# Validator Master Quickstart

> Minimal agent-oriented path for evaluating an existing response or invoking the bounded public provider-backed evaluation API.

Canonical: https://api.heartcodeprotocol.org/docs/quickstart
Markdown: https://api.heartcodeprotocol.org/docs/quickstart.md

## Evaluate an existing response

Use POST /api/evaluate-response when the AI response already exists and no provider generation is required.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.heartcodeprotocol.org/api/evaluate-response \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"contractVersion":"1.0.0","prompt":"Explain why uncertainty matters.","response":"Uncertainty should be stated when evidence is incomplete.","privacyAcknowledged":true}'
```
## Generate and evaluate

Use POST /api/evaluate for provider-backed public-alpha generation plus Heartcode evaluation. Provider-backed requests are bounded by admission controls, quotas, global spend protection, concurrency controls, and a kill switch.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.heartcodeprotocol.org/api/evaluate \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"contractVersion":"1.0.0","prompt":"Explain why uncertainty matters.","providerIds":["openai"],"privacyAcknowledged":true}'
```
## Compare providers

Use POST /api/arena with between 2 and 5 distinct providers. Partial provider failures remain visible rather than discarding successful results.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.heartcodeprotocol.org/api/arena \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"contractVersion":"1.0.0","prompt":"Explain why uncertainty matters.","privacyAcknowledged":true,"providers":["openai","anthropic"]}'
```
## Interpret the result

Treat the returned score, verdicts, findings, evidence spans, protocol version, and evaluator version as scoped evaluation evidence. A high score is not proof that the answer is factually correct or universally safe.