Quickstart
Get your first insurance quote from Malcolm in under five minutes.
Prerequisites
- A Malcolm API key (sign up at trymalcolm.com)
curlor any HTTP client
1. Set your API key
export MALCOM_API_KEY="mk_live_..."
2. Request a quote
curl -X POST https://api.trymalcolm.com/v1/quotes \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $MALCOM_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"line_of_business": "general_liability",
"risk": {
"business_type": "restaurant",
"annual_revenue": 500000,
"employee_count": 12,
"state": "CA"
},
"coverage": {
"per_occurrence_limit": 1000000,
"aggregate_limit": 2000000,
"deductible": 1000
}
}'
3. Review the response
{
"id": "qt_abc123",
"status": "quoted",
"carriers": [
{
"carrier": "Acme Insurance",
"premium_annual": 2847,
"premium_monthly": 245,
"bindable": true,
"quote_expires_at": "2025-02-15T00:00:00Z"
}
]
}
The response includes quotes from every insurer that matched your risk profile. Each quote includes pricing, coverage details, and whether it can be bound immediately.
4. Bind a policy
curl -X POST https://api.trymalcolm.com/v1/quotes/qt_abc123/bind \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $MALCOM_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"carrier": "Acme Insurance",
"effective_date": "2025-02-01"
}'
Binding creates a real insurance policy. Use the mk_test_... key prefix for sandbox testing.
Next steps
- API Reference - explore all endpoints
- Schema - full data model reference