> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.beliefstate.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Common questions > Find answers on access, coverage, credits, and common errors. ## How do I get started? Choose the guide for where you want to use BeliefState. Check coverage before making a paid research request. * [Connect an AI](https://beliefstate.ai/connect): choose your client, check whether setup is available, and follow its sign-in steps. * [REST quickstart](/quickstart): create an API key, verify access, and read your first belief from a terminal or application. * [API reference](/api-reference/brief/get-an-evidence-backed-research-brief-for-a-ticker): inspect request parameters, example responses, and errors, or send a request in the playground. ## What does BeliefState return? BeliefState returns attributed investor views: who held a thesis, what they said, when it was published and observed, and the evidence supporting it. Available revisions and measured market outcomes stay attached to the record. | Resource | Use it to | | - | - | | [Brief](/api-reference/brief/get-an-evidence-backed-research-brief-for-a-ticker) | Read a ticker's investor theses, disagreements, risks, and recent changes. | | [Beliefs](/api-reference/beliefs/find-investor-beliefs-or-inspect-a-full-record) | Browse individual views or retrieve one full record with claims and evidence. | | [Sources](/api-reference/sources/find-research-sources-by-name-domain-or-source-id) | Inspect source identity, coverage, and access rights. | | [Tickers](/api-reference/tickers/find-tickers-with-available-research) | Check which symbols have released investor beliefs. | Missing confidence, targets, horizons, or outcomes remain unknown. A recorded belief describes the source's view; it does not certify that the view is correct. ## Which AI clients can I connect? Check the Connect page for ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, and Cursor. It shows the setup action available to each client. A listed client is not a guarantee that new connections are open. 1. Open [Connect](https://beliefstate.ai/connect) and select your AI. 2. If setup is available, follow the client-specific instructions and sign in with the BeliefState account that holds your credit. Review the read-only permissions. 3. Enable BeliefState in a conversation and ask the coverage question below. Then ask about a company returned in that coverage. ```text theme={null} Use BeliefState to list the stocks with available research. ``` If setup is unavailable, adding the MCP URL or buying credit will not open it. Existing connections and new setup can have different availability. See [client setup and availability](https://beliefstate.ai/agents#setup) for details. Keep API keys out of chat; consumer chat connections use browser sign-in. ## Is my ticker covered? Use the public ticker endpoint. It requires no API key and does not use research credits. Coverage changes as records are released. ```bash theme={null} curl --fail-with-body \ "https://beliefstate.ai/v1/tickers" ``` Look for your company's symbol in `tickers`. The response includes belief and investor counts and observation dates. An absent ticker means no released coverage for that request. Do not substitute a different company or assume payment adds coverage. * [Ticker response fields and examples](/api-reference/tickers/find-tickers-with-available-research) * [Coverage limits](/concepts/coverage) ## How do I know a research response is usable? Check the returned company, data status, and evidence. A connected-server badge or an HTTP 200 response alone does not establish useful research coverage. | Check | What it tells you | | - | - | | `data` | The actual returned records. Confirm they match your company and question. | | `data_status` | Whether the response is live or preview, how fresh it is, and where coverage is incomplete. | | `citations` | The evidence behind supported claims. Preserve the links and source timestamps. | | `warnings` | Limits or gaps that must stay visible in the answer. | Treat empty results and missing fields as explicit gaps. Do not infer an investor's current position, confidence, or target when the source does not state it. Use the [brief response example](/api-reference/brief/get-an-evidence-backed-research-brief-for-a-ticker) to inspect the contract, or follow the [first-belief walkthrough](/quickstart) to check a result step by step. ## Do I need a subscription? Choose Investor, Pro, or Commercial by how many companies you want to actively track. Every plan offers monthly or yearly billing and a separate research request allowance. Existing purchased credit remains usable. Public documentation and ticker discovery are free; there is no open free research plan. | Access | Price | Included capacity | | - | - | - | | Subscriber refill | \$5 per purchase, paid subscribers only | 250 | | Investor | \$19 / month or \$190 / year | 5 actively tracked companies and 1,000 successful requests / month | | Pro | \$79 / month or \$790 / year | 25 actively tracked companies and 10,000 successful requests / month | | Commercial | \$299 / month or \$2,990 / year | 100 actively tracked companies and 50,000 successful requests / month | Annual billing saves 