Developer overview
The Link in Seconds API and MCP server: what you can build, how authentication works and where to start.
Everything you can do by hand on Link in Seconds starts with a file and ends with a link. The developer surface gives you the same thing from code: send a file, get back a public URL that opens in any browser, then read how that link performed (views, time on file, read-through, audience) as JSON. There are two ways in, and they share one API key and one set of rules.
HTTP API
For scripts, build pipelines and backends. Plain JSON over HTTPS.
MCP server
For AI assistants like Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. No code to write.
How it fits together#
Both entry points run the exact same upload pipeline as the website, so every plan limit, file check and safety scan applies the same way.
1Your code or agent
Sends the API key
2Link in Seconds
Checks key, plan and file
3Storage
Bytes go straight here
4Public link
linkinseconds.com/p/…
Base URLs#
| What | URL |
|---|---|
| HTTP API | https://linkinseconds.com/api/v1 |
| MCP server (Streamable HTTP) | https://linkinseconds.com/api/mcp |
| OpenAPI document | /openapi.json |
| Health check | /api/v1/status |
What you need#
- A Link in Seconds account. Sign in with Google; the Free plan works.
- An API key from Dashboard → API keys. See Authentication.
Ground rules#
- Your plan applies to API uploads exactly as it does on the website: link count, file size and storage.
- On the Free plan, uploads made with an API key are limited to 30 per hour.
- Every file is type-checked and scanned. A file can be held for review before it goes public.
- Keys are personal. Anything published with your key is yours under the Terms and the Acceptable Use Policy.
Read your analytics#
GET /api/v1/links/{slug}/analytics and GET /api/v1/analytics return the same report the dashboard renders, over a UTC range of 7, 14, 30 or 90 days or all time. The MCP server exposes the same data as get_link_analytics and get_account_analytics, with a short spoken summary for the assistant. Both need a Pro account.
What the API does not do yet
Next steps#
Last updated 4 October 2026. Something unclear or missing? Tell us.