# ForgeMesh Library — Short Stories Shelf

> ForgeMesh Library — Short Stories Shelf is a paid API for AI agents from library.forgemesh.io, paid per call via x402, $0.003/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Returns a ranked list of up to 50 public-domain short story and fiction collections, with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://library.forgemesh.io/short-stories
- Price: $0.003/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-short-stories-shelf-5b81769b
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_2c-Ef4reHrTPAbqSdJ5k6

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability forgemesh-library-short-stories-shelf-5b81769b -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you show me up to 30 public-domain short story collections from the ForgeMesh library — things like Sherlock Holmes or Grimms' Fairy Tales — so I can pick one to read?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a curated, ranked catalogue of public-domain short story and classic fiction titles with navigation routes to full texts — especially when you want a ready-made shelf (not a raw search) and need no API key or licensing overhead. Prefer alternatives if you need full-text search within a specific book (use the per-book Q&A endpoints), a different genre (use sibling shelves for poetry, plays, gothic fiction, etc.), or a daily randomised pick (use the daily pick endpoint).

## Known failure modes

- limit parameter exceeds 50 — may return an error or be capped at 50
- limit of 0 or negative integer — may return empty list or validation error
- payment failure via x402 protocol — endpoint returns 402 before delivering results
- network timeout if the library index is temporarily unavailable

## How this service works

Curated shelf: Short Stories — 5470 public-domain books including The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The King in Yellow. Returns a ranked list with drill-down routes for full-text retrieval. No license, no API key required.

## Output

A ranked list of public-domain short story books (up to the requested limit, default 20, max 50), each entry including title, author, and drill-down route URLs for retrieving full text. No authentication or license required.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "limit": {
   "type": "integer",
   "description": "Max books to return (default 20, max 50)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "books": [
   {
    "year": null,
    "title": "The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar",
    "author": "Leblanc, Maurice",
    "book_id": 6133,
    "subjects": [],
    "download_count": 75744
   }
  ],
  "count": 5,
  "shelf": "Short Stories",
  "coverage": {
   "target": 61015,
   "indexed": 61015
  },
  "drill_down": [
   "/book-metadata",
   "/book-chapter",
   "/book-quotes",
   "/literature-search"
  ]
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/forgemesh-library-short-stories-shelf-5b81769b/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from library.forgemesh.io](https://www.zero.xyz/host/library.forgemesh.io/llms.txt)