> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.use.observer/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get an agent

> Use it to check an install: `status` turns from `never_connected` to `online` within about a minute of the agent starting.



## OpenAPI

````yaml api-reference/openapi.json GET /agents/{id}
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Observer API
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >-
    Public API for Observer: read services, metrics, SLOs and SLA statements;
    manage incidents, maintenance windows, manual metric status, config as code
    and Observer Agents. Bearer-auth via API keys (obs_pub_…), scoped per key.
    RFC 7807 problem-detail errors. Cursor pagination. Rate limits are per
    organization.
servers:
  - url: https://use.observer/api/v1
security:
  - bearerAuth: []
paths:
  /agents/{id}:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: Agent id.
        schema:
          type: string
          format: uuid
    get:
      tags:
        - agents
      summary: 'Get an Observer Agent: status, first and last heartbeat, metric count'
      description: >-
        Use it to check an install: `status` turns from `never_connected` to
        `online` within about a minute of the agent starting.
      operationId: getAgent
      responses:
        '200':
          description: ok
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/AgentDetail'
        '401':
          description: >-
            `unauthenticated`: no bearer token was sent, or the key is invalid
            or revoked. `detail` distinguishes the two.
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
        '403':
          description: >-
            `forbidden`: the key does not carry the scope this endpoint
            requires. `plan_does_not_permit_api`: the organization's plan does
            not include the public API.
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
        '404':
          description: >-
            `not_found`: no agent with that id is available to this key. One
            owned by another organization, or an id that is not a valid UUID,
            returns the same response, so a 404 does not confirm that the id is
            unused.
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
        '429':
          description: >-
            `rate_limited`: the organization's per-minute or daily request limit
            is used up (`limit.window` says which). Limits are per organization,
            shared by every key. The response carries `Retry-After` and
            `retry_after`, in seconds.
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
        '500':
          description: '`internal_error`: an unhandled server error. Safe to retry.'
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
      security:
        - bearerAuth:
            - read:agents
components:
  schemas:
    AgentDetail:
      allOf:
        - type: object
          required:
            - id
            - name
            - status
            - online
            - created_at
          properties:
            id:
              type: string
              format: uuid
            name:
              type: string
              description: >-
                Config documents name the agent a metric runs on by this
                (metrics[].agent).
            description:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
            status:
              type: string
              enum:
                - never_connected
                - online
                - offline
                - revoked
              description: >-
                never_connected: no heartbeat yet (installed agents report
                within about a minute). online: a heartbeat in the last 90
                seconds. offline: it has connected before but has been silent
                for over 90 seconds. revoked: its key is rejected (console kill
                switch).
            online:
              type: boolean
              description: status is online.
            last_heartbeat_at:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              format: date-time
              description: Last heartbeat.
            version:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              description: Agent version from its last heartbeat.
            is_demo:
              type: boolean
              description: Seeded demo agent; nothing runs it.
            created_at:
              type: string
              format: date-time
        - type: object
          properties:
            first_heartbeat_at:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              format: date-time
              description: 'First heartbeat ever: when the install first connected.'
            started_at:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              format: date-time
              description: When the running agent process started.
            revoked_at:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              format: date-time
            previous_key_valid_until:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              format: date-time
              description: >-
                After a graceful key rotation: the old key keeps working until
                this time. null when no old key is valid.
            metric_count:
              type: integer
              description: Metrics assigned to this agent.
            source_types_active:
              type: array
              items:
                type: string
              description: Probe types the agent reported running in its last heartbeat.
            queue_depth:
              type: integer
              description: Samples buffered on the agent, not yet delivered.
            otlp_stats:
              type:
                - object
                - 'null'
              description: Latest OTLP receiver stats, when the agent runs the receiver.
            custom_probes:
              type: array
              description: >-
                Custom probes registered on the agent (name, description,
                has_config_schema), from its last heartbeat.
              items:
                type: object
            prometheus_url:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
              description: Prometheus base URL recorded for the agent, if it reads PromQL.
            install:
              type: object
              description: >-
                Install snippets, one per target: docker (docker run), compose,
                kubernetes (Secret + Deployment manifest), systemd and binary.
                Without prometheus_url they are for a probes-only agent. Here
                with the ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder: the key is only returned by
                create and rotate-key.
              properties:
                docker:
                  type: object
                  required:
                    - label
                    - content
                  properties:
                    label:
                      type: string
                    file:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: >-
                        Suggested file name, when the snippet is a file
                        (Compose, Kubernetes manifest, systemd).
                    content:
                      type: string
                      description: >-
                        Ready to run or save. Carries the agent key, or the
                        ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder outside create / rotate-key.
                    logs_command:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: Where to read the agent's logs for this install.
                    note:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                compose:
                  type: object
                  required:
