# Upstash Redis Start

> Provision a zero-config, no-signup, temporary Upstash Redis database for an AI agent with a single POST to https://upstash.com/start-redis, with no account, API key, or SDK setup required. Use when an agent needs scratch Redis right now and the user has not provided credentials, for short-term memory across tool calls, conversation history, a sub-agent work queue, ranked recall, or a quick prototype or demo. Covers idempotent creation and re-fetching credentials, calling the database through the body-style REST API or the official SDKs, and telling the user how to claim it. The database lives 3 days unless the user claims it; not for production data, PII, or secrets.

- Skill: `upstash-skills/upstash-redis-start` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add upstash-skills/upstash-redis-start`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/upstash-skills/upstash-redis-start/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- License: MIT
- Author: upstash (https://skillmd.com/u/upstash-skills)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/upstash-skills/upstash-redis-start

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# Upstash Redis for Agents (`start-redis`)

A zero-config Redis database for AI agents — **no signup, no UI, no SDK setup**. One HTTP request returns a working endpoint + token. Databases live for **3 days** unless the user claims them.

Use this when:
- The agent needs Redis right now and the user has not given you credentials.
- You want short-term memory across tool calls, conversation history, a sub-agent work queue, or recent-first ranked recall.

This is built for quick experiments, prototypes, and demos rather than production workloads or anything tied to a real user account — the database is temporary and unauthenticated until claimed, so keep PII, secrets, and production credentials out of it.

## Create or re-fetch a database

```bash
# Generate a fresh UUIDv4 yourself, then POST it as the Idempotency-Key.
# The UUIDv4 you send becomes the database id.
curl -X POST -H "Idempotency-Key: <uuidv4>" https://upstash.com/start-redis
```

- Sending your own UUIDv4 makes the first call **retry-safe** — if the response is lost, retrying with the same UUID returns the same database instead of minting a duplicate.
- Re-POST with the same `Idempotency-Key` to **re-fetch credentials** for an existing database.
- The header is optional. Omit it to mint a new database with a server-generated id (returned in the response — re-fetch later by passing that id back as `Idempotency-Key`). Only UUIDv4 is accepted.

The response is markdown containing:
- `Database ID`, `Endpoint`, `Token`
- `Metrics` URL (JSON: uptime, commands, keys, throughput, memory, bandwidth)
- `Expires` date
- `Console URL` to share with the user (where they view usage and click **Claim** to keep the database)
- An inline quickstart for the body-style REST API

Parse these out of the markdown response and use them directly — there is no separate JSON envelope.

## Calling the database (body-style REST)

The returned endpoint speaks the Upstash Redis REST API. Prefer the **body-style** form: POST a JSON array as the body so you don't have to URL-encode the command.

```bash
# SET with TTL
curl https://<endpoint> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -d '["SET","session:abc","{\"step\":2}","EX","3600"]'

# GET
curl https://<endpoint> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -d '["GET","session:abc"]'
```

You can also use the official SDKs against the same endpoint + token (`@upstash/redis` for TS/JS, `upstash-redis` for Python).

## Common agent patterns

| Need | Commands |
|------|----------|
| Short-term memory across tool calls in one run | `SET key value EX <ttl>` / `GET key` |
| Conversation / turn-by-turn log | `LPUSH chat:<user> <json>` / `LRANGE chat:<user> 0 20` |
| Sub-agent work queue (producer/consumer) | `LPUSH jobs <json>` / `RPOP jobs` |
| Ranked memory (recent-first or score-first) | `ZADD memories <score> <member>` / `ZREVRANGE memories 0 9` |

## Tell the user

After provisioning, surface the **console URL** from the response to the user. Make clear that:
- The database expires in 3 days.
- They can view usage at the console URL and click **Claim** to keep it.
- This is unauthenticated scratch storage — don't put secrets or PII in it.

## Reference

- Service entry point (also serves the `GET` doc): https://upstash.com/start-redis
- Full REST API: https://upstash.com/docs/redis/features/restapi
- TS/JS SDK: https://upstash.com/docs/redis/sdks/ts
- Python SDK: https://upstash.com/docs/redis/sdks/py