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

# Start authentication

> Initiate OTP authentication by sending a code to the agent's email

This is the first step of the two-step authentication flow. Send the agent's email address to receive a one-time password (OTP) code by email.

<Info>
  This endpoint does not require authentication. No `Authorization` header is needed.
</Info>

## Request body

<ParamField body="email" type="string" required>
  Email address for the agent. The OTP code is sent to this address.
</ParamField>

## Response

<ResponseField name="status" type="boolean">
  `true` when the request succeeds.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="statusCode" type="number">
  HTTP status code.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="message" type="string">
  Human-readable result message.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="data" type="object">
  <Expandable title="properties">
    <ResponseField name="otpId" type="string">
      Unique identifier for this OTP request. Pass this value to the [complete authentication](/api-reference/auth/complete) endpoint along with the OTP code.
    </ResponseField>
  </Expandable>
</ResponseField>

## Errors

| Status | Description                      |
| ------ | -------------------------------- |
| `400`  | Invalid or missing email address |
| `429`  | Rate limit exceeded              |

<RequestExample>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.useknot.xyz/connect/start \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"email": "agent@example.com"}'
  ```
</RequestExample>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json 200 theme={null}
  {
    "status": true,
    "statusCode": 200,
    "message": "OTP sent successfully.",
    "data": {
      "otpId": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"
    }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>