CodeWords API key

Create and use your CodeWords API key to trigger workflows from external apps. Paid feature.

Overview

The CodeWords API lets paid users trigger workflows from external applications with simple HTTP requests. Whether you're building a web app, mobile app, or connecting to third-party services, it's easy to connect to CodeWords once API access is enabled on your account.

CodeWords API keys are available on paid plans only. They are not available on the free plan.

Getting your API key

First things first — you'll need credentials. If you're on a paid plan, open Settings → API Keys from the sidebar account menu.

API keys are a paid-plan feature. Free users see a banner with View plans that opens Plans. Workflow environment variables on the same tab are available on all plans.

Generate a key (or regenerate if you already have one). Keys look like:

• cwk- for standard reusable keys (most common)
• cwotk- for one-time keys (extra security for sensitive operations)

You can reveal, copy, or delete keys from the same tab. Treat your API key like a password — keep it secret and store it as an environment variable.

How the API works

Base URL: https://runtime.codewords.ai

The endpoints you'll use:

• Quick tasks: POST /run/{serviceId} (under two minutes)
• Heavy lifting: POST /run_async/{serviceId} (up to 30 minutes)
• Check results: GET /result/{request_id} (for async calls)
• Watch progress: GET /logs/{request_id} (live streaming)
• Upload files: POST /file (when your workflow needs files)

Authentication: Just add "Authorization: Bearer {YOUR_API_KEY}" to your headers using a CodeWords API key from an eligible paid plan.

Quick synchronous calls

Perfect for automations that finish fast (under two minutes). Your request waits for the result and gets it back immediately.

Using cURL

# Basic call to a LinkedIn enricher
curl -X POST https://runtime.codewords.ai/run/linkedin-enricher \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cwk-your-api-key-here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "spreadsheet": "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms",
    "include_email": false,
    "output_columns": ["bio", "location", "current_job"]
  }'

# Success response:
# {
#   "status": "completed",
#   "processed_count": 25,
#   "success_rate": 0.92,
#   "updated_sheet_url": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/...",
#   "summary": "## Enrichment complete\n\n**25 profiles processed**..."
# }

# If it takes too long:
# HTTP 504 Gateway Timeout (switch to async!)

Python example

Install the CodeWords client first:

pip install codewords-client

import os
from codewords_client import AsyncCodewordsClient
import asyncio

# Set your API key as environment variable
# export CODEWORDS_API_KEY=cwk-your-api-key-here

async def enrich_linkedin_profiles(spreadsheet_id: str):
    """Call the LinkedIn enricher and get results back immediately."""
    
    async with AsyncCodewordsClient() as client:
        try:
            response = await client.run(
                service_id="linkedin-enricher",
                inputs={
                    "spreadsheet": spreadsheet_id,
                    "include_email": False,
                    "output_columns": ["bio", "location", "current_job"]
                }
            )
            response.raise_for_status()
            return response.json()
            
        except Exception as e:
            if "504" in str(e) or "timeout" in str(e).lower():
                raise TimeoutError("Service took too long - try async instead")
            raise

# Usage
async def main():
    try:
        result = await enrich_linkedin_profiles("1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms")
        print(f"Processed {result['processed_count']} profiles")
        print(f"Success rate: {result['success_rate']:.1%}")
    except TimeoutError:
        print("That took too long - consider using async execution")

asyncio.run(main())

JavaScript/TypeScript example

Install the client:

npm install @codewords/client

import { createServiceClient } from "@codewords/client";

// Set your API key as environment variable
const client = createServiceClient(process.env.CODEWORDS_API_KEY!);

interface LinkedInRequest {
  spreadsheet: string;
  include_email: boolean;
  output_columns: string[];
}

async function enrichLinkedInProfiles(request: LinkedInRequest) {
  try {
    const result = await client.runService(
      "linkedin-enricher", // service ID
      "",                  // path (empty for main endpoint)
      request              // your data
    );
    
    return result;
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response?.status === 504) {
      throw new Error("Service timed out - try async execution");
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

// Usage
const request = {
  spreadsheet: "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms",
  include_email: false,
  output_columns: ["bio", "location", "current_job"]
};

const result = await enrichLinkedInProfiles(request);
console.log(`Processed ${result.processed_count} profiles`);

Asynchronous calls for heavy lifting

For automations that need more time (up to 30 minutes), use async execution. You'll get a request ID immediately, then check back for results.

Using cURL

# 1. Start the async job
curl -X POST https://runtime.codewords.ai/run_async/linkedin-enricher \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cwk-your-api-key-here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "spreadsheet": "1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms",
    "include_email": true,
    "output_columns": ["bio", "location", "current_job", "education"]
  }'

# Response: {"request_id": "req_abc123def456"}

# 2. Check if it's done (might return 408 if still running)
curl -X GET "https://runtime.codewords.ai/result/req_abc123def456" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cwk-your-api-key-here"

# Not ready: HTTP 408 Request Timeout
# Ready: Full result with status 200

# 3. Optional: Watch live logs
curl -X GET "https://runtime.codewords.ai/logs/req_abc123def456" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cwk-your-api-key-here" \
  -H "Accept: text/event-stream"

Python example

from codewords_client import AsyncCodewordsClient
import asyncio

async def enrich_profiles_async(spreadsheet_id: str):
    """Start a big job and wait for it to finish."""
    
