What is the Ask natural-language API?
Ask is Social Fetch's natural-language router: POST /v1/ask with a question like "How many TikTok followers does MrBeast have?" We map it to a documented operation, run that lookup, and return the same structured JSON a typed route would, plus which operation we chose.
Billing
Routing costs 0 credits. Only the nested lookup bills, at the same rate as calling that path directly.
Use Ask to explore and prototype. Pin the typed GET (or MCP tool) once data.routedOperation shows you the stable path.
What comes back
You get the same { data, meta } envelope as a typed route, plus which operation Ask chose. Branch on lookupStatus when the nested operation documents it. Log meta.requestId the same way you would for a direct GET.
Ask is not a chatbot essay. It is a router into a live public lookup. If routing cannot match a question, you get a typed error instead of a guess.
Where to try it
Product page: /ask. Free browser helper: /tools/ask. Docs under /docs/api for the operation schema. Catalog size: 17 platforms, 137 marketplace operations.
Once data.routedOperation is stable for your workflow, call that path (or the matching MCP tool) directly so production jobs skip the routing step.
FAQ
Is Ask a chatbot?
No. It routes to a live Social Fetch lookup and returns API JSON, not a prose essay.
Should production crons use Ask?
Prefer typed endpoints once the workflow is fixed. Ask adds a routing step you do not need every night.
How does this relate to MCP?
MCP exposes typed tools. Ask helps when the agent does not know which tool yet. See /glossary/mcp-for-social-data.