# API access for public builds?

**URL:** <https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [September 18, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503 "2025-09-18T04:44:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kevinburke](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/kevinburke/32/1482_2.png) [@kevinburke](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/kevinburke)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503/1 "2025-09-18T04:44:59Z")

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Is there a way to retrieve information about public builds via the API? For example, the builds at [agent-hooks-example #40](https://buildkite.com/buildkite/agent-hooks-example/builds/40) are retrievable in my browser, but if I do e.g.

curl [https://api.buildkite.com/v2/organizations/buildkite/pipelines/agent-hooks-example/builds?branch=main&per\_page=3](https://api.buildkite.com/v2/organizations/buildkite/pipelines/agent-hooks-example/builds?branch=main&per_page=3)

I either get ‘you must provide your API token’ or ‘404 organization not found’ (I’m not a member of the Buildkite organization).

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**Author:** ![lizette](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/lizette/32/1161_2.png) [@lizette](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/lizette)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:08am UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503/2 "2025-09-18T05:08:22Z")

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Hi @kevinburke ,

To request build information via the API, you need a valid API Token. However, you would have to be a member of the organisation to generate an API Token that can read build information.

Cheers!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kevinburke](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/kevinburke/32/1482_2.png) [@kevinburke](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/kevinburke)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503/3 "2025-09-18T05:09:41Z")

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Right - given that I can retrieve the information about a public build via the browser, it would be nice to be able to retrieve that same info via the API.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lizette](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.buildkite.community/lizette/32/1161_2.png) [@lizette](https://forum.buildkite.community/u/lizette)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:40am UTC](https://forum.buildkite.community/t/api-access-for-public-builds/4503/4 "2025-09-18T05:40:59Z")

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Hi @kevinburke ,

Yeah, I get what you mean. Unfortunately, we have to limit API access to organisation members only for security purposes and resource protection.