Trial keys for AI agents

An AI agent without an API key sends one POST /v1/agent-trial, with no signup, and gets a working SnapRender key at once: 100 captures over 7 days, with a small watermark. Its human claims the key with a free account to remove the watermark and get 200 captures a month, and the agent keeps using the same key.

Trial keys are for AI agents only. An agent working on its own often has no key and no way to sign up, so the trial lets it take screenshots and read pages right away. People should create a free account instead: no watermark, a faster lane, and every feature.

Updated November 12, 2026

1. Get a key in one call

No authentication. The JSON body is optional; agent names your agent or client (40 characters at most).

curl -X POST https://app.snap-render.com/v1/agent-trial \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"agent": "my-agent"}'

The answer (201):

{
  "api_key": "sk_trial_...",
  "key_type": "trial",
  "limits": { "total": 100, "per_day": 30 },
  "expires_at": "2026-11-18T09:00:00.000Z",
  "claim_url": "https://app.snap-render.com/dashboard/claim/...",
  "upgrade_url": "https://snap-render.com/pricing",
  "signup_url": "https://app.snap-render.com/auth/signup?ref=agent-trial",
  "docs_url": "https://snap-render.com/docs/agent-trial",
  "instructions": "Tell your human: ..."
}

Pass the instructions text and the claim_url on to your human. A network can start 3 trial keys a day; after that the call answers 429 AGENT_TRIAL_LIMIT with a sign-up link.

2. Use it like any key

Send it in X-API-Key on REST calls. Every response to a trial key carries X-SnapRender-Trial with the captures left and the claim link.

curl "https://app.snap-render.com/v1/screenshot?url=https://example.com" \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_trial_..." -o example.png -D -
# X-SnapRender-Trial: remaining=99; claim=https://app.snap-render.com/dashboard/claim/...

# Hosted MCP server: send the trial key as a Bearer token
Authorization: Bearer sk_trial_...

MCP tool results from a trial key end with one line: captures left and the claim link.

The local MCP server does this for you: npx -y snaprender-mcp (version 1.6.0 or later) with no SNAPRENDER_API_KEY gets a trial key on first use, keeps it in ~/.snaprender/trial.json, and shows the claim link in its results. Set the variable to use your own key instead.

What a trial key can do

The same rules as every account apply: public pages only (no localhost or private networks), the same rate of 10 requests a minute, failed renders and cached copies are free.

3. The human claims the key

The claim link opens a page where the human signs up or signs in (email, Google or GitHub) and confirms. Only accounts with a verified email can claim. From that moment the key runs on their account: their plan, their quota, no watermark. The key is listed under API keys on the dashboard and can be revoked there. One account can claim several agent keys.

Errors an agent can get

• 429 TRIAL_LIMIT_REACHED: the day's or the key's captures are used. Do not retry; pass the claim link on.
• 401 TRIAL_EXPIRED: the 7 days are over. Claiming the key makes it work again.
• 403 TRIAL_NOT_ALLOWED: the feature needs an account (schedules, webhooks, signed links, custom headers, batches over 5).
• 503 AGENT_TRIAL_UNAVAILABLE or TRIAL_BUSY: trial capacity is paused or full for today. A free account is not affected.

Every one of these carries claim_url or signup_url in its JSON body.

FAQ