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

# Quickstart

> Send your first payout in minutes

Whether you're building a buyer-seller marketplace, a payments platform, or just
looking to automate contractor payments, the high-level flow is to (1) deposit funds into your Consul balance
and then (2) issue a payout.

### Get API Keys

Complete your entity onboarding in the [Consul dashboard](https://dashboard.onconsul.com), then provision your API keys in the Developer section.

### Deposit Funds

To send payouts, you need USDC in your Consul wallet. The quickest way is to link a bank account and initiate a deposit from the dashboard via **Add Funds** or the **Move Money** dropdown. You'll receive deposit instructions once complete.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/swift/0zsIFO3YLtnfbRRd/images/deposit-instructions.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=0zsIFO3YLtnfbRRd&q=85&s=d3b85ab43c2d4ea0eb2e1305b1c9b0d8" alt="Deposit Instructions" width="3200" height="1600" data-path="images/deposit-instructions.png" />

To deposit via the API, use the [Create a Deposit Quote](/api-reference/deposits/create-a-deposit-quote) endpoint. See the [Deposits](/guides/deposits) guide for more details.

### Wait for Deposit Webhook

Once the deposit completes, you'll receive an email notification. For automated flows, listen for the `deposit.updated` webhook event. The funds are now available for payouts.

### Send a Payout

To issue a payout from the dashboard, create a new payout and select the recipients you want to pay.

Alternatively, use the [Create a Payout](/api-reference/payouts/create-a-payout) endpoint to send USDC to one or more email addresses:

```bash theme={"system"}
curl -X POST https://api.onconsul.com/v1/payouts \
  -H "Authorization: Basic base64($CONSUL_API_KEY)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "items": [
      {"amount": "100", "email": "alice@example.com"},
      {"amount": "200", "email": "bob@example.com"}
    ]
  }'
```

Payouts settle almost instantly (less than 3s p99), but the response returns a payout in `processing` status.
Listen for the `payout.updated` webhook to confirm completion.

### Automating Pre-Funding

The flow above requires a manual deposit. See [Pre-Funding Flows](/guides/funding-flows) for automated pre-funding options.

### What's Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Payouts" icon="money-bill" href="/guides/payouts">
    Learn more about sending payouts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks" icon="bolt" href="/guides/webhooks">
    Receive real-time notifications for payout lifecycle events
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/overview">
    Explore the full API
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pre-Funding Flows" icon="arrow-right" href="/guides/funding-flows">
    Manage pre-funding flows for your payout balance
  </Card>
</CardGroup>