---
title: "Structured, cited answer over the resolved graph (ask/v1)"
method: GET
path: "/api/v1/ask"
tags: ["Ask"]
---

# Structured, cited answer over the resolved graph (ask/v1)

`GET /api/v1/ask`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://fonteum.com`
- URL: `https://fonteum.com/api/v1/ask`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Deterministic question-answering: a typed question and identifier in, a cited answer out. Available provenance fields identify the source and date; fields can be null and are not individually signed. No language model is in the retrieval path. For the sanctions question, an empty answer is returned only when the internal OIG coverage guard reports reconciled `current`; that state is not a same-day upstream-freshness claim. Stale or indeterminate coverage returns 503 and is not a clearance. A 400 returns the endpoint's self-documenting question catalog.

## Query parameters

- `question` 'ownership' | 'sanctions' | 'payments', required
- `scheme` string, required
- `value` string, required

## Response `200`

Cited answer.

- AskAnswer
  - `question` 'ownership' | 'sanctions' | 'payments'
  - `subject` object
    - `scheme` string
    - `value` string
  - `answer_text` string
  - `facts` object[]
    - `fact_type` string
    - `statement` string
    - `confidence` number
    - `provenance` object: Source-specific provenance fields; unavailable fields can be null.
  - `fact_count` integer
  - `facts_truncated` boolean
  - `citations` object[]
  - `exclusion_coverage` ExclusionCoverage
    - `status` 'current' | 'coverage_stale' | 'indeterminate', required
    - `sources` object, required
    - `message` string, required
  - `coverage_status` 'current' | 'coverage_stale' | 'indeterminate'
  - `determination` 'match' | 'no_match' | 'indeterminate'
  - `methodology_version` string

## Other responses

- `400`: Unknown question / scheme not accepted / value fails normalization. Body carries the question catalog.
- `502`: Source read failed — refuses to answer from a partial record.
- `503`: OIG sanctions coverage is stale or indeterminate. The response carries determination, coverage status, and serving/attestation evidence; no negative determination was made.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/fonteum/apis/fonteum-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/fonteum/apis/fonteum-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/fonteum/apis/fonteum-api/revisions/334e6e179d0d?raw)