---
title: "Update a contact"
method: PATCH
path: "/contacts/{id}"
tags: ["Contacts"]
---

# Update a contact

`PATCH /contacts/{id}`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.parley.so/v1`
- URL: `https://api.parley.so/v1/contacts/{id}`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Update a contact's name, account, email address, linked projects, or custom field values. Omitted fields are left unchanged.

## Path parameters

- `id` string, required: The contact ID.

## Request body

- object
  - `firstName` string: First name.
  - `lastName` string: Last name.
  - `accountId` string, nullable: ID of the account the contact belongs to. null removes the contact from its account.
  - `emails` string[]: The contact's email address, as a list that replaces the current one; [] removes it. A contact has at most one address for now, and an address can belong to only one contact.
  - `projectIds` object: Links to projects to add or remove. Links you don't mention are left unchanged. Each project must be one you can edit. If the contact belongs to an account, that account must be linked to each project too; a project with no accounts gets it linked along with the contact.
    - `add` string[]: IDs of projects to link. IDs that are already linked are ignored. At most 100.
    - `remove` string[]: IDs of projects to unlink. IDs that aren't linked are ignored. At most 100.
  - `fields` object: Custom field values to set on the contact, keyed by field name or ID. A value replaces the current one, null clears it, and fields you don't mention are left alone. Each value must match its field's type: a string for text, long_text, email, url, single_select (one of the field's options), and user (the id of an active user in the organization); a number; true or false; an ISO 8601 date-time or YYYY-MM-DD date; a list of strings for collection ([] clears it); or { streetAddress, cityTown, state, country } for address. At most 50 fields.

## Response `200`

OK

- Contact
  - `id` string, required: The contact ID.
  - `firstName` string, required: First name. Empty for some contacts created from email.
  - `lastName` string, required: Last name. Empty for some contacts created from email.
  - `emails` string[], required: Email addresses, lowercased. A contact has at most one address for now.
  - `account` AccountRef, required: The account's type, ID, and name.
    - `type` 'account', required
    - `id` string, required: Its ID.
    - `name` string, required: The account name.
  - `projectCount` integer, required: How many projects you can see are linked to the contact. List them by filtering projects by contactId. Linking or unlinking a project doesn't change the contact's updatedAt.
  - `createdAt` string, date-time, required: When the contact was created.
  - `updatedAt` string, date-time, required: When the contact was last updated, including changes to its email address. Links to projects and field value changes do not change it.
  - `fields` object, required: Custom field values, keyed by field name, with a key for every field defined for contacts (null when unset). The value's shape follows the field's type.

## Other responses

- `400`: The request was invalid. VALIDATION_FAILED, INVALID_REFERENCE, LINK_CONFLICT, INVALID_FIELD_VALUES.
- `401`: Missing or invalid credentials. UNAUTHORIZED.
- `403`: You don't have permission. FORBIDDEN.
- `404`: Not found. NOT_FOUND.
- `409`: The request conflicts with the current state. EMAIL_TAKEN.
- `429`: Too many requests, or a usage limit was reached. TOO_MANY_REQUESTS.

## Changes

- **2026-11-02** `6b78aeee07bc`: 2 breaking
  - added the pattern `^[^\p{Cc}\p{Bidi_Control}]*$` to the request property `firstName`
  - added the pattern `^[^\p{Cc}\p{Bidi_Control}]*$` to the request property `lastName`

[Operation history](https://skmtc.dev/parley/apis/parley-api/changes/contacts/:id/patch.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/parley/apis/parley-api.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/parley/apis/parley-api/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/parley/apis/parley-api/revisions/6b78aeee07bc?raw)