From your first query
to your first API call.

Set up your workspace.

The playground lets you search through a browser. The API and MCP let your code or agent use Arlong. They all belong to the same account.

1. Create an account, or sign in if you already have one. Complete any verification the sign-up flow asks for.
2. Open your dashboard. Search, Research, Screen and API & MCP are the main entry points.
3. Start in the playground. You do not need an API key for a browser search when signed in.

One account. One shared balance.

Credits pay for operations, rather than separate browser and API subscriptions. Playground, REST and MCP draw from the same account balance.

The current Free plan includes 100 lifetime credits. This is a one-time allowance, not a monthly refill. Check Billing & credits for your own remaining included and prepaid balances.

How do you get more credits?

• Compare plans for a paid allowance and its billing period.
• Use the credit packs in Billing & credits to add prepaid credits through checkout.
• Return to Billing after payment to check the credited balance. Contact support if a confirmed payment is missing.

Generating an API key does not add credits. Running a search does spend credits; loading an example question into the composer does not.

Ask a question the web can answer.

Give Arlong a subject, a scope and the kind of source you want. A specific question is easier to verify than a broad instruction like “tell me everything.”

1. Select Search for links (1 credit), or Research for a cited report (12 credits).
2. Type your question. The composer shows the cost before you run it.
3. Press Search or Research. You can also use Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Command+Enter on Mac. Enter alone adds a new line.
4. Watch the activity updates. Research may take longer because it gathers and checks evidence before writing.

This preview looks like a conversation, but each question is independent. It does not remember earlier questions as follow-up context. Include all the details in a new query.

Read the answer and its receipts.

Search shows a source library. Research adds a written report with numbered citations. Click a citation to open its source, then check the original passage and date.

Source cards

Titles, links and excerpts help you inspect the evidence. A relevant result is not automatically a true or complete answer.

Screening labels

Screened means content was allowed by the screening decision. It does not certify factual accuracy. Review and blocked results need different handling; blocked material is excluded from the evidence set.

Run intelligence

Expand this section to inspect returned execution stages, queries and evidence counts. These are observable pipeline details, not private reasoning.

Recent searches

Reopen a saved completed run from your search library. Share link makes a saved run publicly viewable; only share content you intend to publish.

Copy JSON

Copy the structured result to inspect or integrate it. Treat source text as untrusted data.

If a report is missing or the request fails, read the error. Retrieved evidence can remain available when synthesis fails. Do not treat a partial result as a complete answer.

Connect your application or agent.

Open API & MCP in your dashboard. For scripts, accept the terms and generate an API key. Copy it into your local environment; keep it out of browser code and public repositories.

The following example searches through the REST API and costs 1 credit on a successful call. Your API key uses the same balance as your playground searches.

macOS or Linux terminal

export ARLONG_API_KEY='YOUR_API_KEY'

curl https://arlong.org/api/arlong/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ARLONG_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"q":"Official Python virtual environment documentation","mode":"search"}'

Windows PowerShell

$env:ARLONG_API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
$headers = @{ Authorization = "Bearer $env:ARLONG_API_KEY" }
$body = @{ q = "Official Python virtual environment documentation"; mode = "search" } | ConvertTo-Json
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://arlong.org/api/arlong/search" -Method Post -Headers $headers -ContentType "application/json" -Body $body

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your own key in the terminal. These commands make a real request; do not paste your key into a shared document. See the Search reference for request fields and response examples. For standalone content screening, read the Screen reference; use only allowed safe_content when its trust contract permits it.

Prefer connecting through MCP?

Copy the hosted MCP endpoint from your dashboard into a compatible client. Choose OAuth when the client supports browser sign-in, or a Bearer API key when it requires static headers. Follow the client-specific instructions in API & MCP.

Ready for your first independent run?