> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# List authors

> Retrieve a paginated list of authors.

```ts TypeScript wrap theme={"dark"}
import { createSiteClient } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk';

const site = createSiteClient();
const authorList = await site.authors().listAuthors();
```

```json 200 wrap theme={"dark"}
{
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Example title",
      "bio": "Example bio",
      "_user": [
        {}
      ],
      "showOnSite": true,
      "showPhoto": true,
      "slug": "example-slug",
      "visibility": "public",
      "scheduledPublish": "Example scheduled publish",
      "scheduledUnpublish": "Example scheduled unpublish",
      "archived": false,
      "_id": "clx8m2k4p0000a1b2c3d4e5f6",
      "type": "Example type",
      "createdAt": "2026-10-24T09:30:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-10-24T09:30:00.000Z",
      "aposShareKey": "k3v9x2m7q1z8w4p6"
    }
  ],
  "pages": 1,
  "currentPage": 1
}
```

## In your app

A function makes the call on the client it is given, so your code passes the real one and a test passes a fake.

**1. Add the function**

```ts src/attract/list-authors.ts theme={"dark"}
import type { SiteClient } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk';

export async function listAuthors(site: SiteClient) {
  return site.authors().listAuthors();
}
```

**2. Call it**

A script makes the client once and calls the function:

```ts scripts/list-authors.ts theme={"dark"}
import { createSiteClient } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk';
import { listAuthors } from '../src/attract/list-authors.ts';

const site = createSiteClient();
console.log(await listAuthors(site));
```

```bash Terminal theme={"dark"}
node --env-file=.env scripts/list-authors.ts
```

A route handler, a job or a queue worker calls it the same way.

> [accordion] Optional parameters
>
> One object, e.g. `listAuthors({ page })`; leave out the optional fields.
>
> **page** `number | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out and the site uses `1`. Page number for pagination (1-based)
>
> **perPage** `number | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out (or pass `null`) and it isn’t sent: the site’s default applies. Documents per page. Each content type has its own default (core’s is 50; a type may set another). There is no upper limit: a large value answers the whole list at once, which is slow on a big one. At least 1.
>
> **search** `string | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out (or pass `null`) and it isn’t sent: the site’s default applies. Matches documents by their text. Ignored for the public and API keys on a type whose public fields leave some out (a search would match the hidden ones).
>
> **aposMode** `AposMode | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out and the site uses `"published"`. `published` (the default) or `draft`. Drafts need a credential that may see them: an API key with the type’s write scope (`content:<type>:write`), or a signed-in editor. The public and a key with only the read scope get 403. One of `draft`, `published`.
>
> **aposLocale** `string | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out (or pass `null`) and it isn’t sent: the site’s default applies. The locale to read or write, e.g. `en` (default: the site’s default locale).
>
> **renderAreas** `boolean | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out and the site uses `false`. true: each area’s widgets come back rendered as HTML (`_rendered`), beside their data.
>
> **slug** `string | null | undefined`
>
> **Optional.** Leave it out (or pass `null`) and it isn’t sent: the site’s default applies. Only the document with exactly this slug: a list of one, or an empty list when none has it. Use it to find a document by the name in its URL.

