Quick Start

Submit your first agent action for authorization in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+ or Node.js 18+
• An ASCEND account with API key

Step 1: Get Your API Key

1. Log in to the ASCEND Dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
3. Click Generate New Key
4. Copy the key (shown only once)

Important

API keys are shown only once during generation. Store them securely in environment variables or a secrets manager.

Step 2: Install the SDK

Python

pip install ascend-ai-sdk

Node.js

npm install @ascend-ai/sdk

Step 3: Submit Your First Action

Python

from ascend import AscendClient, Decision, FailMode

# Initialize client
client = AscendClient(
    api_key="owkai_your_api_key_here",
    agent_id="my-agent-001",
    agent_name="My AI Agent",
    fail_mode=FailMode.CLOSED
)

# Register agent
client.register(
    agent_type="automation",
    capabilities=["database.query", "api.call"]
)

# Submit an action for authorization
decision = client.evaluate_action(
    action_type="database.query",
    resource="customer_database",
    parameters={"query": "SELECT name FROM customers WHERE id = 123"}
)

# Handle the decision
if decision.decision == Decision.ALLOWED:
    print(f"Approved (risk: {decision.risk_score})")
    # Execute your action here
    client.log_action_completed(
        action_id=decision.action_id,
        result={"rows_returned": 1},
        duration_ms=45
    )

elif decision.decision == Decision.PENDING:
    print(f"Awaiting approval: {decision.approval_request_id}")

elif decision.decision == Decision.DENIED:
    print(f"Denied: {decision.reason}")
    print(f"Policy violations: {decision.policy_violations}")

Node.js

import { AscendClient } from '@ascend-ai/sdk';

// Initialize client
const client = new AscendClient({
  apiKey: 'owkai_your_api_key_here',
  agentId: 'my-agent-001',
  agentName: 'My AI Agent',
  failMode: 'closed',
});

// Submit an action for authorization
const decision = await client.evaluateAction({
  actionType: 'database.query',
  resource: 'customer_database',
  parameters: { query: 'SELECT name FROM customers WHERE id = 123' },
});

if (decision.decision === 'allowed') {
  console.log(`Approved (risk: ${decision.riskScore})`);
} else if (decision.decision === 'pending') {
  console.log(`Awaiting approval: ${decision.approvalRequestId}`);
} else {
  console.log(`Denied: ${decision.reason}`);
}

Step 4: Handle Responses

Every action evaluation returns an AuthorizationDecision with these key fields:

Field	Type	Description
decision	Decision	ALLOWED, DENIED, or PENDING
action_id	str	Unique action identifier
risk_score	int	Risk score (0–100)
reason	str	Explanation of decision
policy_violations	list	Violated policies (if denied)
approval_request_id	str	Approval tracking ID (if pending)

Complete Example

"""Customer service agent with ASCEND governance"""
from ascend import AscendClient, Decision, FailMode
import time

client = AscendClient(
    api_key="owkai_prod_xxxxxxxxxxxx",
    agent_id="customer-service-agent",
    agent_name="Customer Service Bot",
    fail_mode=FailMode.CLOSED,
)

client.register(
    agent_type="automation",
    capabilities=["transaction.refund", "customer.lookup"],
    allowed_resources=["stripe_api", "customer_db"],
)


def process_refund(customer_id: str, amount: float) -> dict:
    """Process a refund with governance."""
    decision = client.evaluate_action(
        action_type="transaction.refund",
        resource="stripe_api",
        parameters={"customer_id": customer_id, "amount": amount, "currency": "USD"},
        risk_indicators={"financial_data": True, "amount_threshold": "normal"},
    )

    if decision.decision == Decision.ALLOWED:
        start = time.time()
        result = {"refund_id": "ref_123", "status": "processed", "amount": amount}
        client.log_action_completed(
            action_id=decision.action_id,
            result=result,
            duration_ms=int((time.time() - start) * 1000),
        )
        return result

    elif decision.decision == Decision.PENDING:
        return {"status": "pending_approval", "approval_id": decision.approval_request_id}

    else:
        return {"status": "denied", "reason": decision.reason}


result = process_refund("cust_123", 150.00)
print(result)

What's Next?

• Python SDK Installation — Setup and configuration
• Node.js SDK Installation — Node.js setup
• Client Configuration — Advanced client options
• Agent Actions — Action submission patterns

Need Help?

• Enterprise Support: support@ascendowkai.com
• Documentation: docs.ascendowkai.com