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Creating Your User-Agent

Open Library asks API clients to identify themselves with a User-Agent header. It is optional - the API works without it - and identified clients get three times the request rate. You create this value yourself; it is not issued by Open Library. No portal login is required, so you simply choose a name and email to identify your application.

1

Format your User-Agent string

Combine your product or service name (the name of the application that will be making API calls to Open Library) with a contact email address in parentheses.

  • Format: AppName (contact@example.com)
  • Example: AcmeBooksBot (admin@acme.com)
  • Identified requests get 3 requests per second; requests without a User-Agent get 1
  • Use a name and contact address that let Open Library reach you if they notice high request volume
1

Connect

  • Click Connect.
  • If applicable, the provider will redirect you to a sign-in or authorization page. Complete the provider’s authorization flow.
  • Once authorization is successful, you will see a confirmation popup.
2

Use Actions

Connect an AI platform to the linked account’s actions. See AI Platforms.Other ways to call actions are listed in Protocols & SDKs.