This guide will walk you through installing the official Python SDK and running your first scan. In just a few minutes, you’ll be able to run your first scan directly from your Python application.

🔑 Before you begin

In order to start integrating Copyleaks API, you'll need an account and an API key:

• Don't have an account? Sign up for free
• You can find your API key on the API Dashboard

🚀 Get Started

1. Installation

   First, install the official copyleaks package from PyPI into your project using pip:

   pip install copyleaks

2. Quick Example: Scan Text

   Caution

   Remember to replace the placeholder YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS and YOUR_API_KEY with your actual credentials.

   scan_text.py

   import base64
   from copyleaks.copyleaks import Copyleaks
   from copyleaks.exceptions.command_error import CommandError
   from copyleaks.models.submit.document import FileDocument
   from copyleaks.models.submit.properties.scan_properties import ScanProperties
   
   # --- Your Credentials ---
   EMAIL_ADDRESS = 'YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS'
   KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY'
   # --------------------
   
   # Log in to the Copyleaks API
   try:
       auth_token = Copyleaks.login(EMAIL_ADDRESS, KEY)
       print("✅ Logged in successfully!")
   except CommandError as ce:
       print(f"🛑 Login failed: {ce}")
       exit()
   
   # Prepare your content for scanning
   # You can scan a URL, a local file, or raw text.
   # This example scans a simple string of text.
   print("Submitting text for scanning...")
   text_to_scan = "Hello world, this is a test."
   base64_content = base64.b64encode(text_to_scan.encode()).decode()
   
   # Configure the scan
   # A unique scan ID for this submission
   scan_id = "my-first-scan"
   scan_properties = ScanProperties("https://your-server.com/webhook/{STATUS}")
   scan_properties.set_sandbox(True) # Turn on sandbox mode for testing
   
   file_submission = FileDocument(base64_content, "test.txt")
   file_submission.set_properties(scan_properties)
   
   # Submit the scan to Copyleaks
   Copyleaks.submit_file(auth_token, scan_id, file_submission)
   print(f"🚀 Scan submitted successfully! Scan ID: {scan_id}")
   print("You will be notified via your webhook when the scan is complete.")

3. Understanding the Code

   The example code performs four main actions to submit a scan:

   1. Login: It authenticates with your email and API key to get a secure login token from the Copyleaks server. This token is required for all subsequent requests.
   2. Prepare Content: It takes a simple string of text and encodes it into Base64 format. The SDK requires content to be in this format for submission.
   3. Configure Scan: It creates a ScanProperties object to define the scan’s behavior. We enable sandbox mode for safe testing without using credits and provide a webhook URL.
   4. Submit for Scanning: It sends the prepared content and its configuration to the Copyleaks API. The process is asynchronous, meaning you don’t have to wait for the results. Instead, Copyleaks will notify your webhook URL once the scan is complete.

🗺️ Next Steps

Now that you’ve submitted your first scan, here are some recommended steps:

Package Source

GitHub Repository Check the official Copyleaks Python SDK repository on GitHub for installation and usage details.

PyPi Package Install the official Copyleaks Python package from PyPI for easy integration.

Check for Plagiarism Detect plagiarism in text documents using the Copyleaks API. Search billions of sources to find unoriginal content.

Detect AI-Generated Content Detect AI-generated text via sync or async API calls. This guide covers sync detection—see the Authenticity API Guide for async.

Assess Grammar and Writing Quality Get writing and grammar suggestions via API. Authenticate, submit text, and access full details in the docs.

Moderate Text Scan and moderate text content for unsafe or policy-relevant material across 10+ categories.