# Read one tab of a live whiteboard

> Page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/get-v1-boards-board-tabs-tab. Index of every page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/llms.txt

The tab's source and version, and with sinceVersion every change after it and by whom, which is how an agent follows a meeting.

`GET /v1/boards/{board}/tabs/{tab}`

## TL;DR

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it do? | Read one tab of a live whiteboard. |
| What does it take? | `board`, `tab` in the path, and `sinceVersion`, `svg`, `revision` in the query string. |
| What does it return? | Status 200 with a body of type [`AgentBoardTabRead`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#agentboardtabread). |
| What can go wrong? | `400` the query is not valid; `401` the API key is missing or not valid; `403` the account's plan does not include the REST API (plan.rest_not_included), the key is a person's own or a person's own agent (boards.org_key_required), a trusted publisher (boards.publisher_not_allowed), an organisation key without the boards scope (key.scope_missing), boards are not on for the organisation (boards.not_enabled), or the caller may look but not change the board (boards.forbidden); `404` no such board or tab, or the board is not open to the caller: the cases look alike; `429` too many requests, or a daily limit is spent; `503` live whiteboards are not set up on this server. Every failure uses the one error envelope. |

## What it does

The tab's source and version, and with sinceVersion every change after it and by whom, which is how an agent follows a meeting. svg auto or always adds the picture, one SVG for light and dark, when the Engine can draw it. The REST twin of read_board_tab.

## Path parameters

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `board` | `string` | yes | The board's id: 22 letters and digits. |
| `tab` | `string` | yes | The tab's id: 12 letters and digits. |

## Query parameters

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `sinceVersion` | `integer \| null` | no | The version the caller holds: the answer lists every change after it, by whom. |
| `svg` | `"never" \| "auto" \| "always"` | no | never (default): the source only. auto and always: also the picture, one SVG for light and dark. |
| `revision` | `string` | no | A revision of the tab to read instead of main; its version is the revision's. |

## Responses

| Status | Meaning | Body |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | The tab. | [`AgentBoardTabRead`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#agentboardtabread) |
| 400 | The query is not valid. | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |
| 401 | The API key is missing or not valid. | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |
| 403 | The account's plan does not include the REST API (plan.rest_not_included), the key is a person's own or a person's own agent (boards.org_key_required), a trusted publisher (boards.publisher_not_allowed), an organisation key without the boards scope (key.scope_missing), boards are not on for the organisation (boards.not_enabled), or the caller may look but not change the board (boards.forbidden). | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |
| 404 | No such board or tab, or the board is not open to the caller: the cases look alike. | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |
| 429 | Too many requests, or a daily limit is spent. | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |
| 503 | Live whiteboards are not set up on this server. | [`ErrorResponse`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#errorresponse) |

## Response body

A 200 answer has the type [`AgentBoardTabRead`](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md#agentboardtabread).

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `tab` | `AgentBoardTab` | yes |  |
| `tab.id` | `string` | yes | at least 12 characters; at most 12 characters; pattern `^[0-9A-Za-z]+$`. |
| `tab.name` | `string` | yes |  |
| `tab.kind` | `string` | yes |  |
| `tab.position` | `number` | yes |  |
| `tab.version` | `integer` | yes | Send it as baseVersion with the next edit, and as sinceVersion to learn what changed after it. |
| `tab.updatedAt` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `tab.updatedBy` | `string` | yes |  |
| `source` | `string` | yes |  |
| `changesSince` | `BoardHistoryEntry[]` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].version` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].type` | `string` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].actor` | `BoardActor` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].actor.kind` | `"person" \| "agent" \| "key"` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].actor.label` | `string` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts` | `object` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts.added` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts.removed` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts.renamed` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts.moved` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].counts.changed` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].at` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `changesSince[].restorable` | `boolean` | yes |  |
| `svg` | `string` | no | The picture, when asked for and the Engine could draw it. |
| `messages` | `BoardAgentMessage[]` | yes | Messages the caller's person sent it on the board that it had not read, each given once. Answer each with reply_board_message. |
| `messages[].id` | `string` | yes |  |
| `messages[].at` | `integer` | yes |  |
| `messages[].from` | `string` | yes |  |
| `messages[].text` | `string` | yes |  |
| `messages[].tab` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `messages[].tabName` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `messages[].revision` | `string \| null` | yes |  |
| `messages[].problems` | `BoardAgentProblem[]` | yes |  |
| `messages[].problems[].code` | `string` | yes | pattern `^[A-Z]\d{3,4}$`. |
| `messages[].problems[].severity` | `"error" \| "warning"` | yes |  |
| `messages[].problems[].line` | `integer` | yes | minimum 1; maximum 1000000. |
| `messages[].problems[].column` | `integer` | yes | minimum 1; maximum 1000000. |
| `messages[].problems[].message` | `string` | yes | at least 1 character; at most 500 characters. |
| `messages[].problems[].hint` | `string \| null` | yes | at least 1 character; at most 500 characters. |

## See also

| Doc | Why |
|---|---|
| [API reference](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/reference.md) | Every endpoint, and the error envelope |
| [Schemas](https://docs.plotwork.dev/api/schemas.md) | Every request and response type |
| [Tool reference](https://docs.plotwork.dev/mcp/tools.md) | The operations as callable tools |