> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xtrace.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Install the SDK, ingest a conversation turn, and search it back — in under five minutes.

End-to-end in 5 minutes. By the end you'll have a memory ingested and retrieved via vector search.

## 1. Install

```bash theme={null}
npm install @xtraceai/memory
```

Node 18 or newer. Works in the browser too.

## 2. Get credentials

Sign in at **[app.xtrace.ai](https://app.xtrace.ai)** and grab two values from **Settings → API Keys**:

| Value   | Looks like                    |
| ------- | ----------------------------- |
| API key | `xtk_…`                       |
| Org id  | `org_…` (or any short string) |

Both are required on every request — the API key alone is not sufficient. See [Authentication](/guides/authentication) for the full credential setup, including storage best practices.

## 3. Ingest a memory

```ts theme={null}
import { MemoryClient } from '@xtraceai/memory';

const client = new MemoryClient({
  apiKey: process.env.XTRACE_API_KEY!,
  orgId:  process.env.XTRACE_ORG_ID!,
});

const job = await client.memories.ingest({
  messages: [
    { role: 'user', content: 'My favorite food is pad see ew. I love Thai cuisine.' },
    { role: 'assistant', content: 'Got it — pad see ew noted.' },
  ],
  user_id: 'alice',
  conv_id: 'conv_2026_05_16',
});

console.log('Ingest job:', job.id, 'status:', job.status);
```

The call returns immediately with a job in `status: "pending"` or `"running"`. Extraction runs server-side (3–10 seconds typical).

## 4. Wait for extraction to finish

```ts theme={null}
const done = await client.memories.jobs.pollUntilDone(job.id);
console.log('Memories created:', done.result?.memories_created);
```

The SDK's `pollUntilDone` helper handles exponential backoff (500ms → 5s) and a configurable timeout. You can also opt into **synchronous mode** by passing `{ wait: true }` on ingest — the server holds the connection up to 30 seconds. See [Ingesting memories](/guides/ingesting-memories) for the full pattern.

## 5. Search the memory back

```ts theme={null}
const results = await client.memories.search({
  query: 'what does the user like to eat?',
  user_id: 'alice',
  limit: 5,
});

for (const m of results.data) {
  console.log(m.score?.toFixed(2), '·', m.text);
}
// 0.87 · User loves Thai cuisine.
// 0.82 · User's favorite food is pad see ew.
```

## What's next

* **[Authentication](/guides/authentication)** — get the credentials and use them
* **[Ingesting memories](/guides/ingesting-memories)** — async/sync trade-offs, polling, what gets extracted
* **[Searching memories](/guides/searching-memories)** — scoping, search modes, `recall`
* **[Groups](/guides/groups)** — share memory across users
* **API Reference** tab — every endpoint, every response shape