GET /v1/filings/{accession_number}/download resolves a known filing to its source document; GET /v1/filings/{accession_number}/export?format=pdf creates a PDF export from the rendered filing. Neither route is a filing-package index or a promise that the SEC’s original source was itself a PDF.
Start with a stable accession number
accessionNumber, form, filing date, and filing URL. An accession makes a download reproducible; a “latest” request does not.
Download the source document
302 to a signed R2 URL or SEC source URL. The example only follows a returned redirect in a separate, unauthenticated request, so x-api-key is never forwarded to another host. Do not assume the response is PDF: its content type and original document format come from the filing source.
Export a PDF deliberately
format accepts json, markdown, csv, xlsx, docx, or pdf and defaults to json when omitted. Set format=pdf only when you need PDF output. The non-JSON formats are generated from the filing rendering. Preserve the accession number and source provenance with an export so recipients can distinguish it from an issuer-provided attachment.
Operational boundaries
- A
404can mean the accession could not be resolved or has no usable source URL; it is not evidence that no SEC filing exists. - Supply
ticker,cik, orformonly as resolution hints when needed; do not let conflicting hints select a different filing. - Download/export is for a known filing. Use filing search first when you need a specific exhibit or historical period.
- Confirm the source filing before relying on rendered pagination, document layout, tables, or exhibits in an evidentiary workflow.
Next action
Use filing search to capture the exact accession, then choose source download for original-file review orformat=pdf for a portable rendered copy.
