Search EDGAR filings by full-text keyword using the EDGAR Full-Text Search (EFTS) API

Steps

1. Construct a GET request to https://efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-index with query parameters: q for your search terms (supports boolean operators, exact phrases with quotes, and wildcards), dateRange for a custom date window, and forms to filter by form type (e.g., 10-K, 8-K, DEF 14A)
2. Add the category parameter to scope the search to form-type level or exhibit level as needed; the EFTS API searches the full text of all electronically filed EDGAR documents since 2001
3. Parse the JSON response; each hit includes metadata fields such as accession number, CIK, entity name, form type, filing date, and a document URL pointing to the filing on sec.gov
4. Use the accession number and CIK to retrieve the full filing index from https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK={cik}&type={formType}&dateb=&owner=include&count=40 or the submissions API
5. Paginate using the from and size parameters; the API returns results in configurable page sizes
6. Set a User-Agent header that identifies your organization and contact email per SEC fair-access guidelines — unauthenticated bots without a proper User-Agent may be rate-limited or blocked