Gen API Quickstart

Generate your first document from a template in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• A Propper account with API access
• API credentials from the dashboard

Step 1: Get an Access Token

Exchange your client credentials for an access token with document generation scopes.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://auth.propper.ai/oauth2/token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "grant_type": "client_credentials",
    "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
    "scope": "docgen:read docgen:write"
  }'

JavaScript

const getAccessToken = async () => {
  const response = await fetch('https://auth.propper.ai/oauth2/token', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      grant_type: 'client_credentials',
      client_id: process.env.PROPPER_CLIENT_ID,
      client_secret: process.env.PROPPER_CLIENT_SECRET,
      scope: 'docgen:read docgen:write',
    }),
  });

  const { access_token } = await response.json();
  return access_token;
};

const token = await getAccessToken();

Python

import os
import requests

def get_access_token() -> str:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://auth.propper.ai/oauth2/token",
        json={
            "grant_type": "client_credentials",
            "client_id": os.environ["PROPPER_CLIENT_ID"],
            "client_secret": os.environ["PROPPER_CLIENT_SECRET"],
            "scope": "docgen:read docgen:write",
        },
    )
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()["access_token"]

token = get_access_token()

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "scope": "docgen:read docgen:write"
}

tip

Tokens expire in 1 hour. Cache them and refresh before expiry.

Step 2: Create a Template

Create a document template with merge field placeholders.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/templates" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Invoice Template",
    "description": "Standard invoice for customers",
    "content": "<h1>Invoice</h1><p>Customer: {{customerName}}</p><p>Amount: {{amount}}</p><p>Date: {{date}}</p>",
    "format": "HTML"
  }'

JavaScript

const createTemplate = async (token) => {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/templates', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: 'Invoice Template',
      description: 'Standard invoice for customers',
      content:
        '<h1>Invoice</h1><p>Customer: {{customerName}}</p><p>Amount: {{amount}}</p><p>Date: {{date}}</p>',
      format: 'HTML',
    }),
  });

  return response.json();
};

const template = await createTemplate(token);
console.log('Template ID:', template.id);

Python

def create_template(token: str) -> dict:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/templates",
        headers={
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
        },
        json={
            "name": "Invoice Template",
            "description": "Standard invoice for customers",
            "content": "<h1>Invoice</h1><p>Customer: {{customerName}}</p><p>Amount: {{amount}}</p><p>Date: {{date}}</p>",
            "format": "HTML",
        },
    )
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

template = create_template(token)
print(f"Template ID: {template['id']}")

Response:

{
  "id": "tmpl_abc123",
  "name": "Invoice Template",
  "description": "Standard invoice for customers",
  "format": "HTML",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "version": 1,
  "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}

Step 3: Generate a Document

Generate a document by providing merge data for the template placeholders.

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "templateId": "tmpl_abc123",
    "mergeData": {
      "customerName": "Acme Corp",
      "amount": "$1,500.00",
      "date": "2024-01-15"
    },
    "outputFormat": "PDF"
  }'

JavaScript

const generateDocument = async (token, templateId) => {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      templateId,
      mergeData: {
        customerName: 'Acme Corp',
        amount: '$1,500.00',
        date: '2024-01-15',
      },
      outputFormat: 'PDF',
    }),
  });

  return response.json();
};

const document = await generateDocument(token, template.id);
console.log('Document ID:', document.id);
console.log('Status:', document.status);

Python

def generate_document(token: str, template_id: str) -> dict:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents",
        headers={
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
        },
        json={
            "templateId": template_id,
            "mergeData": {
                "customerName": "Acme Corp",
                "amount": "$1,500.00",
                "date": "2024-01-15",
            },
            "outputFormat": "PDF",
        },
    )
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

document = generate_document(token, template["id"])
print(f"Document ID: {document['id']}")
print(f"Status: {document['status']}")

Response:

{
  "id": "doc_xyz789",
  "templateId": "tmpl_abc123",
  "status": "GENERATED",
  "outputFormat": "PDF",
  "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:01:00Z"
}

Step 4: Download the Document

Download the generated document.

cURL

curl "https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents/doc_xyz789/download" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -o invoice.pdf

echo "Downloaded: invoice.pdf"

JavaScript

const downloadDocument = async (token, documentId, outputPath) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents/${documentId}/download`,
    {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` },
    },
  );

  const buffer = Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer());
  const fs = await import('fs/promises');
  await fs.writeFile(outputPath, buffer);

  console.log(`Downloaded: ${outputPath}`);
};

await downloadDocument(token, document.id, './invoice.pdf');

Python

from pathlib import Path

def download_document(token: str, document_id: str, output_path: str):
    response = requests.get(
        f"https://api.propper.ai/v1/docgen/documents/{document_id}/download",
        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
    )
    response.raise_for_status()

    Path(output_path).write_bytes(response.content)
    print(f"Downloaded: {output_path}")

download_document(token, document["id"], "./invoice.pdf")

Common Mistakes

Don't forget these

1. Missing merge data fields

// Wrong - missing fields referenced in template
{ mergeData: { customerName: 'Acme Corp' } }

// Correct - all template placeholders provided
{ mergeData: { customerName: 'Acme Corp', amount: '$1,500.00', date: '2024-01-15' } }

2. Invalid output format

// Wrong - unsupported format
{ outputFormat: 'DOCX' }

// Correct - supported formats
{ outputFormat: 'PDF' }
{ outputFormat: 'HTML' }

3. Using wrong scope

# Wrong - read scope can't generate documents
scope: "docgen:read"

# Correct - write scope needed for generation
scope: "docgen:read docgen:write"

What's Next?

Templates

Create and manage document templates

Batch Generation

Generate documents in bulk

Approvals

Template governance workflows