fast time to first successful presentation
* Template-based creation for consistency
* Generation workflows for flexible input
* Shareable output that fits into existing tools
* Workspace-level security and access control

***

## What to read next

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Column>
    <Card title="Quickstart" horizontal href="/quickstart" cta="View">
      Make your first request
    </Card>

    <Card title="MCP Setup" horizontal href="/mcp-guide" cta="View">
      Connect Chronicle to AI agents
    </Card>
  </Column>

  <Column>
    <Card title="API Reference" href="/api-reference" cta="View">
      Endpoints and request formats
    </Card>

    <Card title="Troubleshooting" horizontal href="/troubleshooting" cta="View">
      Resolve common issues
    </Card>
  </Column>
</Columns>