> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lassomoderation.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lassomoderation.com/getting-started/quickstart-moderating-your-first-content.md).

# Quickstart: Moderating Your First Content

This guide walks you through your first end-to-end moderation flow: create an API key, send a piece of content to Lasso, find it in the dashboard, take a decision and receive that decision on your webhook. It takes about ten minutes with a terminal and `curl`, but any HTTP client works.

You need a Lasso workspace and an admin account. If you are unfamiliar with any of the terms below, see [Key Concepts](/getting-started/key-concepts.md).

### Step 1: Create an API key

1. Log in to your dashboard and go to **Settings → API & Webhooks**.
2. In the **API Keys** section, enter a name in the **API key name** field, for example "Test key".
3. Click **Create API key**.
4. Copy the key from the notification and store it somewhere safe. Keys start with `lasso.`.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The full key is shown only once, right after creation. Afterwards the dashboard only shows a short hint of it. If you lose the key, create a new one.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/m27SutE7DunIZO31NLp4" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Step 2: Send your first content

Send a piece of content to the API. Replace `lasso.YOUR_API_KEY` with the key from step 1:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.lassomoderation.com/api/v1/content \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lasso.YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content_id": "post-1",
    "text": "Hello from my first Lasso integration",
    "user": { "id": "user-1", "name": "Test User" },
    "category": { "id": "forum", "name": "Forum" },
    "subcategory": { "id": "general", "name": "General" }
  }'
```

The response is:

```json
{ "success": true }
```

Lasso accepted the content and moderates it in the background: it is analyzed, checked against your rules and, when configured, judged by your AI Moderator.

About the fields:

* **`content_id`**: your own identifier for the content. Lasso always refers back to content, users, categories and subcategories by the ids you provide.
* **`user`**: the user who created the content. Only `id` is required.
* **`category`** and **`subcategory`**: where the content was posted on your platform. Both are required. The `name` is optional, but send it on the first call so they show up with readable names in the dashboard.
* **`text`**: the content itself, up to 4,000 characters. Instead of (or along with) text you can send `image_urls`, `video_urls` or `audio_urls`. Media URLs must be publicly reachable; for private storage buckets, see [URL Signing](/developers/url-signing.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Workspaces on the free plan can send 1,000 content items per 7 days, which is plenty for testing. See [Rate Limits](/developers/rate-limits.md) for the limits on paid plans.
{% endhint %}

### Step 3: Find it in the dashboard

1. Click **Content** in the sidebar.
2. Your item appears at the top of the feed, usually within a second or two. The feed updates live, so there is no need to refresh.
3. Click the item to open its detail page, where you can see the user who posted it, the automated analysis and the activity timeline.

### Step 4: Take your first decision

1. Hover over the content item. Action buttons appear in its top-right corner: **Allow**, **Flag** and **Remove** (the default names, your workspace may use different words).
2. Click **Remove**.
3. A **Remove Content** dialog opens. Pick a **Policy category** (the reason for the decision) and optionally add **Extra information**.
4. Click **Remove content**.

The status changes to Removed, and the decision is recorded on the item's activity timeline with you as the actor. Once a default policy is configured, you can Shift+Click an action button to act without the confirmation dialog.

### Step 5: Receive decisions on your webhook

Decisions only have effect once your platform enforces them, and that happens through your webhook.

1. Set up an HTTPS endpoint that can receive POST requests. For a quick test, any tool that shows incoming HTTP requests works.
2. Go to **Settings → API & Webhooks**, scroll to the **Webhooks** section, enter your endpoint URL and click **Create webhook**.
3. Take another decision on your test item, for example **Allow** it again.
4. Your endpoint receives a `ChangeStatus` action with the content's id, its new status and the policy category. See [Webhooks](/developers/webhooks.md) for all payload shapes and for verifying the `X-Lasso-Signature` header with the secret shown in the **Secret** column.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Your endpoint must respond with a `200` status code. If it keeps failing after retries, Lasso reverts the action to keep both systems in sync, so a broken test endpoint can undo your decisions.
{% endhint %}

### Optional: pre-moderation

`POST /api/v1/content` moderates in the background, which suits platforms where content goes live immediately (post-moderation). If content on your platform should only go live after approval, use the synchronous endpoint instead. It runs the automated checks and returns the decision in the response:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.lassomoderation.com/api/v1/content/sync \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lasso.YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content_id": "post-2",
    "text": "Another test message",
    "user": { "id": "user-1" },
    "category": { "id": "forum" },
    "subcategory": { "id": "general" }
  }'
```

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "status": "allowed",
  "actions": []
}
```

`status` is the final status of the content: `allowed`, `flagged` or `hidden` (hidden is what the dashboard shows as Removed). `actions` lists what acted on it, in the same shape as webhook payloads; it is empty when no rule or AI Moderator took action.

A few things to know about the synchronous endpoint:

* Text-only content is evaluated before the response returns. Content with media can take longer; after 15 seconds the endpoint returns `{ "success": true, "timeout": true }` and the decision arrives through your webhook instead.
* Videos cannot be ingested synchronously.

### Troubleshooting

* **401 Unauthorized**: the API key is missing or wrong. The header must be `Authorization: Bearer lasso.YOUR_API_KEY`.
* **400 with field errors**: the request body is invalid. The `error` object lists each failing field, for example `{ "category": "Required" }`.
* **400 "Can only update content that match existing user, category and subcategory ids"**: you sent a `content_id` that Lasso already knows, with a different user, category or subcategory. Use a new `content_id` or the original ids.
* **429 Too Many Requests**: you hit a rate limit. Check the `X-RateLimit-Remaining` and `X-RateLimit-Reset` response headers, and see [Rate Limits](/developers/rate-limits.md).

### Next steps

* Automate decisions with [Custom Moderation Rules](/automation-and-review/custom-moderation-rules.md) and [Lists](/automation-and-review/lists.md).
* Put flagged content in front of your moderators with [Review Queues](/automation-and-review/review-queues.md).
* Let your users report content and other users with [User Reports](/automation-and-review/user-reports.md).
* Moderate the people behind the content with [User Moderation](/managing-users/user-moderation.md).
* Read the full [API Reference](https://api-reference.lassomoderation.com/) for every endpoint and field.