> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://connect-docs.supertab.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Acquire Licenses for Protected Content

> Obtain a license token as a crawler operator and use it to request protected content.

This guide covers how to set up your bots, agents, crawlers, and other automated systems to get licensed access to RSL-protected content. Use the SDK to obtain a license token for the content you want to access, then send that token in the request to the publisher.

## Before You Start

You need a **Supertab Connect customer account** and a registered **System** representing your bot or agent.

1. **Create your account** — sign up at [customer-connect.supertab.co](https://customer-connect.supertab.co/signup)
2. **Register a System** — in the dashboard, go to **Systems → Create System** and give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Production RAG Agent", "News Indexer")
3. **Generate credentials** — on the System Details page, generate a `client_id` and `client_secret`
4. **Save your credentials** — you will need both the `client_id` and `client_secret` to obtain license tokens

You also need:

* The exact protected resource URL you want to access, for example `https://publisher.com/premium/article-123`
* An active license agreement between your organization and the publisher

## Acquire Licenses

1. Your system identifies the exact URL it wants to access
2. The SDK fetches and evaluates the publisher's `license.xml`
3. It finds the best matching content rule for the requested resource.
4. The SDK then requests a license token for the appropriate content pattern from the License Server using your credentials.
5. Send your license token as an `Authorization: License <token>` heade on subsequent requests.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Obtain a Token">
    Call `obtainLicenseToken()` for **every page you wish to access**.

    The SDK handles determining the licensing basis for you and manages token expiration.

    ```ts theme={null}
    import { SupertabConnect } from "@getsupertab/supertab-connect-sdk";

    const CLIENT_ID = "...your customer system client_id...";
    const CLIENT_SECRET = "...your customer system client_secret...";
    const resourceUrl = "https://publisher.com/premium/article-123";

    const accessToken = await SupertabConnect.obtainLicenseToken({
    clientId: CLIENT_ID,
    clientSecret: CLIENT_SECRET,
    resourceUrl,
    });
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Present your License Token">
    Send the token in the `Authorization` header using the `License` scheme.

    ```ts theme={null}
    const response = await fetch("https://publisher.com/premium/article-123", {
    headers: {
    Authorization: `License ${accessToken}`,
    },
    });
    ```

    <Warning>
      Use `License`, not `Bearer`. The header scheme must match the expected RSL
      license token format.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Full Example

```ts theme={null}
import { SupertabConnect } from "@getsupertab/supertab-connect-sdk";

const resourceUrl = "https://publisher.com/premium/article-123";

const accessToken = await SupertabConnect.obtainLicenseToken({
  clientId: process.env.SUPERTAB_CLIENT_ID!,
  clientSecret: process.env.SUPERTAB_CLIENT_SECRET!,
  resourceUrl,
});

const response = await fetch(resourceUrl, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `License ${accessToken}`,
  },
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Request failed with status ${response.status}`);
}

const content = await response.text();
```

## Related Docs

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="TypeScript SDK" icon="code" href="/reference/sdk/typescript">
    TypeScript-specific reference with CDN handler examples.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Open Licensing Protocol" icon="lock" href="/licensing/open-licensing-protocol">
    Token acquisition, client authentication, and JWKS verification.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>