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

# SEC Full-Text Search API

> Search exact terms across SEC filing records and extracted sections, then inspect the returned filing and source-linked passages.

Full-text search is the direct path when the wording matters: a policy name, accounting term, contract clause, or disclosure phrase. It returns both matching filing records and matching sections, so you can decide whether to open the filing or work from a cited passage.

## Search an issuer's 10-K filings

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/search/fulltext?q=material%20weakness&ticker=AAPL&form=10-K&limit=5" \
  -H "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY"
```

`q` is required. You can constrain the search with a ticker or CIK, form, accession number, filing year, or `date_from` and `date_to`.

```json theme={null}
{
  "object": "fulltext_search",
  "query": "material weakness",
  "filings": { "object": "list", "data": [], "count": 0 },
  "sections": { "object": "list", "data": [], "count": 0, "degradedState": null }
}
```

An empty example is intentional: result fields depend on the filings that match at request time. In a real response, preserve the filing accession and source URL, then open the filing or retrieve the section before making a conclusion.

## Choose the right search method

* Need the exact word or phrase across filing records and sections: use full-text search.
* Need related concepts expressed in different language: use [semantic search](/seo/sec-semantic-search-api).
* Need a cited excerpt from extracted sections: use [section search](/api-reference/sections/get-v1-sections-search).

## Practical limits

Search results are evidence to review. They do not establish materiality, completeness, or a legal or investment conclusion. An issuer can describe the same issue under different language, and an exact search can miss that variation. For broader concept retrieval, use semantic search and verify every cited result in the source filing.

Read the [full-text search reference](/api-reference/search/get-v1-search-fulltext), the [search guide](/products/search), and the [filing-search guide](/products/filing-search). For product context, see the [search feature page](https://secapi.ai/features/search).