16.7% versus twelve monthly payments, paid upfront. Subscriptions renew monthly or annually until canceled. Included requests reset monthly, including annual plans, and do not roll over; annual subscribers do not receive a year's requests upfront. All plans can query currently released tickers and share usage across AI, MCP, and API. Purchased credit does not expire. Each refill currently requires checkout; automatic refills are not enabled. There is no postpaid overage. * [Access options](https://beliefstate.ai/pricing) * [Manage billing or cancel a subscription](https://beliefstate.ai/billing) ## Do failed requests or retries use credits? Failed, rejected, and rate-limited requests use no request units. Status and public ticker discovery are also free. Successful research reads use your account's allowance or credit. Tracking slots are separate from research requests. The Tracked companies page shows released research updates for your active selection without consuming requests. Buying a \$5 request refill does not add tracking slots. One AI question can make several research requests; included requests reset monthly. For REST retries, keep the same `X-Request-ID` for the same logical request so a duplicate retry is counted once. Generate a new UUID when changing the endpoint, ticker, filters, or page. Reading a belief's full detail after listing beliefs is a separate research request. * [Check account usage](https://beliefstate.ai/usage) * [Request and retry instructions](/quickstart) ## Should I use MCP or REST? Use MCP when an AI client should discover and call tools. Use REST when your application needs direct control over endpoints and request parameters. Both read the same released intelligence and use the same account access and metering rules. * [MCP server and tools](/guides/mcp-server) * [REST quickstart](/quickstart) * [Authentication](/guides/authentication) For agent-readable instructions, start with [llms.txt](https://beliefstate.ai/llms.txt), [agents.md](https://beliefstate.ai/agents.md), or the [developer quickstart](https://beliefstate.ai/agent-quickstart.md). Every documentation page also has a Markdown version in its page menu. ## What does point-in-time mean? A historical query excludes evidence observed after its declared cutoff. Publication time and first-observed time are separate: an older article found later was not available to the system earlier. Later revisions add history rather than replacing earlier records. Preserve the response's `as_of` cutoff, evidence timestamps, and methodology when comparing results. A publisher's summary is evidence of that summary, not proof of an investor's exact original words. * [Query at a historical cutoff](/guides/point-in-time) * [Evidence and provenance](/concepts/provenance) ## Why is my request failing? Read the error response before retrying. Authentication, billing, and missing coverage need different fixes. | Response | Next step | | - | - | | `400` | Check the parameter names, allowed values, and combinations in the endpoint reference. | | `401` | Use an active Bearer key, or reconnect your AI through browser sign-in. | | `403` | Check workspace permissions and whether this client or operation is allowed. | | `402` | Check the credit balance, request allowance, and spend limits for the account making the request. | | `404` / `503` | Check ticker or record coverage and the error body. The requested record or service may be unavailable; more credit does not fix that. | | `429` / timeout | Wait before retrying. Follow Retry-After when present and reuse the request ID only for the same logical request. | * [Authentication help](/guides/authentication) * [Check API access](/api-reference/access/check-api-access-credit-balance-and-usage-metering) * [Billing](https://beliefstate.ai/billing) ## Can BeliefState trade or read my whole conversation? The research service is read-only. It cannot place or copy trades, edit research, or provide personalized investment advice. BeliefState receives the arguments your AI sends to its tools, not automatic access to the full conversation. Tool arguments can contain text from your question. Keep passwords, API keys, OAuth tokens, and private source material out of those arguments. Review connected-app permissions in [account connections](https://beliefstate.ai/account/connections). * [Privacy policy](https://beliefstate.ai/privacy) * [Research disclosures](https://beliefstate.ai/disclosures) ## How do I report an error or request a correction? Use the Contact page. Include the page or record URL, what you expected, and what happened. For a data correction, identify the disputed field and link to the supporting original source. For API problems, include the HTTP status and request ID when available. Remove secrets and private source text from logs or screenshots. Privacy requests use the same contact route. * [Contact support](https://beliefstate.ai/contact) ## Agent feedback Report unclear, stale, or incorrect documentation through [BeliefState support](https://beliefstate.ai/contact). Include this page URL and the smallest reproducible detail. *Last updated: 2026-09-26 · API version: v1 (Latest) · OpenAPI publication: 2026-09-13.* This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.