Feedback: api-reference-transcripts-get-paragraphs

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/api-reference/transcripts/get-paragraphs
Category: api-reference
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:31:38 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:31:37 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Recommendations

Overall Assessment

This API documentation has significant gaps in completeness and clarity. While it covers the basic endpoint structure, it lacks essential information that developers need to successfully implement and troubleshoot the API.

Critical Missing Information

1. Response Schema Documentation

Issue: No response body structure is documented. Impact: Developers don’t know what data they’ll receive.

Recommendation: Add a complete response schema:

{
  "id": "string",
  "confidence": "number",
  "paragraphs": [
    {
      "text": "string",
      "start": "number",
      "end": "number",
      "confidence": "number",
      "words": [
        {
          "text": "string",
          "start": "number",
          "end": "number",
          "confidence": "number"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

2. Complete Response Examples

Issue: Only curl requests shown, no actual response data. Impact: Developers can’t validate their implementation.

Recommendation: Add real response examples for both success and error cases:

// 200 Success Response
{
  "id": "abc123-def456-ghi789",
  "confidence": 0.94,
  "paragraphs": [
    {
      "text": "Welcome to our quarterly business review. Today we'll be discussing our performance metrics and future strategy.",
      "start": 1200,
      "end": 8400,
      "confidence": 0.96,
      "words": [...]
    }
  ]
}

// 404 Error Response
{
  "error": "Transcript not found",
  "message": "No transcript exists with ID: invalid-id-123"
}

Structure & Organization Issues

3. Redundant Examples Section

Issue: 8 identical curl examples provide no additional value. Impact: Creates confusion and poor user experience.

Recommendation: Replace with diverse, meaningful examples:

• Basic curl request
• Python SDK example
• JavaScript/Node.js example
• Response handling example

4. Insufficient Parameter Documentation

Issue: Path parameter lacks format specification and validation rules. Impact: Users may submit invalid requests.

Recommendation: Enhance parameter documentation:

Path Parameters:
- transcript_id (string, required):
  - Format: UUID or alphanumeric identifier
  - Example: "abc123-def456-ghi789"
  - Description: Unique identifier of a completed transcript
  - Validation: Must be a valid transcript ID from a successful transcription

Clarity & Completeness Improvements

5. Prerequisites and Context

Issue: No information about required transcript state or dependencies. Impact: Users may call the endpoint prematurely.

Recommendation: Add prerequisites section:

Prerequisites:
- Transcript must be in "completed" status
- Original transcription must have succeeded (status: "completed", not "error")
- Transcript ID must be from the same account/API key

6. Enhanced Error Documentation

Issue: Generic HTTP status codes without context-specific details. Impact: Difficult troubleshooting for developers.

Recommendation: Provide detailed error scenarios:

Error Responses:
- 400 Bad Request: Invalid transcript ID format
- 401 Unauthorized: Missing or invalid API key
- 404 Not Found: Transcript ID doesn't exist or belongs to different account
- 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit exceeded (X requests per minute)
- 500 Internal Server Error: Temporary processing issue, retry recommended

7. Usage Context and Best Practices

Issue: No guidance on when/how to use this endpoint effectively. Impact: Suboptimal API usage patterns.

Recommendation: Add usage guidance:

Usage Notes:
- Paragraph segmentation is automatic and based on semantic analysis
- Best used for longer transcripts (>2 minutes) where natural breaks exist
- Paragraphs maintain word-level timing information
- Consider using sentences endpoint for shorter content

User Experience Enhancements

8. Interactive Elements

Recommendation: Add:

• “Try it now” interactive API explorer
• Copy-to-clipboard buttons for code examples
• Expandable/collapsible sections for detailed schemas

9. Cross-References and Navigation

Recommendation: Include links to:

• Related endpoints (sentences, words)
• Authentication documentation
• SDK documentation
• Rate limiting policies

10. Multiple Language Examples

Recommendation: Provide examples in popular languages:

# Python
import requests
response = requests.get(
    f'https://api.assemblyai.com/v2/transcript/{transcript_id}/paragraphs',
    headers={'Authorization': api_key}
)

// JavaScript
const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.assemblyai.com/v2/transcript/${transcriptId}/paragraphs`,
    { headers: { 'Authorization': apiKey } }
);

Priority Implementation Order

1. High Priority: Add response schema and real examples
2. High Priority: Fix redundant examples section
3. Medium Priority: Enhance error documentation
4. Medium Priority: Add prerequisites and usage context
5. Low Priority: Interactive elements and multi-language examples

These improvements will transform this from a basic endpoint reference into comprehensive, developer-friendly documentation that reduces support burden and improves API adoption.

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