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.
Token Efficiency
AI agents pay for tokens. SEC API is designed to minimize token consumption while maximizing information density.
The Token Tax
When an AI agent queries SEC data, every byte of the API response consumes tokens. Bloated responses waste money and slow down agent reasoning. SEC API solves this with compact, purpose-built responses.
Side-by-Side: SEC API vs sec-api.io
Entity Resolution
| Metric | SEC API | sec-api.io | Savings |
|---|
| Response size | 273 bytes | 412 bytes | 34% |
| Estimated tokens | 68 | 103 | 34% |
| Latency | 62ms | 231ms | 73% |
Filing Search
| Metric | SEC API | sec-api.io | Savings |
|---|
| Response size | 500 bytes | 792 bytes | 37% |
| Estimated tokens | 125 | 198 | 37% |
| Latency | 64ms | 281ms | 77% |
| Metric | SEC API | sec-api.io | Savings |
|---|
| Response size | 1,800 bytes | 2,880 bytes | 38% |
| Estimated tokens | 450 | 720 | 38% |
| Latency | 64ms | 348ms | 82% |
Intelligence Bundles: 75% Token Reduction
A typical “company briefing” requires assembling data from multiple sources:
Traditional Approach (sec-api.io)
1. Entity resolve → 103 tokens
2. Latest 10-K search → 198 tokens
3. Item 1A extraction → 720 tokens
4. Latest 10-Q search → 198 tokens
5. Executive compensation → 450 tokens
6. Insider trades → 350 tokens
7. 13F holdings → 400 tokens
8. Recent 8-K events → 600 tokens
─────────────────────────────────────
Total: 8 API calls, ~3,019 tokens
SEC API Intelligence Bundle
1. Company intelligence → ~800 tokens
─────────────────────────────────────
Total: 1 API call, ~800 tokens
Why SEC API Responses Are Smaller
- No wrapper bloat. Responses contain data, not framework metadata.
- Compact mode. Use
?view=compact when your workflow only needs the fields required for the next step.
- Pre-computed intelligence. One bundle call replaces 8+ raw API calls.
- Semantic search. Find relevant content in one call instead of paginating through keyword results.
Measure It Yourself
# Compare response sizes
SECAPI_SIZE=$(curl -s "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/entities/resolve?ticker=AAPL" \
-H "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY" | wc -c)
SEC_API_IO_SIZE=$(curl -s "https://api.sec-api.io/mapping/ticker/AAPL" \
-H "Authorization: $SECAPI_API_KEY" | wc -c)
echo "SEC API: $SECAPI_SIZE bytes, sec-api.io: $SEC_API_IO_SIZE bytes"