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

# Quickstart

> From zero to your first crypto payment in a few minutes.

This guide takes you from a fresh account to a settled test payment using the merchant API. If you'd rather not write code, start with [payment links](/accept-payments/payment-links) instead — everything there happens in the dashboard.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account and get approved">
    1. Register at [dashboard.qint.ch](https://dashboard.qint.ch) and verify your email.
    2. Complete the onboarding wizard: business profile, bank account (where your payouts go), accepted assets, and branding.
    3. Submit for review. Once your merchant is **approved**, you can accept payments.

    <Note>
      Until your merchant is approved, the API rejects requests and payment
      links can't be created. You can already explore the dashboard and invite
      your team while you wait.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an API key">
    In the dashboard, go to **Developers → API keys → Create key**. Give it a
    label and select the scopes it needs — **Write** to create payments,
    **Read** to fetch them.

    <Warning>
      The full `qk_live_…` key is shown **once**, at creation. Qint stores only
      a hash of it. Copy it into your secret manager immediately — if you lose
      it, create a new key and revoke the old one.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take your first payment — three calls">
    **1. Create a payment intent** from your backend:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -s -X POST https://qint-api.fly.dev/api/v1/intents \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $QINT_API_KEY" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "amount": 49.90,
        "currency": "CHF",
        "title": "Order #1001",
        "idempotencyKey": "order-1001"
      }'
    ```

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "id": "pi_x7k2m9p4q1w8",
      "status": "initiated",
      "amount": 49.90,
      "currency": "CHF",
      "title": "Order #1001",
      "checkoutUrl": "https://checkout.qint.ch/pay/pi_x7k2m9p4q1w8",
      "expiresAt": "2026-07-08T09:30:00+00:00"
    }
    ```

    **2. Send the buyer to `checkoutUrl`.** They pick an asset and network on
    the hosted checkout and pay the quoted crypto amount within the 15-minute
    window.

    **3. Confirm the result.** Listen for the
    [`payment.status` webhook](/webhooks/events) — or poll while you're testing:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -s https://qint-api.fly.dev/api/v1/intents/pi_x7k2m9p4q1w8 \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $QINT_API_KEY"
    ```

    A payment is yours to fulfil when `status` is **`settled`** — not before.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="API payments, in depth" icon="code" href="/accept-payments/api-payments">
    Idempotency, return URLs, the full status lifecycle.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks" icon="bolt" href="/webhooks/overview">
    Get pushed a signed event on every status change.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Scopes, key rotation, and how to send credentials.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Going live" icon="list-check" href="/guides/going-live">
    The pre-launch checklist.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>