Quick Start
Get up and running with CargoLint in under 5 minutes. Upload your first document and get structured data back.
Get Started in 5 Minutes
CargoLint makes it easy to extract structured data from your customs documents. Sign up, upload a document, and get results - it takes less than five minutes.
Choose Your Path
Using the dashboard? Follow the steps below, then explore the How-To Guides for detailed walkthroughs of every feature.
Building an integration? Start with the steps below to understand the basics, then head to Authentication and the API Reference to start coding.
Step 1: Sign Up for Your Account
Visit the CargoLint dashboard and create a new account. You start with a 14-day free trial of the Professional plan - no credit card required. When the trial ends, your workspace moves to the free Starter plan with 10 documents per month.
Step 2: Upload Your First Document
You can upload documents directly through the dashboard using drag-and-drop, or use the API.
Via the Dashboard:
- Log in to your dashboard
- Click Upload or drag and drop a file
- CargoLint automatically detects the document type and extracts data
Via the API (requires Business or Enterprise plan):
First, get your API key from Settings > API Keys.
curl -X POST https://api.cargolint.com/api/v1/documents \
-H "X-API-Key: cl_test_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE" \
-F "file=@invoice.pdf"
Supported file types: PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF (max 20 MB)
Step 3: View Your Results
Open the document in your Documents list to see the extracted fields with confidence scores. Each field shows how certain CargoLint is about the extracted value.
Documents with confidence below 78% - or with HS codes waiting for confirmation - are automatically flagged for human review in the Review Queue, where you can correct any fields and approve the results. Higher-confidence documents wait in Pending Approval for one-click sign-off.
If you’re using the API, retrieve extraction results programmatically:
{
"documentId": "doc_abc123xyz",
"documentType": "invoice",
"status": "processed",
"fields": {
"invoiceNumber": {
"value": "INV-2026-001",
"confidence": 0.98
},
"shipmentDate": {
"value": "2026-03-01",
"confidence": 0.95
},
"totalAmount": {
"value": "5000.00",
"confidence": 0.99
}
}
}
Supported Document Types
CargoLint automatically classifies and extracts data from:
- Commercial Invoices - Vendor/customer info, line items, totals
- Packing Lists - Item descriptions, weights, dimensions
- Bills of Lading - Shipper/consignee, vessel, ports, containers
- Certificates of Origin - Country of origin, HS codes, certifying authority
Next Steps
For dashboard users:
- How to upload documents - detailed upload guide with tips
- How to review extracted data - using the review queue
- Understanding confidence scores - what the numbers mean
For developers:
- Authentication - API keys and auth methods
- Your First Upload - detailed API upload walkthrough
- API Reference - full endpoint documentation