A first API or MCP call from a Free account returns:
API and MCP access need either a plan or wallet credits. Top up pay-per-lead credits at https://app.argorant.com/start or pick a plan at https://argorant.com/pricing.
The Free tier is deliberately app-only. Machine access is where scripted volume happens, so it is tied to a payment relationship of some kind. The bar is low, though: it is not a subscription requirement.
The cheapest way to unlock it
- Confirm your email address if you have not.
- Create an API key on Home. A confirmed free account gets 25 starter credits at first key creation.
- If the starter credits are used up or did not apply, a single wallet top-up of 500 credits for $17.50 unlocks machine access with no subscription and no monthly commitment.
What you get either way
The same account, the same credits, the same lists and exports as the app. Counts and redacted previews stay free through the API exactly as in the UI, and every spending call is explicit. Rate limits scale with tier.
If you already pay and still see this
- Check the key belongs to the paying account, not a second account created by mistake.
- Check the key was not revoked. A revoked key fails with 401, not 402, so a 402 points at the account rather than the key.
- Check Profile then Billing for the subscription status. A failed renewal can drop an account back to the free tier.
From the CLI this condition exits with code 5, so a pipeline can branch on 'payment required' without parsing text.