# /protocolsio/protocols/search

`POST /api/protocolsio/protocols/search`

Price: 20 credits

Search protocols.io for laboratory and computational protocols by keyword, ordered by relevance, publication date or title, returning each protocol's title, DOI, authors, workspace, funders, version history and usage counts

## How to use it

Find protocols by keyword, then feed a result's `alias` or `version_alias` to protocolsio/protocols for the procedure itself. A result carrying an `import_source` came from a publisher: its `step_count` describes the original publication and the detail endpoint returns no steps for it, so filter on an empty `import_source` when the user actually needs a runnable procedure. One query reaches at most 1600 protocols however large the match count is; narrow the wording rather than raising `count` to go deeper. There is no upstream open-access filter, and `is_open_access` is populated only on native records; it is missing on most imported records, so filtering on it after the fact drops most imported protocols rather than confirming they are closed access. `sort` is validated here, so an unlisted value is refused rather than silently ignored.

## Parameters

- `access-token` (string, required)

## Request body

- `timeout` (integer) — Max scrapping execution timeout (in seconds) (default: 300; min: 20; max: 1500)
- `query` (string, required) — Words to search for in protocol titles, descriptions, steps, reagents and authors (examples: "CRISPR", "RNA extraction", "western blot"; minLength: 1)
- `count` (integer, required) — Max number of protocols to return (min: 1; max: 1600)
- `sort` (string) — Field the results are ordered by (default: "relevance"; one of: "relevance", "date", "alphabetical")
- `sort_direction` (string) — Order of the sort field (default: "desc"; one of: "asc", "desc")

## Response

### 200 — Successful Response

- `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioProtocolCard")
- `id` (string, required)
- `alias` (string, nullable)
- `version_alias` (string, nullable)
- `url` (string, nullable)
- `doi` (string, nullable)
- `image` (string, nullable)
- `import_source` (string, nullable)
- `matched_fields` (array) (default: [])
- `authors` (array) (default: [])
  - `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioAuthor")
  - `name` (string, required)
  - `first_name` (string, nullable)
  - `last_name` (string, nullable)
  - `alias` (string, nullable)
  - `affiliation` (string, nullable)
  - `affiliation_url` (string, nullable)
  - `profile_url` (string, nullable)
  - `note` (string, nullable)
  - `is_verified` (boolean, nullable)
- `creator` (object, nullable)
  - `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioAuthor")
  - `name` (string, required)
  - `first_name` (string, nullable)
  - `last_name` (string, nullable)
  - `alias` (string, nullable)
  - `affiliation` (string, nullable)
  - `affiliation_url` (string, nullable)
  - `profile_url` (string, nullable)
  - `note` (string, nullable)
  - `is_verified` (boolean, nullable)
- `funders` (array) (default: [])
  - `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioFunder")
  - `name` (string, required)
  - `grant_id` (string, nullable)
- `groups` (array) (default: [])
  - `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioGroup")
  - `id` (string, required)
  - `alias` (string, nullable)
  - `url` (string, nullable)
  - `is_public` (boolean, nullable)
- `versions` (array) (default: [])
  - `@type` (string) (default: "ProtocolsioVersion")
  - `id` (string, required)
  - `alias` (string, nullable)
  - `version_alias` (string, nullable)
  - `doi` (string, nullable)
  - `published_at` (integer, nullable)
  - `updated_at` (integer, nullable)
- `step_count` (integer, nullable)
- `view_count` (integer, nullable)
- `run_count` (integer, nullable)
- `fork_count` (integer, nullable)
- `comment_count` (integer, nullable)
- `bookmark_count` (integer, nullable)
- `export_count` (integer, nullable)
- `works_for_me_count` (integer, nullable)
- `is_fork` (boolean, nullable)
- `is_public` (boolean, nullable)
- `is_peer_reviewed` (boolean, nullable)
- `is_open_access` (boolean, nullable)
- `created_at` (integer, nullable)
- `published_at` (integer, nullable)

## Errors

### 422 — Validation Error

The request body did not validate

What to do: Check the fields against this schema. A URN with the wrong prefix is the most common cause.

- `detail` (array)
  - `loc` (array, required)
  - `msg` (string, required)
  - `type` (string, required)
  - `input` (any)
  - `ctx` (object)

### 408

The request ran past its time limit

What to do: Raise `timeout` in the request body, up to the maximum this endpoint documents. Lowering `count` or turning off the `with_*` flags also helps, because less work finishes sooner.

### 412

The entity was not found, or a precondition failed

What to do: Retrying will not help: either the entity does not exist, or the input points at a different one.

### 429

Too many requests: a rate limit or a usage window is exhausted

What to do: When the response carries an X-Retry-After header, wait that many seconds and retry: the same number is in the body as `detail.retry_after`, and the limit clears once that window passes. The message in the body names the limit that was hit.

### 500

Something broke on our side

What to do: Retrying will not help. If it keeps happening, send us the X-Request-ID from the response headers.

### 529

Rate limit reached, or the endpoint is overloaded

What to do: Wait at least 30 seconds, then retry.

## Response envelope

Success: Array of objects (may be empty if no results)

Error: Error may coexist with partial results if it occurs mid-execution. Check X-Error header and status code.

Every response carries these headers:

- `X-Error` — Error message text (present only on error)
- `X-Request-ID` — Unique request identifier
- `X-Execution-Time` — Execution time in seconds
- `X-Result-Count` — How many records the body carries. 0 means an empty result, which is a normal answer and not by itself an error. A non-zero count can come back together with X-Error when the failure happened partway through — read this header and X-Error independently.
- `X-Total-Available-Results` — How many records exist for this query, when the endpoint can say. On a `dry_run` request this is the answer and the body is empty. It saturates: the endpoint's documented maximum means 'at least that many', any smaller number is exact.
- `X-Warning` — Present when the request body carried keys this endpoint does not document. They were ignored, so any filter you meant to apply through them did not apply. Check the spelling against this schema and retry.
- `X-Retry-After` — Seconds to wait before retrying. Present only on 429.