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

# Quickstart

> Convert a document to Markdown with three requests.

You need an API key; see [Authentication](/authentication). Export it first:

```bash theme={null}
export ANYTHINGMD_API_KEY="amd_live_..."
```

## 1. Start a conversion

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://anythingmd.com/api/v1/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYTHINGMD_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: report-2026-10-01" \
  -d '{
    "source": {
      "type": "external",
      "fileUrl": "https://example.com/report.pdf",
      "fileName": "report.pdf"
    }
  }'
```

The response is `201 Created` with the job:

```json theme={null}
{ "id": "job_...", "status": "running" }
```

## 2. Poll until it finishes

```bash theme={null}
curl https://anythingmd.com/api/v1/jobs/job_... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYTHINGMD_API_KEY"
```

Poll every 2 to 5 seconds until `status` is `succeeded`, `failed` or `canceled`. Each poll also moves the job forward, so keep polling until it finishes.

## 3. Download the Markdown

```bash theme={null}
curl https://anythingmd.com/api/v1/jobs/job_.../artifacts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANYTHINGMD_API_KEY"
```

Each artifact has a `downloadUrl`. The `markdown` artifact is the converted document.

## Next steps

* Convert local files with [uploads](/upload-files).
* See what a conversion costs in [Pricing and limits](/pricing-and-limits).
* Retry safely with [idempotency keys](/idempotency).