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The Operator API exposes every console action as an endpoint. It has two layers: Conversational (POST /api/chat). Send natural language to the Operator agent. It handles multi-step work: provisioning instances, writing agent skills, running experiments, scoring results, reporting back. REST. Direct resource management: create instances, store secrets, set up cron schedules, configure webhooks. No conversational layer involved. Most developers use both. Conversational for anything that requires judgment (“deploy 5 variants and score them against last week’s data”). REST for structured operations where you know exactly what you want (“create an instance called weather-desk”).

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Authentication

Every request requires an API key in the Authorization header. 
Authorization: Bearer ck_live_...
Create keys in Settings > API Keys in the console. Keys start with ck_live_. Each key has full access to your account. Revoke a key immediately if it leaks.
DetailValue
Base URLhttps://operator.io
AuthBearer ck_live_...
FormatJSON
StreamingSSE (default for /api/chat), or set x-response-format: json

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Conversational API

The /api/chat endpoint accepts natural language messages. You describe what you want and the Operator agent figures out the implementation. It has tools for every platform operation and maintains context across a conversation. 
curl -s "https://operator.io/api/chat" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ck_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-response-format: json" \
  -d '{
    "messages": [{
      "role": "user",
      "parts": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Build an agent that monitors SEC Form 4 filings. When 3+ insiders buy at the same company within a week, send me a Slack summary." }]
    }]
  }'
The Operator agent will provision an instance, write the agent skill, explain what it built, and walk you through testing. Pass the returned chatId back as id in subsequent requests to continue the conversation. You express intent at a high level and the agent decomposes it into concrete operations. Read more in Operator Agent.

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REST Endpoints

For direct resource management, use the REST endpoints. These are standard CRUD operations that don’t go through the conversational layer.

Instances

Create, list, update, restart, and delete agent instances. Each instance is an isolated container with its own filesystem, browser, terminal, and LLM access.

Secrets

Store credentials (API keys, tokens, database URLs) and grant them to specific instances. Secrets are encrypted at rest and values are only returned once at creation.

Automations

Schedule prompts that run on a cron. The Operator agent executes the prompt with full tool access each time the schedule fires.

Webhooks

Create trigger URLs that accept external HTTP payloads. The payload gets injected into a prompt template and sent to the Operator agent.

API Keys

Create and revoke API keys programmatically.

Billing

Check plan status, capacity, and usage.
See the full interactive API reference to try endpoints with your key in the browser.

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SDKs

npm install @operator-labs/sdk

import { Operator } from "@operator-labs/sdk";

const op = new Operator({ apiKey: "ck_live_..." });

// Conversational: complex multi-step task
const { chatId, text } = await op.chat.send(
  "Deploy 5 variants of the fraud detector and score them."
);

// REST: direct resource management
const instances = await op.instances.list();

await op.automations.create({
  name: "Daily scoring",
  prompt: "Score predictions against yesterday's actuals.",
  cronExpression: "0 9 * * *",
});

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Common patterns

Build and iterate on an agent. Use the conversational API to describe a problem, deploy variants, score them, and evolve the best. The Operator agent handles the full lifecycle across multiple messages. Integrate into CI/CD. Use webhooks to trigger the Operator agent when a deployment completes, a test suite runs, or new data lands. The agent decides what to do based on the payload. Automate recurring work. Create automations to score agents on a schedule, generate daily reports, or run health checks across your fleet. Manage infrastructure from code. Use the REST endpoints to provision instances, rotate secrets, and adjust configurations as part of a larger system.

Interactive API Reference

Try every endpoint with the built-in playground.

Quickstart

Deploy your first agent in under 5 minutes.

Operator Agent

How the conversational interface works.

Instances

What an instance can do.