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API Reference

Overview

One public endpoint, read-only, no authentication and no API key. Rate limits may apply if usage grows abusive; for a higher-throughput or write-enabled feed, see Corporate plans.

Base URL: https://www.verlinlabs.com

GET /api/public/mental-models

Returns the full list of published mental models with summary fields only.

GET https://www.verlinlabs.com/api/public/mental-models

{
  "success": true,
  "count": 12,
  "models": [
    {
      "slug": "map-vs-territory",
      "name": "Map vs. Territory",
      "shortDescription": "Your model of a system is never the system itself.",
      "difficulty": "Beginner",
      "readTime": "4 min",
      "publicUrl": "https://www.verlinlabs.com/mental-models/map-vs-territory"
    }
  ]
}

GET /api/public/mental-models?slug={slug}

Returns full detail for one mental model - principles, application steps, worked examples, and common mistakes. 404 if the slug doesn't exist.

GET https://www.verlinlabs.com/api/public/mental-models?slug=map-vs-territory

{
  "success": true,
  "model": {
    "slug": "map-vs-territory",
    "name": "Map vs. Territory",
    "shortDescription": "...",
    "description": "...",
    "difficulty": "Beginner",
    "readTime": "4 min",
    "whyItMatters": "...",
    "keyPrinciples": ["...", "..."],
    "howToApply": ["...", "..."],
    "examples": [{ "title": "...", "description": "..." }],
    "commonMistakes": ["...", "..."],
    "keyTakeaway": "...",
    "publicUrl": "https://www.verlinlabs.com/mental-models/map-vs-territory"
  }
}

Response headers

Responses are cached at the edge for 5 minutes (Cache-Control: public, max-age=300, stale-while-revalidate=3600) - safe to poll on a schedule without hitting origin every time.

See it live

/demo is a reference implementation of this exact API, rendered as an interactive tool.

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