Alpha features

Some parts of the Archive API ship behind an alpha flag while we refine them. Alpha surfaces are hidden by default and opt-in per request. This page is the policy; it does not document the alpha surfaces themselves.

Opting in

You opt into alpha surfaces per request with the X-Archive-Alpha-Features header. Its value is a comma-separated list of feature keys:

X-Archive-Alpha-Features: feature_one, feature_two

The header is parsed leniently: whitespace around each key is trimmed, keys are matched case-insensitively, and duplicates are collapsed. A key you send that Archive doesn’t recognize is simply ignored — an unknown key never causes an error.

Hidden by default

If you have not opted into a given alpha feature, its surfaces do not exist for your request — they are hidden from both introspection and execution. Introspecting the schema won’t reveal them, and referencing one in a query returns the ordinary GraphQL error Field 'X' doesn't exist on type 'Y', exactly as if the field had never been defined. There is no partial visibility: a surface is either fully available to an opted-in request or entirely absent.

Getting access

Alpha access is granted per feature. If you want to try something in alpha, talk to your Archive contact — they will tell you the feature key to send and what to expect. Because alpha surfaces carry no stability contract, they are intentionally left out of this reference; the details you need come with access.