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Client API Overview

The Glean Client API enables organizations to build custom applications and interfaces that leverage Glean's search and generative AI capabilities. With this API, you can integrate Glean's powerful search, chat, and content discovery features directly into your internal tools, creating tailored workflows for your specific use cases.

Key Capabilities​

Search & Discovery

Execute sophisticated searches across your organization's content with relevance ranking, faceted filtering, and contextual results

Generative AI Chat

Build conversational interfaces using Glean's AI that understands your organization's specific context and content

Document Access

Retrieve document content, metadata, activity tracking, and permissions-aware access to organizational knowledge

Content Management

Create and manage collections, answers, announcements, and other knowledge artifacts programmatically

Common Use Cases​

  • Internal Chatbots: Build AI-powered assistants that can answer questions using your organization's knowledge
  • Custom Search Interfaces: Create specialized search experiences tailored to specific workflows or departments
  • Knowledge Management: Automate the creation and curation of answers, collections, and other knowledge artifacts
  • Analytics Dashboards: Build custom analytics and reporting tools using Glean's insights and activity data
  • Workflow Integration: Embed search and AI capabilities into existing business applications

Developer Workflow​

1

Authentication Setup

Choose your authentication method based on your use case:

  • OAuth (recommended): Best for user-facing applications requiring user permissions
  • Glean Tokens: Suitable for server-to-server integrations or when OAuth isn't available

See our Authentication Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

2

Choose Your Approach

Select your development approach:

  • Official SDKs: Use our Python, Java, NodeJS, or Go SDKs for faster development
  • Direct REST API: Make HTTP requests directly for maximum flexibility
  • Web SDK: Embed pre-built UI components using our Web SDK
3

Start Building

Begin with core functionality using our Basic Usage Guide:

  • Try basic search queries to understand result formats
  • Experiment with chat endpoints for conversational features
  • Test document retrieval and permission handling
  • Explore content creation endpoints (collections, answers)
4

Production Considerations

Prepare for production deployment:

  • Implement proper error handling and retry logic
  • Set up monitoring and logging for API usage
  • Review rate limits and plan scaling
  • Test permission scenarios thoroughly

Next Steps​

Set Up Authentication

Configure OAuth or Glean tokens for your application

Try Basic Usage

Start with simple API calls and examples to get familiar with the API

Explore Examples

Follow step-by-step tutorials for common integration patterns

Install API Clients

Install official API Clients for faster development

Support & Community​

  • Documentation: Comprehensive guides and API reference available throughout this site
  • Rate Limits: Review our rate limiting policies
  • Backwards Compatibility: Glean provides advance notice and deprecation periods for any breaking changes
  • Feedback: Help us improve by sharing your integration experiences and suggestions