From f42b33d9601f9622fa34b52afe4cc5af4e4e9d82 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rae McKelvey <633012+okdistribute@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:03:27 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] quickstart: move API key to final step, frame around metrics
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Leading with "Set your API key" reads as sales-y — it forces signup
before the reader runs anything. Reorder so iroh-ping runs first
(steps 1-4), then add the API key back as an optional final step
framed around reporting connectivity metrics to Iroh Services.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 quickstart.mdx | 28 ++++++++++++++--------------
 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/quickstart.mdx b/quickstart.mdx
index 5f87f59..63d4d41 100644
--- a/quickstart.mdx
+++ b/quickstart.mdx
@@ -5,30 +5,20 @@ description: "Connect two iroh endpoints in five minutes"
 
 In five minutes you'll have two iroh endpoints connecting over the [iroh-ping](https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh-ping) protocol. Clone the repo, run the included quickstart example as a receiver in one terminal and a sender in another, and watch the round-trip time print.
 
-### 1. Set your API key
-
-If you want to see your metrics and verify connectivity, get an API key from your project's **Settings → API Keys** tab and export it as an environment variable. See [API Keys](/iroh-services/access) for the full walkthrough.
-
-```bash
-export IROH_SERVICES_API_SECRET=<your-api-key>
-```
-
-The example will pick up the key automatically. This step is optional, skip this step if you just want to see iroh-ping work.
-
-### 2. Install Rust
+### 1. Install Rust
 
 ```bash
 curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
 ```
 
-### 3. Clone iroh-ping
+### 2. Clone iroh-ping
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/n0-computer/iroh-ping
 cd iroh-ping
 ```
 
-### 4. Run the receiver
+### 3. Run the receiver
 
 ```bash
 cargo run --example quickstart receiver
@@ -36,7 +26,7 @@ cargo run --example quickstart receiver
 
 The receiver prints a ticket. Copy it.
 
-### 5. Run the sender
+### 4. Run the sender
 
 In another terminal:
 
@@ -46,6 +36,16 @@ cargo run --example quickstart sender <TICKET>
 
 Replace `<TICKET>` with the ticket from the receiver. The sender will print the round-trip time once the connection succeeds.
 
+### 5. See your metrics (optional)
+
+Now that ping is working, hook the example up to Iroh Services to watch connectivity metrics like direct data rate. Get an API key from your project's **Settings → API Keys** tab, export it, and rerun the example:
+
+```bash
+export IROH_SERVICES_API_SECRET=<your-api-key>
+```
+
+The example picks up the key automatically and starts reporting metrics. See [API Keys](/iroh-services/access) for the full walkthrough, or [View metrics](/iroh-services/quickstart) to read the dashboard.
+
 ## Next steps
 
 Integrate iroh into your own app by following one of the tutorials below.