Managed execution
Start with the production path that exists today.
If you want repeat managed execution, the honest default is governed API key first. Use pricing to understand the rail, use quickstart for free reads, use x402 only when zero-signup per-call payment is the point, and bring BYOK or Agent Vault only when provider control is the point.
1. Start with governed API key
If you want repeat managed execution, this is the default production path today. It keeps repeat traffic on the stable X-Rhumb-Key execution header and the simplest operational model.
2. Check pricing before the first paid call
Discovery stays free. Execution is pay-per-call, so review the rail chooser and cost model before you wire it deeper.
3. Keep quickstart for free reads
If you are still evaluating, stay on the no-signup read path first. Paid execution should follow a real workflow, not curiosity clicks.
The honest default is governed API key, but the right next step still depends on whether you are evaluating, putting managed execution into repeat use, or crossing into your own systems.
Governed API key
Use this when you want repeat managed execution on the cleanest rail Rhumb exposes today.
Get governed API keyQuickstart first
Stay on free reads when you are still testing capability fit and do not want to wire paid execution yet.
Use free quickstartBYOK or Agent Vault
If the workflow needs your own provider accounts, workspace data, or production systems, review the credential paths before you execute.
Review credential pathsProof before the first paid call.
Managed execution is only honest if you can tell whether your workflow fits the launchable surface. Rhumb has 1,038 scored services and 415 capability definitions for discovery, but the current execution-ready surface is 16 callable providers and 21 MCP tools, strongest today for research, extraction, generation, and narrow enrichment.
Not every service or capability in the index is executable through Rhumb today. Discovery breadth is wider than current callable coverage.
Start with governed managed execution when the job looks like the current beachhead and you want the fastest repeatable path.
- web search and live research
- scraping, capture, and extraction
- image generation and media transforms
- document parse, OCR, and structured extraction
- email verification and narrow enrichment
- classification, summarization, and content transforms
Need the public surface first? Inspect capabilities or read trust before you wire the paid path deeper.
If the workflow crosses into your own systems or sits outside the current launchable surface, do not force it through the managed lane just because it is convenient.
- deep CRM, support, GitHub, warehouse, or internal-tool automation
- workflows that must stay on your own provider contracts or compliance boundary
- general business-agent automation beyond the current beachhead
That is where BYOK or Agent Vault becomes the right next step instead of a generic managed-execution CTA.
Use this path when the question is not "can Rhumb answer a free read call?" but "am I ready to put managed execution into a real workflow?"
If you still need to inspect trust boundaries, read Resolve, Pricing, and Capability-First Agent Onboarding first.
- Governed API key is the cleanest repeat-traffic rail today.
- Pricing, route checks, and cost checks should come before the first paid execution call.
- Use x402 only when zero-signup per-call payment is the point, and bring BYOK or Agent Vault only when provider control is the point.