                    - label
                    - content
                  properties:
                    label:
                      type: string
                    file:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: >-
                        Suggested file name, when the snippet is a file
                        (Compose, Kubernetes manifest, systemd).
                    content:
                      type: string
                      description: >-
                        Ready to run or save. Carries the agent key, or the
                        ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder outside create / rotate-key.
                    logs_command:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: Where to read the agent's logs for this install.
                    note:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                kubernetes:
                  type: object
                  required:
                    - label
                    - content
                  properties:
                    label:
                      type: string
                    file:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: >-
                        Suggested file name, when the snippet is a file
                        (Compose, Kubernetes manifest, systemd).
                    content:
                      type: string
                      description: >-
                        Ready to run or save. Carries the agent key, or the
                        ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder outside create / rotate-key.
                    logs_command:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: Where to read the agent's logs for this install.
                    note:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                systemd:
                  type: object
                  required:
                    - label
                    - content
                  properties:
                    label:
                      type: string
                    file:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: >-
                        Suggested file name, when the snippet is a file
                        (Compose, Kubernetes manifest, systemd).
                    content:
                      type: string
                      description: >-
                        Ready to run or save. Carries the agent key, or the
                        ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder outside create / rotate-key.
                    logs_command:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: Where to read the agent's logs for this install.
                    note:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                binary:
                  type: object
                  required:
                    - label
                    - content
                  properties:
                    label:
                      type: string
                    file:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: >-
                        Suggested file name, when the snippet is a file
                        (Compose, Kubernetes manifest, systemd).
                    content:
                      type: string
                      description: >-
                        Ready to run or save. Carries the agent key, or the
                        ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder outside create / rotate-key.
                    logs_command:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
                      description: Where to read the agent's logs for this install.
                    note:
                      type:
                        - string
                        - 'null'
            env:
              type: object
              description: >-
                The agent's environment as NAME: value (AGENT_KEY,
                CLOUD_SERVER_URL, and PROMETHEUS_SERVER_URL for a Prometheus
                agent), for installs the snippets do not cover, such as an
                existing Compose file or Helm values. AGENT_KEY is the
                ${AGENT_KEY} placeholder here.
              additionalProperties:
                type: string
    Problem:
      type: object
      required:
        - type
        - title
        - status
      example:
        type: https://docs.use.observer/api/getting-started/errors#forbidden
        title: forbidden
        status: 403
        detail: 'missing scope: write:incidents'
      properties:
        type:
          type: string
          format: uri
          description: Errors reference URI with the title token as the fragment.
          example: https://docs.use.observer/api/getting-started/errors#forbidden
        title:
          type: string
          description: Stable error token. Branch on this, not on detail.
        status:
          type: integer
        detail:
          type: string
          description: Human-readable explanation. Wording may change.
        retry_after:
          type: integer
          description: >-
            429 only: seconds until the exhausted window resets (mirrors
            Retry-After).
        limit:
          type: object
          description: '429 only: which organization limit was hit.'
          properties:
            scope:
              type: string
              enum:
                - organization
            window:
              type: string
              enum:
                - minute
                - day
            max:
              type: integer
            plan:
              type: string
        errors:
          type: array
          description: >-
            Validation failures (config_invalid, invalid_customer_targeting):
            one entry per problem.
          items:
            type: object
            properties:
              path:
                type: string
              message:
                type: string
        warnings:
          type: array
          description: >-
            config_invalid only: the same non-fatal warnings a successful apply
            returns.
          items:
            type: object
            properties:
              path:
                type: string
              message:
                type: string
        unknown_customers:
          type: array
          description: >-
            unknown_customers only: the submitted values that matched no
            customer in your organization.
          items:
            type: string
        referenced_by:
          type: object
          description: >-
            in_use only: what depends on the object (slos, pages: lists of { id,
            config_key, name }; subscribers: a count).
        quota:
          type: object
          description: >-
            quota_exceeded / feature_locked on a create only: the plan limit
            that blocked it.
          properties:
            capability:
              type: string
            used:
              type:
                - integer
                - 'null'
            cap:
              type:
                - integer
                - 'null'
            plan:
              type:
                - string
                - 'null'
        upgrade:
          type: object
          description: >-
            Plan-limit problems only, when a higher plan lifts the limit: the
            smallest such plan and the pricing page.
          properties:
            plan:
              type: string
            label:
              type: string
            url:
              type: string
              format: uri
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: obs_pub_
      description: >-
        An organization API key (obs_pub_…) sent as `Authorization: Bearer
        <key>`. Each key carries scopes; an endpoint lists the scope it needs.

````

This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.