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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.transluce.org/llms.txt

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The Docent SDK authenticates via API keys. You can provide your key in several ways, listed here in order of precedence.

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API Key

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1. Direct Parameter

from docent import Docent

client = Docent(api_key="your-api-key")

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2. Environment Variable

export DOCENT_API_KEY="your-api-key"

from docent import Docent

client = Docent()  # Reads DOCENT_API_KEY from environment

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3. Config File

Create a docent.env file in your project directory: 
DOCENT_API_KEY=your-api-key
DOCENT_COLLECTION_ID=my-default-collection
The SDK searches for docent.env starting from the current working directory and traversing up the directory tree. You can also specify an explicit path: 
client = Docent(config_file="/path/to/my-config.env")

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Configuration Priority

The SDK resolves each setting using a priority order. The exact order varies slightly by setting:
SettingPriority (highest to lowest)
api_keyDirect parameter → config file → DOCENT_API_KEY env var
api_url / frontend_urlDirect parameter → DOCENT_API_URL / DOCENT_FRONTEND_URL env var → config file
domainDirect parameter → DOCENT_DOMAIN env var → config file → "docent.transluce.org"
collection_idDirect parameter → config file
collection_id is not read from environment variables — set it via a direct parameter or in your docent.env config file.

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Environment Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
DOCENT_API_KEYAPI key for authenticationRequired
DOCENT_API_URLDirect API server URLDerived from domain
DOCENT_FRONTEND_URLDirect frontend URLDerived from domain
DOCENT_DOMAINDocent instance domaindocent.transluce.org

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Config File Format

The config file uses dotenv format. Supported keys: 
DOCENT_API_KEY=your-api-key
DOCENT_API_URL=https://api.docent.transluce.org
DOCENT_FRONTEND_URL=https://docent.transluce.org
DOCENT_DOMAIN=docent.transluce.org
DOCENT_COLLECTION_ID=my-collection

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Self-Hosted Instances

For self-hosted Docent instances, set both the API and frontend URLs: 
client = Docent(
    api_key="your-api-key",
    api_url="https://api.my-docent.example.com",
    frontend_url="https://my-docent.example.com",
)
Or via environment variables: 
export DOCENT_API_URL="https://api.my-docent.example.com"
export DOCENT_FRONTEND_URL="https://my-docent.example.com"
Local domains (localhost, 127.0.0.1) require explicit api_url and frontend_url. The SDK cannot derive URLs from local domains automatically.