> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://developers.meshapi.ai/docs/guides/llms.txt.
> For full documentation content, see https://developers.meshapi.ai/docs/guides/llms-full.txt.

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with the Mesh API in under 5 minutes.

Follow these steps to generate your first AI completion using the Mesh Router.

<Steps>
  ### 1. Create a Key

  Go to the [Mesh Dashboard](https://app.meshapi.ai) and navigate to the **API Keys** section. Create a new key and copy the `rsk_...` token.

  <Note>
    This key is only shown once. Store it securely.
  </Note>

  ### 2. Add Credits

  Mesh uses a pre-paid model. Add a small balance (starting from ₹100 or \$5) in the **Billing** section to enable inference.

  ### 3. Make Your First Request

  Use your favorite HTTP client (like `curl`, Postman, or the OpenAI SDK) to call the completions endpoint.

  ```bash
  curl https://api.meshapi.ai/v1/chat/completions \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_RSK_KEY>" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "model": "openai/gpt-4o",
      "messages": [
        {"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing in one sentence."}
      ]
    }'
  ```

  ### 4. Explore Models

  To see all available models and their current pricing, use the models endpoint:

  ```bash
  curl https://api.meshapi.ai/v1/models \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_RSK_KEY>"
  ```
</Steps>

## Next Steps

* Take a look at the [Authentication guide](/authentication) to learn more about key management.
* Check out the [API Reference](/api-reference/chat/post_chat_completions) for full request/response schemas.