> [accordion] Returns
>
> An `AuthorList`. A page of Author documents. Read its properties (`authorList.results`): each says whether the site always sends it. The example answer is the site’s wire JSON: some keys differ from the property names (`_id` → `id`, `_user` → `user`).
>
> **results** `readonly Author[]`
>
> **Always sent.** A list of `Author`. This page’s documents; empty past the last page.
>
> **Author**
>
> Author content type
>
> **title** `string`
>
> **Always sent.** Its title: the name it goes by in every list, and the heading of its page where it has one.
>
> **id** `string`
>
> **Always sent.** The document’s id. On a type with drafts it ends in its locale and mode (`…:en:published`, `…:en:draft`): the part before the first colon is its `aposDocId`, shared by both copies. The `{_id}` the type’s routes take.
>
> **type** `string`
>
> **Always sent.** The document type’s name: always this type’s.
>
> **bio** `string | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. Optional one or two sentences about this author.
>
> **user** `readonly Readonly\<Record\<string, unknown\>\>[] | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. The FetchskiCMS login account this author profile belongs to (used to source the photo, and by SSO to sync it). Leave empty for guest contributors. The related `@apostrophecms/user` documents, in order (empty when none). To set it, send a list of `{ "_id": "…" }`, one per document (one at most); a document the site can’t find is left out. At most 1 items.
>
> **showOnSite** `boolean | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. Master switch for this author’s public byline. Turn off to hide the name AND photo on every post that credits this author.
>
> **showPhoto** `boolean | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. When on, the linked login account’s profile photo appears next to this author. Has no effect without a login account, or when “Show author on the site” is off.
>
> **slug** `string | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. The URL name: lowercase words joined by hyphens (letters outside a–z, even emoji, are kept).
>
> **visibility** `Visibility | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. Select whether this content is public or private. One of `public`, `loginRequired`; a newer site may send others, so keep a fallback.
>
> **scheduledPublish** `string | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. An ISO 8601 date and time, e.g. `2026-10-21T14:30:00.000Z`.
>
> **scheduledUnpublish** `string | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. An ISO 8601 date and time, e.g. `2026-10-21T14:30:00.000Z`.
>
> **archived** `boolean | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. In the archive: kept, but out of every list and off the site until it is restored. `false` (or null) for a live document.
>
> **createdAt** `Date | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. When it was created (ISO 8601). Format: an ISO 8601 date and time.
>
> **updatedAt** `Date | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. When it last changed (ISO 8601). Format: an ISO 8601 date and time.
>
> **aposShareKey** `string | null`
>
> **Sometimes sent:** `undefined` when the site leaves it out, and it can be `null`. The draft’s preview share key, while its share link is on: the link is the draft’s `_url` with `aposShareKey` and `aposShareId` (the draft’s `_id`) in its query. Absent otherwise, and on published documents.
>
> **pages** `number`
>
> **Always sent.** Pages in the whole list (0 when it is empty).
>
> **currentPage** `number`
>
> **Always sent.** This page, from 1.

> [accordion] Errors
>
> Nothing to catch: the SDK retries what is safe, and throws the rest as the classes below; catch only what you want to react to (see [Errors and testing](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/errors.md)).
>
> **ValidationFailed** `400`
>
> The site refused what was sent: `errors` lists each field’s problem, `siteMessage` the first.
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `errors` (field → messages), `siteMessage`.
>
> **AuthenticationFailed** `401`
>
> The API key is missing or refused (malformed, revoked, expired), or a signature its signing mode needs is missing or stale.
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `siteMessage`, `errorName`, `data`.
>
> **Forbidden** `403`
>
> The key may not do this: a scope it lacks, or an address outside its allowlist. `siteMessage` names it.
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `siteMessage`, `errorName`, `data`.
>
> **NotFound** `404`
>
> Nothing matches, or the caller may not see it.
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `siteMessage`, `errorName`, `data`.
>
> **SiteError** `500`
>
> The site failed. Its logs say why.
>
> **Retried first:** No (only a 502, 503 or 504 is retried). **Read:** `siteMessage`, `errorName`, `data`.
>
> **SiteUnreachable** `no answer`
>
> No answer: DNS, a refused connection, TLS, or the timeout (15 s per attempt by default).
>
> **Retried first:** Yes, after 0.5 s then 1 s. **Read:** `reason`, `neverConnected`.
>
> **RequestNotSent** `not sent`
>
> The client refused to send it (e.g. a path segment of `..`); the site never saw it.
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `reason` (what to change).
>
> **SiteRequestFailed** `any other`
>
> Any other status, or a success whose JSON doesn’t match this SDK version’s types (update the SDK).
>
> **Retried first:** No. **Read:** `reason`, `status`.
>
> **UnknownSite** `setup`
>
> `sites.forSite('acme')` named a slug your sites (`createSiteClients()`) don’t have.
>
> **Retried first:** No: nothing was sent. **Read:** `message`, `slug`.
>
> **SiteConfigurationError** `setup`
>
> The client’s settings are wrong: no `FETCHSKI_ATTRACT_URL` (or `baseUrl`), or a malformed API key.
>
> **Retried first:** No: nothing was sent. **Read:** `message` (what to fix).

