Get started with the setup checklist

The Get started with Slate checklist on your Home page walks you from a new account to going live. It has ten steps. You tick some off yourself, and Slate ticks the rest when it sees you've done them.

Where to find it: select Home at the top of the left menu. Home only exists in the sandbox. See Sandbox and live.

How the checklist works

Each step has a number. When it's done, the number turns into a green tick and the step folds up. Three steps stay open after you finish them, so you can still see your key, your offer and your email choice.

• You do these on the page: steps 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9.
• Slate ticks these on its own: steps 3, 4, 6 and 7. Nothing to click. They tick when Slate sees the right call or screen load.
• Step 10 is the agreements and going live. See Go live.

The progress bar counts steps 1 to 9, plus the signed agreement from step 10. Once Slate grants live access, every step shows as done and the list folds behind a banner.

Take the tour first

The first time you open Home, a welcome card walks you through the checklist.

The six cards are:

• Capital, the moment it's needed: what Slate does and the path from sandbox to live.
• Choose your products: why you pick products first.
• Financials in, pre-approval out: create a customer, add their data, fetch their offer.
• Decide who emails your customers: Slate, your own domain, or you.
• You support, Slate has your back: your customers come to you first.
• Embed, submit, and go live: the last steps.

Step 1: Choose your products

Pick the kinds of financing you plan to offer. Your choice tailors the docs and the application flow.

Step 2: Create an API key

An API key is a password your developers use so your systems can talk to Slate. This button makes your first one.

The key made here can read and write everything. Create more keys, or read-only keys, under Developers.

Step 3: Create a customer

A customer is a business you bring to Slate. Your developer creates it through the API using your key. You give each customer your own ID, called an externalId, so you can find them later.

This step ticks on its own the first time Slate receives a "create customer" request.

Here's a sandbox example your developer can adapt:

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.tryslatehq.com/customers \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "BUSINESS",
    "externalId": "cus_123",
    "productType": "capital",
    "business": { "legalName": "Prairie Line Haulage Ltd", "type": "CORPORATION" }
  }'

Your key goes in a header called x-api-key.

Step 4: Attach financial data

Financial data is the numbers Slate uses to decide what to offer a customer, such as monthly revenue. Your developer sends it for a customer you already created.

This step ticks on its own when Slate receives financial data for any customer.

curl -X POST https://api-sandbox.tryslatehq.com/attach-financial-data \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "externalId": "cus_123",
    "timeseries": [
      { "date": "2026-01-01", "data": { "revenue": 43800, "expenses": 31900 } },
      { "date": "2026-02-01", "data": { "revenue": 45600, "expenses": 32800 } }
    ]
  }'

In the sandbox, an offer appears for the customer within moments. You don't wait for Slate to review. You can also add data from a spreadsheet. See Import financial data.

Once steps 3 and 4 are done, they look like this:

Step 5: See your pre-approval

A pre-approval is an offer Slate has approved ahead of time for a customer. Here you fetch one for real.

Look for "status": "ACTIVE". That means the customer can still apply. The amount is in cents, so 949141 is $9,491.41. The step stays open so you can keep reading the response.

The code samples above the box call the live address. The Fetch button runs in your sandbox for you.

You can also read your offers on the Offers page. Slate creates offers. Partners can't create them through the API.

Step 6: Embed the capital experience

Embedding means putting Slate's screens inside your own product, so your customers see offers without leaving it. This step shows the two bits of code your developer needs.

For the full guide, see Embed Slate in your product.

Step 7: Submit your first application

When your customer accepts an offer, they fill in an application. This step ticks on its own the first time an application is submitted through your embed.

To try it yourself, open the embed for a test customer and finish the application. The sandbox has buttons that let you skip slow steps, such as Skip (Sandbox). See Applicant overview.

Step 8: Set up customer emails

Decide who sends emails to your customers, such as "You have an offer" and "Sign your agreement". Pick one option.

You can change your mind later. See Customer emails and Email domain.

Step 9: Know your support model

Your customers contact you first about their financing and payments. Slate backs you up. We answer within 24 business hours.

Step 10: Go live

The last step is where you sign the agreements and ask for live access. It has its own page: Go live. In short:

Explore more

Under the checklist are three shortcuts:

• Add a webhook: get notified about application and funding events. Marked Recommended. See Webhooks.
• Brand the experience: match the capital screens to your product. Customize opens Application Flow. See Brand colours.
• Read the docs: the full API reference and guides.

Which steps tick on their own, and why?

Slate watches what happens in your account.

• Step 2: ticks when a key exists.
• Step 3: ticks when Slate receives a create-customer call.
• Step 4: ticks when Slate receives financial data.
• Step 6: ticks when a Slate screen loads in your product with a session token.
• Step 7: ticks when an application is submitted through your embed.

Steps 1, 5, 8 and 9 tick when you act on the page.

If something goes wrong

A step won't tick

Steps 3, 4, 6 and 7 only tick after a real call. Check you're using a sandbox key and the sandbox address. A call to live doesn't count here. Then reload Home.

Fetch pre-approval says "No pre-approval found for that customer ID"

The page adds: "Create a customer and attach financial data first." Check the ID matches your externalId exactly. Then check steps 3 and 4 are done.

Fetch pre-approval says "Could not fetch the pre-approval"

Check the customer ID and try again.

I lost my API key

Go to Developers, then API keys, and make a new one. See API keys.

Request production access is greyed out

It needs all nine steps, the signed agreement and an approved verification. See Go live.