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

# Get Temporary File URL

> Returns a short-lived (~1 hour) signed Google Cloud Storage URL pointing directly at the file bytes. Same model as AWS S3 / CloudFront pre-signed URLs: the URL itself is the capability, time-limited and resource-scoped, so it can be used from browsers, no-code tools, or any HTTP client without forwarding header auth. Call this endpoint again at any time to mint a fresh URL.

Generate a temporary, signed URL to directly access and read an uploaded file. This URL is valid for 1 hour.

## Path Parameter

* `file_id` (string, required)

## Example Request

```bash cURL theme={null}
curl "https://api.vidnavigator.com/v1/file/file_abc123/url" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## Success Response (200 OK)

Returns a temporary, signed URL that can be used to access the file directly. The URL will expire after a short period.

```json theme={null}
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "file_id": "file_abc123",
    "file_url": "https://signed.aws.url/file_abc123?exp=1700000000"
  }
}
```


## OpenAPI

````yaml GET /file/{file_id}/url
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
  title: VidNavigator Developer API
  description: >-
    The VidNavigator Developer API provides programmatic access to video
    analysis, transcription, and search capabilities.


    ## Authentication

    All endpoints require API key authentication via the `X-API-Key` header:

    ```

    X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

    ```


    ## Rate Limits

    Check the documentation for the rate limits for each endpoint.


    ## Error Handling

    The API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns error responses in JSON
    format:

    ```json

    {
      "status": "error",
      "error": "error_type",
      "message": "Human readable error message"
    }

    ```
  version: 1.0.0
  contact:
    name: VidNavigator Support
    url: https://vidnavigator.com/support
    email: support@vidnavigator.com
  license:
    name: Proprietary
    url: https://vidnavigator.com/terms
servers:
  - url: https://api.vidnavigator.com/v1
    description: Production server
security:
  - ApiKeyAuth: []
tags:
  - name: Transcripts
    description: Extract transcripts from online videos
  - name: TikTok
    description: Scrape TikTok profile metadata and per-video stats
  - name: Files
    description: Manage uploaded audio/video files
  - name: Analysis
    description: AI-powered content analysis
  - name: Extraction
    description: >-
      Extract structured data from video and file transcripts using custom
      schemas
  - name: Namespaces
    description: Organize uploaded files into namespaces (folders)
  - name: Search
    description: Search videos and files using AI
  - name: System
    description: System health and information
  - name: Tweet Analysis
    description: Extract structured claims and metadata from X/Twitter tweets
paths:
  /file/{file_id}/url:
    get:
      tags:
        - Files
      summary: Get download URL for a file
      description: >-
        Returns a short-lived (~1 hour) signed Google Cloud Storage URL pointing
        directly at the file bytes. Same model as AWS S3 / CloudFront pre-signed
        URLs: the URL itself is the capability, time-limited and
        resource-scoped, so it can be used from browsers, no-code tools, or any
        HTTP client without forwarding header auth. Call this endpoint again at
        any time to mint a fresh URL.
      operationId: getFileUrl
      parameters:
        - name: file_id
          in: path
          required: true
          description: The ID of the file
          schema:
            type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: File URL generated successfully
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  status:
                    type: string
                    enum:
                      - success
                  data:
                    type: object
                    properties:
                      file_id:
                        type: string
                      file_url:
                        type: string
                        format: uri
                        description: >-
                          Short-lived signed Google Cloud Storage URL with the
                          file bytes. Valid for ~1 hour.
                        example: >-
                          https://storage.googleapis.com/bucket/path/to/file?X-Goog-Algorithm=GOOG4-RSA-SHA256&X-Goog-Signature=...
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/AccessDenied'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/FileNotFound'
        '500':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/InternalServerError'
components:
  responses:
    AccessDenied:
      description: Access denied - insufficient permissions
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            properties:
              status:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - error
              error:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - access_denied
              message:
                type: string
    FileNotFound:
      description: File not found
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            properties:
              status:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - error
              error:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - file_not_found
              message:
                type: string
    InternalServerError:
      description: Internal server error
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            properties:
              status:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - error
              error:
                type: string
                enum:
                  - internal_server_error
              message:
                type: string
  securitySchemes:
    ApiKeyAuth:
      type: apiKey
      in: header
      name: X-API-Key
      description: >-
        API key authentication. Include your VidNavigator API key in the
        X-API-Key header.

````