    async with AsyncCodewordsClient() as client:
        # Start the job in background
        handle = await client.run(
            service_id="linkedin-enricher",
            inputs={
                "spreadsheet": spreadsheet_id,
                "include_email": True,
                "output_columns": ["bio", "location", "current_job", "education"]
            },
            in_background=True  # This makes it async
        )
        
        print(f"Started background job: {handle.request_id}")
        
        # Wait for it to finish (up to 10 minutes)
        response = await handle.result(timeout_seconds=600)
        return response.json()

# Usage
async def main():
    result = await enrich_profiles_async("1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms")
    print(f"Async job completed!")
    print(f"Processed {result['processed_count']} profiles")

asyncio.run(main())

TypeScript example

import { createServiceClient } from "@codewords/client";

const client = createServiceClient(process.env.CODEWORDS_API_KEY!);

async function enrichProfilesAsync(request: LinkedInRequest) {
  // Start async execution
  const requestId = await client.runAsync(
    "linkedin-enricher",
    "",
    request
  );
  
  console.log(`Started async job: ${requestId}`);
  
  // Wait for results (10 minutes max)
  const result = await client.pollResult(600000);
  
  if (result.responseStatus === 200) {
    return result.responseJson;
  } else {
    throw new Error(`Job failed with status ${result.responseStatus}`);
  }
}

Working with files

When your CodeWords automation needs file inputs, upload them first and pass the download URLs.

Upload and process pattern

from codewords_client import AsyncCodewordsClient

async def process_my_csv(file_path: str):
    """Upload a local file and process it with CodeWords."""
    
    async with AsyncCodewordsClient() as client:
        # Read your local file
        with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
            file_content = f.read()
        
        # Upload to CodeWords
        download_url = await client.upload_file_content(
            filename="data.csv",
            file_content=file_content
        )
        
        # Process with your automation
        response = await client.run(
            service_id="csv-processor",
            inputs={
                "csv_file": download_url,
                "processing_options": {"header_row": True}
            }
        )
        return response.json()

# Usage
result = await process_my_csv("./my-data.csv")
print(f"Processed {result['row_count']} rows")

Integrating with web apps

Here's how to add CodeWords to a Flask web application:

from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
from codewords_client import AsyncCodewordsClient
import asyncio

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/analyze-spreadsheet', methods=['POST'])
def analyze_spreadsheet():
    """API endpoint that calls CodeWords behind the scenes."""
    
    data = request.get_json()
    spreadsheet_id = data.get('spreadsheet_id')
    
    if not spreadsheet_id:
        return jsonify({"error": "spreadsheet_id required"}), 400
    
    async def call_codewords():
        async with AsyncCodewordsClient() as client:
            response = await client.run(
                service_id="linkedin-enricher",
                inputs={
                    "spreadsheet": spreadsheet_id,
                    "include_email": False,
                    "output_columns": ["bio", "location", "current_job"]
                }
            )
            return response.json()
    
    try:
        result = asyncio.run(call_codewords())
        return jsonify(result)
    except Exception as e:
        if "timeout" in str(e).lower():
            return jsonify({"error": "Analysis timed out"}), 408
        return jsonify({"error": str(e)}), 500

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Error handling best practices

Make your API calls bulletproof with smart retry logic:

from codewords_client import AsyncCodewordsClient
import asyncio
import logging

async def bulletproof_call(
    service_id: str, 
    inputs: dict, 
    max_retries: int = 3
):
    """Make a robust call with automatic retry and timeout handling."""
    
    async with AsyncCodewordsClient() as client:
        for attempt in range(max_retries):
            try:
                # Try sync first
                response = await client.run(
                    service_id=service_id,
                    inputs=inputs
                )
                return response.json()
                
            except Exception as e:
                if "timeout" in str(e).lower() or "504" in str(e):
                    # Switch to async for timeouts
                    logging.info("Switching to async mode due to timeout...")
                    handle = await client.run(
                        service_id=service_id,
                        inputs=inputs,
                        in_background=True
                    )
                    response = await handle.result(timeout_seconds=600)
                    return response.json()
                
                # Retry on other errors
                if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                    await asyncio.sleep(2 ** attempt)  # Exponential backoff
                    continue
                raise

# Usage
try:
    result = await bulletproof_call("my-automation", {"input": "data"})
    print("Success!")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Failed after retries: {e}")

FAQs

What is the CodeWords API used for?

The CodeWords API lets you trigger and control workflows directly from any app or system using simple HTTP requests. You can build web or mobile apps that run CodeWords automations seamlessly in the background.

What’s the difference between sync and async API calls?

• Synchronous (/run): Best for fast workflows that finish in under two minutes.
• Asynchronous (/run_async): Designed for longer jobs (up to 30 minutes). You get a request ID instantly and can check progress or results later.

How do I authenticate requests?

Include your API key in the request header: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY This ensures that every API call is securely linked to your CodeWords account. CodeWords API keys are available on paid plans only.

Can I upload files to my workflows?

Yes. Use the /file endpoint to upload any file your automation needs. CodeWords returns a secure download URL you can include in your workflow inputs.

What programming languages are supported?

You can call the API from any language that supports HTTP requests. Official clients are available for Python and JavaScript/TypeScript, making integration effortless.

How long can an API job run?

Synchronous jobs run for up to 2 minutes, while asynchronous workflows can run for up to 30 minutes before timing out.