---
title: "Check whether a term is a scrapable category"
method: GET
path: "/api/v1/categories/validate"
tags: ["MapsData API"]
---

# Check whether a term is a scrapable category

`GET /api/v1/categories/validate`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://mapsdata.ai` (the document declares no server; this is the origin it was published from)
- URL: `https://mapsdata.ai/api/v1/categories/validate`
- Auth: `MapsData API key` (a scheme the document does not define)

Resolve a term to its canonical category spelling.

Returns the exact string to submit, or close suggestions when the term is
not a category. Calling this first is the cheapest way to avoid the most
common submission rejection.

## Query parameters

- `name` string, required

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- CategoryValidation
  - `valid` boolean, required
  - `canonical` string, nullable: The exact spelling to submit. Casing matters.
  - `suggestions` string[]: Close matches, when the term was not recognised.

## Other responses

- `400`: Bad Request
- `401`: Unauthorized
- `403`: Forbidden
- `404`: Not Found
- `422`: Validation Error
- `429`: Too Many Requests

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/mapsdata/apis/mapsdata-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/mapsdata/apis/mapsdata-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/mapsdata/apis/mapsdata-api/revisions/c74810530033?raw)