# Prism Investigate API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/prism/investigate)

> Given `goal`, each step picks the next read-only operation (search TikTok, search Instagram, open a profile found earlier, read a post's comments, or finish) from what earlier steps returned. Code owns the catalogue, removes operations already tried, caps steps and credits, and builds candidate ids from actual responses: the walker never invents a handle or URL. The response is `{ trail, results, stopped_because, credits_used }`. `stopped_because` is `goal_met`, `budget`, `step_limit` or `blocked`. Finish is refused until the walk has enough to answer `goal`. Partial trails are returned when the cap is hit, so you can restart from a step. Leads and labels on gathered rows are signals for your own review.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/prism/investigate` costs Holds `budget` credits (default 40, max 200) up front and refunds what the walk does not spend. Each underlying page is charged at its own price. Deciding the next step is free. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `goal` | yes | What you want to find, in one or two sentences (max 500 chars). |
| `budget` | no | Credits held up front for the walk (1-200, default 40). Unused credits are refunded. |
| `max_steps` | no | Most steps the walk may take (1-12, default 8). |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/prism/investigate?goal=Find%20Korean%20skincare%20creators%20on%20TikTok%20whose%20commenters%20ask%20where%20to%20buy" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

See the full Prism API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/prism

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing