Knack API

Name: Knack API
Brand: Knack API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentProductivityCollaborationapiKey11 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Read and write records in a Knack no-code database via object-based or view-scoped REST endpoints, with optional end-user authentication.

Install Jentic One Beta

Connect the Knack API to your agent

Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Knack API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.

Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.

Step 1: Jentic One Host machine

# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh

Step 2: Agent machine

# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register       # connects your agent to your Jentic One instance

Jentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with Knack API.

List records on a Knack object with filtering, pagination, and full field access

Retrieve a single Knack record by object key and record id

Create a Knack record with the field values defined on its object

Update or delete a Knack record using the object-based endpoint

GET STARTED

Start building with Knack API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Knack API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Knack is a no-code database and application builder used to ship internal tools, member directories, and customer portals without writing a backend. The API exposes records on application objects with full-field access, view-scoped record reads and writes that respect a published view's permissions, and a session endpoint for user-token-based access. Two authentication modes are supported: an application id with REST API key for full access, and an end-user token for view-based requests scoped to that user.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use Knack API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Internal Tool Backend Sync

Use Knack as the backend for an internal tool and sync records to or from the team's other systems. POST and GET on /objects/{object_key}/records give full-field access to every record on an object, which is the right surface when staff are running operations that bypass user-facing views. Common for ops teams who built their workflow in Knack and now need to feed reporting or finance tools.

List all records on Knack object 'object_5' updated since yesterday and write them as rows into the data warehouse staging table.

View-Scoped Customer Portal Writes

Let an external app write into a Knack application without granting it full database access. Calls go through /pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records, which only exposes the fields configured on that view, so the integration cannot accidentally read or modify data outside the view's scope. Suited for customer-portal flows where end users submit forms or update their own records.

POST a new record to view 'view_12' under scene 'scene_3' on behalf of the signed-in customer with the form fields supplied.

End-User Authentication for Mobile or Web

Authenticate end users against a Knack application from a custom front end. POST /applications/{application_id}/session exchanges credentials for a user token that subsequent view-based calls can use. Useful for mobile apps backed by Knack where the data model lives in Knack but the UI is custom.

POST credentials for user@example.com to /applications/abc123/session and use the returned token on the next view-based request.

Bulk Record Operations

Run bulk maintenance on Knack data without rebuilding the application. The object-based endpoints support filtering and per-record updates, so an agent can list, transform, and re-write records in a controlled batch. Best for migrations, deduping, and field normalisation jobs that would otherwise require manual editing.

List records on object_3 where state='Texas', call PUT for each to set state='TX', and report the count of records updated.

Agent-Driven Record Operations via Jentic

Embed Knack record reads and writes in an AI agent so an operator can ask 'how many open orders today' or 'create a new customer' and have the agent call the right Knack endpoint. The agent searches Jentic, loads the operation schema, and executes with the application id and REST API key kept in the Jentic vault. Far faster than writing object key lookups into custom code.

Through Jentic, search for 'list Knack records', load /objects/{object_key}/records, and report today's count of records on the 'orders' object.

Key Endpoints

11 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for knack api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/objects/{object_key}/records

List records on an object

POST

/objects/{object_key}/records

Create a record on an object

GET

/objects/{object_key}/records/{record_id}

Retrieve a single record

GET

/pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records

List records through a view

POST

/pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records

Create a record through a view

POST

/applications/{application_id}/session

Authenticate an end user

GET

/objects/{object_key}/records

List records on an object

POST

/objects/{object_key}/records

Create a record on an object

GET

/objects/{object_key}/records/{record_id}

Retrieve a single record

GET

/pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records

List records through a view

POST

/pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records

Create a record through a view

Why Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

Knack X-Knack-Application-Id and X-Knack-REST-API-Key are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. End-user session tokens obtained from /applications/{application_id}/session are also rotated through Jentic so the agent never sees raw user credentials.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'list Knack records', 'create a Knack record') and Jentic returns the matching object-based or view-based operation with its schema so the agent picks the right endpoint without reading the reference docs.

Time to first call

Direct Knack integration: 1-2 days for header auth wiring, object key lookup, and view permission handling. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load, execute.

FAQs

Specific to using Knack API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Knack API?

Knack does not publish an OpenAPI specification — only narrative reference docs. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Knack API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the Knack API use?

The Knack API uses two API key headers: X-Knack-Application-Id identifies the application and X-Knack-REST-API-Key authorises object-based requests. View-based requests can also use X-Knack-REST-API-Key or an end-user token in the Authorization header obtained from /applications/{application_id}/session. Through Jentic, both keys are stored in the Jentic vault.

What is the difference between object-based and view-based requests?

Object-based requests at /objects/{object_key}/records give full access to every field on the object and require the application id and REST API key. View-based requests at /pages/{scene_key}/views/{view_key}/records are scoped to the fields exposed by the view and can be made with an end-user token, so they respect the same permissions a real user would have.

What are the rate limits for the Knack API?

Knack enforces per-application rate limits that vary by plan. The spec does not declare hard numbers — consult docs.knack.com/reference for the current per-plan figures. Cache list responses where possible; Jentic's runtime caches identical reads across agent runs.

How do I create a Knack record from an AI agent through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'create a Knack record', load POST /objects/{object_key}/records, and execute with the object key and the field payload. Jentic injects the X-Knack-Application-Id and X-Knack-REST-API-Key headers from the vault so the agent never holds the raw keys.

Can the Knack API authenticate end users of my application?

Yes. POST /applications/{application_id}/session exchanges an email and password for a user token. Pass that token on subsequent view-based requests so the API respects the same role and permission checks the user would see in the Knack UI.

Knack API

Connect the Knack API to your agent

Capabilities

Start building with Knack API

Use Cases

Key Endpoints

Why Jentic?

Related APIs

FAQs