> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://metacognition-fdc534de-master.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Install tex-sdk, set TEX_API_KEY, store one turn, recall it, and read the score.

## Goal

In a few minutes, you will run one Python script that does the core Tex flow:

1. Store a turn with **`remember`**.
2. Ask a question with **`recall`**.
3. Print the matching memory, confidence, and token usage.

You need **Python 3.9+**.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get an API key">
    Open [app.getmetacognition.com/signup](https://app.getmetacognition.com/signup), create an account, and copy the key shown once.

    <Warning>
      You only see the full key when you create it. Store it now in a password manager or secret store.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the SDK">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash pip theme={null}
      pip install tex-sdk
      ```

      ```bash uv theme={null}
      uv add tex-sdk
      ```

      ```bash poetry theme={null}
      poetry add tex-sdk
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    On PyPI the package is **`tex-sdk`**. In Python you **`import tex`**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run this script">
    ```python first_call.py theme={null}
    import os
    from tex import Tex

    tex = Tex(
        api_key=os.environ["TEX_API_KEY"],
        base_url="https://api.getmetacognition.com",
    )

    tex.conversations.remember(session_id="chat-1", turns=[
        {"role": "user", "text": "I'm allergic to shellfish.",
         "timestamp": "2026-05-08T14:00:00Z"},
    ])

    hits = tex.recall(q="any food restrictions?", session_id="chat-1")
    for h in hits.hits.turns:
        print(f"[{h.score:.2f}] {h.text}")

    print("confidence:", hits.confidence)
    print("usage:", hits.usage.tokens_in, "in /", hits.usage.tokens_out, "out")
    ```

    ```bash theme={null}
    export TEX_API_KEY="tex_live_..."
    python first_call.py
    ```

    <Check>
      You should see the shellfish line with a score, plus `confidence` and token usage. If you get `AuthenticationError`, check your key and `base_url`, then use [Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting).
    </Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next

Once the script works, decide how you want to load secrets and whether you want to stay on the SDK.

### Load the key from a `.env` file

Use `python-dotenv` or your framework's loader. Keep `.env` out of git. In production, load `TEX_API_KEY` from your normal secret store.

### Call the API without the SDK

If you do not use the SDK, first exchange your API key for an **access token** and **refresh token**. Send `Authorization: Bearer ...` on ingest and recall. Refresh the access token when it expires. The [REST API overview](/api-reference/overview) lists the endpoints.

The SDK does this for you.

## Reads

<Tip>
  If **`confidence`** is low but you know the memory exists, try **`mode="deep"`** once, raise **`top_k`**, or ask the question closer to the stored wording. [Recall and ranking](/concepts/retrieval) explains the knobs.
</Tip>

| Goal                           | Page                                             |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Understand what gets stored    | [How memory works](/concepts/memory-model)       |
| Tune recall quality            | [Recall and ranking](/concepts/retrieval)        |
| Ship real users                | [Scopes and multi-tenancy](/concepts/scopes)     |
| Put a backend in front of a UI | [Production chatbot (FastAPI)](/recipes/fastapi) |
| Production errors              | [Errors and retries](/sdk/errors)                |

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How memory works" icon="brain" href="/concepts/memory-model">
    Turns, observations, entities after each `remember`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scopes for real users" icon="layer-group" href="/concepts/scopes">
    Map `session_id` (and tenants) to your product.
  </Card>

  <Card title="FastAPI backend" icon="server" href="/recipes/fastapi">
    Small service pattern behind a UI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Errors and retries" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/sdk/errors">
    What the SDK throws and what it retries.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>