> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://plain-docs-orca-916-agent-docs-restructure.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> How Plain's GraphQL API is structured, and the data model behind it.

Plain itself is built on this same GraphQL API. This means that there are **no limitations** in what can be done via the API vs the UI.

These docs cover the most used operations. For anything not documented here, read the [schema](/graphql/schema) or [get in touch](mailto:help@plain.com).

<Note>
  If you're looking to access our GraphQL API from an Agent, try our [MCP Server](/integrations/mcp-server) instead.
</Note>

<Snippet file="graphql/sdk-note.mdx" />

## Key details

Our API is compatible with all common GraphQL clients with the following details:

* **API URL:** `https://core-api.uk.plain.com/graphql/v1`
* **Allowed method**: POST
* **Required headers:**
  * `Content-Type: application/json`
  * `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN` where the token is your API key. See [authentication](/graphql/authentication/) for more details.
* **JSON body:**
  * `query`: the GraphQL query string
  * `variables`: a JSON object of variables used in the GraphQL query
  * `operationName`: the name of your GraphQL operation (used for tracking only; it does not affect the call or its result)

If you'd like to use the **GraphQL schema to generate types** for your client code you can fetch the schema
from: `https://core-api.uk.plain.com/graphql/v1/schema.graphql`

## Your first API call

In this example, we're going to get a customer in your workspace by their email address. You can find a customer's email on the right-hand side when looking at one of their threads in Plain.

You will need an API key with the `customer:read` permission. See [authentication](/graphql/authentication/) for details on how to get an API key

You'll need to set two shell variables:

* `PLAIN_TOKEN`: The API key
* `PLAIN_CUSTOMER_EMAIL`: The email of the customer you want to fetch

```bash theme={null}
PLAIN_TOKEN=XXX
PLAIN_CUSTOMER_EMAIL=XXX
curl -X POST https://core-api.uk.plain.com/graphql/v1 \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PLAIN_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"query":"query customerByEmail($email: String!) { customerByEmail(email: $email) { id fullName updatedAt { iso8601 } } }","variables":{"email":"'"$PLAIN_CUSTOMER_EMAIL"'"},"operationName":"customerByEmail"}'
```