Questions

Retrieve and manage question data

Overview

The Questions endpoints allow you to retrieve detailed information about individual questions, resolve/unresolve questions, and access question metadata. Questions are the core forecasting units on Metaculus.

Questions are typically accessed through Posts. Use the /api/posts/ endpoint to retrieve questions with their surrounding context.

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Get Question Details

cURL

curl -X GET "https://www.metaculus.com/api/questions/3530/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN"

GET /api/questions/{questionId}/

Retrieve detailed information about a specific question by its ID.

Path Parameters

questionId · integer · required

The unique identifier of the question

Query Parameters

with_cp · boolean · default: "false"

Include community predictions (aggregations) in the response

minimize · boolean · default: "true"

Minimize the aggregation data by reducing the number of historical data points

Response Fields

id · integer

Unique identifier for the question

title · string

The question title

description · string

Full description of the question in markdown format

type · string

Question type. One of: binary, multiple_choice, numeric, discrete, date

status · string

Current question status: upcoming, open, closed, or resolved

created_at · string (datetime)

ISO 8601 timestamp when the question was created

open_time · string (datetime)

When the question opened for forecasting

scheduled_close_time · string (datetime)

When the question is scheduled to close

actual_close_time · string (datetime)

When the question actually closed (may differ from scheduled)

scheduled_resolve_time · string (datetime)

When the question is scheduled to resolve

actual_resolve_time · string (datetime)

When the question actually resolved

resolution · string

The resolved value. Format depends on question type:

• Binary: "yes" or "no"
• Multiple choice: The selected option string
• Numeric/Date/Discrete: A numeric value as string
• Unsuccessful: "annulled" or "ambiguous"

resolution_criteria · string

Criteria used to resolve the question

fine_print · string

Additional clarifications and edge cases

post_id · integer

ID of the post containing this question

Type-Specific Fields

Binary Questions

possibilities · object

Contains type: "binary"

Multiple Choice Questions

options · array

Current list of answer options

all_options_ever · array

All options that have ever existed for this question

options_history · array

Array of [timestamp, options_array] pairs showing when options changed

Continuous Questions (Numeric, Date, Discrete)

scaling · object

Scaling information for the question

range_min · number

Lower boundary of the input range

range_max · number

Upper boundary of the input range

zero_point · number

Only present for logarithmically scaled questions

open_upper_bound · boolean

Whether the upper bound is open

open_lower_bound · boolean

Whether the lower bound is open

inbound_outcome_count · integer

Number of possible outcomes within the range (default: 200)

continuous_range · array

List of real-value locations where the CDF is evaluated (201 values)

unit · string

The unit of measurement (e.g., ”$”, “people”, “degrees C”)

open_upper_bound · boolean

Whether probability mass can extend beyond the upper bound

open_lower_bound · boolean

Whether probability mass can extend below the lower bound

Community Predictions (with_cp=true)

aggregations · object

Contains community prediction aggregations using different methods

recency_weighted · object

Time-weighted average of user predictions

latest · object

Most recent aggregation snapshot

start_time · number

Unix timestamp when this aggregation started

forecast_values · array

For continuous questions: 201-value CDF array. For binary: single probability.

forecaster_count · integer

Number of forecasters included in this aggregation

interval_lower_bounds · array

Lower bounds of prediction intervals (for continuous questions)

centers · array

Center points of prediction intervals

interval_upper_bounds · array

Upper bounds of prediction intervals

history · array

Array of historical aggregation snapshots (same structure as latest)

score_data · object

Scoring metrics for this aggregation method

unweighted · object

Simple average of user predictions (same structure as recency_weighted)

metaculus_prediction · object

Metaculus’s proprietary prediction algorithm (same structure as recency_weighted)

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Resolve Question

cURL

curl -X POST "https://www.metaculus.com/api/questions/3530/resolve/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "resolution": "yes",
    "actual_resolve_time": "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }'

POST /api/questions/{questionId}/resolve/

Resolve a question with a final outcome. Requires curator or admin permissions.

Path Parameters

questionId · integer · required

The unique identifier of the question to resolve

Request Body

resolution · string · required

The resolution value:

• Binary: "yes" or "no"
• Multiple choice: One of the option strings
• Numeric/Date/Discrete: A numeric value as string
• Unsuccessful: "annulled" or "ambiguous"

actual_resolve_time · string (datetime) · required

ISO 8601 timestamp when the resolution became known

Response

post_id · integer

The ID of the post containing the resolved question

Only users with curator or admin permissions can resolve questions.

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Unresolve Question

cURL

curl -X POST "https://www.metaculus.com/api/questions/3530/unresolve/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_TOKEN"

POST /api/questions/{questionId}/unresolve/

Remove the resolution from a question, reopening it for forecasting or re-resolution.

Path Parameters

questionId · integer · required

The unique identifier of the question to unresolve

Response

post_id · integer

The ID of the post containing the unresolved question

Only users with curator or admin permissions can unresolve questions.