## Behavior

* **Access:** an API key with `content:authors:read` (or a master above it: `content:authors:all`, `content:all`, `admin:all`) reads the published documents; drafts (`aposMode=draft`) need `content:authors:write` (or a master above it). A signed-in person reads as far as their own permissions allow, and anyone else reads the published documents’ public fields.
* **Rate limit:** the key’s own reads-per-minute limit, set when the key is created (default 600); over it, 429 with `Retry-After`. The client waits and retries for you; you see `RateLimited` only if that runs out.
* **Retries:** a read is safe to repeat: the client retries it on no answer, a 502/503/504 and a 429.
* **Timeout:** 15 s per attempt by default; raise `timeout` (milliseconds) on the client for longer.
* **Paging:** one page per call. To walk them all, use `listAuthorsAll()` (see More examples): it asks for the next page as you iterate, and stops after page `pages`.

## More examples

`listAuthorsAll()` takes `listAuthors()`’s arguments except `page`. `listAuthorsPick()` takes the same arguments except `page`, after the fields to answer: each row is the document’s `id` and those fields.

```ts Every page wrap theme={"dark"}
import { createSiteClient } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk';

const site = createSiteClient();
for await (const author of site.authors().listAuthorsAll()) {
  console.log(author); // the next page is fetched as you iterate
}
```

```ts Only some fields wrap theme={"dark"}
import { createSiteClient } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk';

const site = createSiteClient();
const rows = await site.authors().listAuthorsPick(['title', 'slug']); // [{ id, title, slug }, …]: every author, across every page
```

## Test it

It calls the function above with a fake client: the fake answers every call with a valid example, so nothing leaves your machine and no settings or key are needed. Run it with `node --test`.

```ts tests/authors-listAuthors.test.ts theme={"dark"}
import { test } from 'node:test';
import { fakeSite } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk/testing';
import { listAuthors } from '../src/attract/list-authors.ts';

test('authors.listAuthors', async () => {
  const site = fakeSite();
  await listAuthors(site);
  site.assertCalled('authors.listAuthors');
});
```

**Answer with your own values:** fake `authors.listAuthors` with a `sequence()` of pages, each `factories.AuthorList({...})`, and walk `listAuthorsAll()`.

```ts tests/authors-listAuthors-answer.test.ts theme={"dark"}
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
import { test } from 'node:test';
import { factories, fakeSite, sequence } from '@fetchski/attract-cms-sdk/testing';

test('authors.listAuthors answers your values', async () => {
  const site = fakeSite({
    'authors.listAuthors': sequence(
      factories.AuthorList({ currentPage: 1, pages: 2 }),
      factories.AuthorList({ currentPage: 2, pages: 2 })
    )
  });
  const walked: unknown[] = [];
  for await (const author of site.authors().listAuthorsAll()) {
    walked.push(author);
  }
  assert.equal(walked.length, 2);
});
```

To fake `listAuthorsAll()`, answer `authors.listAuthors` (the walk calls it page by page): a `sequence()` of answers for several pages.

## Related

> [card] [List an author’s locales](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/get-author-locales.md)
>
> `site.authors().getAuthorLocales()`

> [card] [Create an author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/create-author.md)
>
> `site.authors().createAuthor()`

> [card] [Get an author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/get-author.md)
>
> `site.authors().getAuthor()`

> [card] [Replace an author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/replace-author.md)
>
> `site.authors().replaceAuthor()`

> [card] [Delete an author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/delete-author.md)
>
> `site.authors().deleteAuthor()`

> [card] [Update an author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/typescript/reference/authors/update-author.md)
>
> `site.authors().updateAuthor()`

> [card] [GET /author](https://docs.fetchski-attract.com/api-reference/authors/list-authors.md)
>
> The endpoint this calls, in the API reference: the HTTP request and answer, and every rule the site checks.


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