Retrieve contracts and exhibits from SEC filings using the EDGAR full-text search API and the company Submissions API

Steps

1. Query the EDGAR Full-Text Search API to keyword-search the body text of filings and their attachments/exhibits together - both the main filing document and exhibits (e.g., material contracts filed as EX-10 exhibits) are indexed and matched by the same query.
2. Combine full-text search with structured filters (date range, form type, ticker/CIK) to narrow results to specific exhibit types; new filings typically become searchable in under 60 seconds of being published on EDGAR.
3. For a known company, call the Submissions API (data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK##########.json) to get its full filing history - form types, filing dates, accession numbers - and construct document index URLs to fetch individual exhibit files.
4. Send a compliant User-Agent header on every request to sec.gov/data.sec.gov identifying your organization and a contact (e.g., 'CompanyName [email protected]') - requests without one are rejected.
5. Stay under the fair-access rate limit of 10 requests per second; sustained excess from scripted bulk pulls can get your IP throttled.