> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.parley.so/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Update a contact > Update a contact's name, account, email address, linked projects, or custom field values. Omitted fields are left unchanged. ## OpenAPI ````yaml https://api.parley.so/openapi.json patch /contacts/{id} openapi: 3.1.1 info: title: Parley API version: 1.0.0 description: >- Manage Parley's projects (matters or cases), accounts (client organizations), contacts (people), tasks, custom fields, notes, files, activity, automations, and skills. Records refer to each other as { type, id, name } references; writes take IDs. Errors are { error: { code, message, details } }, where code names what went wrong and each operation lists the codes it can return. In a query string, write a timestamp's offset as Z or %2B, because a raw + arrives as a space. The MCP server at /mcp offers the same data as a smaller set of tools. servers: - url: https://api.parley.so/v1 security: - bearerAuth: [] tags: - name: Projects description: >- A project is a matter or case: it groups the files, notes, activity, and tasks for one engagement, and links to the accounts and contacts it involves. - name: Accounts description: >- An account is a client organization. Contacts belong to it, and projects link to it. - name: Contacts description: >- A contact is a person, optionally belonging to one account and linked to projects. - name: Tasks description: >- A task is a to-do with a status, assignee, and due date, optionally about one project, account, or contact. - name: Fields description: >- Custom fields defined for projects, accounts, contacts, or tasks. Records carry their values in fields, keyed by field name. - name: Notes description: >- Markdown notes on a project, account, or contact. Updates take the version you last read, so concurrent edits fail with 409 VERSION_CONFLICT instead of overwriting. - name: Files description: >- Files and folders of a project, account, contact, or intake, or the organization's Library. Add a file by creating an upload, PUTting its bytes, and adding the upload to a location. - name: Activity description: >- What happened across the organization or on one record: changes, links, notes, files, USCIS case updates, and synced emails and meetings. Each item's kind says which details it carries. - name: Sessions description: >- Conversations with Parley's assistant, from the web app, Word, Outlook, automation runs, and the API. Start one with a message, follow up or steer it while it works, and read its replies. - name: Automations description: >- Instructions Parley's assistant carries out on a schedule, as the person who created them, with nobody present. - name: Skills description: >- Reusable playbooks for Parley's assistant: a SKILL.md plus optional bundled documents, addressed by slug. - name: Users description: The people in your organization, and the caller. paths: /contacts/{id}: patch: tags: - Contacts summary: Update a contact description: >- Update a contact's name, account, email address, linked projects, or custom field values. Omitted fields are left unchanged. operationId: updateContact parameters: - name: id in: path required: true schema: type: string minLength: 1 description: The contact ID. requestBody: required: false content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: firstName: type: string minLength: 1 description: First name. lastName: type: string minLength: 1 description: Last name. accountId: anyOf: - type: string minLength: 1 - type: 'null' description: >- ID of the account the contact belongs to. null removes the contact from its account. emails: type: array maxItems: 1 items: type: string format: email description: >- 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: type: object properties: add: type: array maxItems: 100 items: type: string minLength: 1 description: >- IDs of projects to link. IDs that are already linked are ignored. At most 100. remove: type: array maxItems: 100 items: type: string minLength: 1 description: >- IDs of projects to unlink. IDs that aren't linked are ignored. At most 100. additionalProperties: false description: >- 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. fields: type: object propertyNames: type: string minLength: 1 additionalProperties: anyOf: - type: string - type: number - type: boolean - type: array items: type: string - type: object properties: streetAddress: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' cityTown: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' state: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' country: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' additionalProperties: false - type: 'null' description: >- 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. additionalProperties: false responses: '200': description: OK content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Contact' '400': description: >- The request was invalid. VALIDATION_FAILED, INVALID_REFERENCE, LINK_CONFLICT, INVALID_FIELD_VALUES. content: application/json: schema: oneOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationFailedError' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/InvalidReferenceError' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/LinkConflictError' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/InvalidFieldValuesError' '401': description: Missing or invalid credentials. UNAUTHORIZED. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/UnauthorizedError' '403': description: You don't have permission. FORBIDDEN. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ForbiddenError' '404': description: Not found. NOT_FOUND. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/NotFoundError' '409': description: The request conflicts with the current state. EMAIL_TAKEN. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/EmailTakenError' '429': description: Too many requests, or a usage limit was reached. TOO_MANY_REQUESTS. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/TooManyRequestsError' components: schemas: Contact: type: object properties: id: type: string minLength: 1 description: The contact ID. firstName: type: string description: First name. Empty for some contacts created from email. lastName: type: string description: Last name. Empty for some contacts created from email. emails: type: array items: type: string description: >- Email addresses, lowercased. A contact has at most one address for now. account: anyOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/AccountRef' - type: 'null' description: The account the contact belongs to, or null. projectCount: type: integer minimum: 0 maximum: 9007199254740991 description: >- 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: type: string format: date-time description: When the contact was created. updatedAt: type: string format: date-time description: >- When the contact was last updated, including changes to its email address. Links to projects and field value changes do not change it. fields: type: object propertyNames: type: string additionalProperties: anyOf: - type: string - type: number - type: boolean - type: array items: type: string - type: object properties: streetAddress: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' cityTown: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' state: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' country: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' required: - streetAddress - cityTown - state - country description: A postal address. Each part is a string or null. - type: 'null' description: >- 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. required: - id - firstName - lastName - emails - account - projectCount - createdAt - updatedAt - fields examples: - id: cmf2x7z3e0002abcd firstName: Ada lastName: Lovelace emails: - ada@acme.example account: type: account id: cmf2x7r1p0000abcd name: Acme Corp projectCount: 1 createdAt: '2026-09-12T10:05:00.000Z' updatedAt: '2026-09-12T10:05:00.000Z' fields: Contact Type: Beneficiary Country of Birth: United Kingdom ValidationFailedError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: VALIDATION_FAILED message: type: string examples: - The request is invalid. details: type: object properties: issues: type: array items: type: object properties: path: type: string description: >- Where the problem is, as a dotted path into the input such as accountIds.add.0 or reminder.remindAt. Empty for the input as a whole. message: type: string description: What is wrong with the value. required: - path - message description: Each problem with the input. required: - issues required: - code - message - details required: - error InvalidReferenceError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: INVALID_REFERENCE message: type: string examples: - >- The request refers to a record or user that doesn't exist or that you can't use. details: type: object properties: field: type: string description: The input that holds the reference, such as accountIds. ids: type: array items: type: string description: The IDs that could not be used. required: - field - ids required: - code - message - details required: - error LinkConflictError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: LINK_CONFLICT message: type: string examples: - >- A contact's account must be linked to every project the contact is linked to. details: type: object properties: reason: enum: - account_not_linked - contacts_still_linked type: string description: >- account_not_linked: a contact would be linked without its account. contacts_still_linked: an account would be unlinked while its contacts stay linked. conflicts: type: array items: type: object properties: projectId: type: string contactId: type: string accountId: type: string required: - projectId - contactId - accountId required: - reason - conflicts required: - code - message - details required: - error InvalidFieldValuesError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: INVALID_FIELD_VALUES message: type: string examples: - Some custom field values were not accepted. details: type: object properties: unknownFields: type: array items: type: string description: Keys that are not the name or ID of a field. readOnlyFields: type: array items: type: string description: Fields Parley maintains, which cannot be set. duplicateFields: type: array items: type: string description: Keys that set a field another key already sets. invalidValues: type: array items: type: object properties: field: type: string description: The name or ID the value was given under. expected: type: string description: What the field accepts. required: - field - expected required: - unknownFields - readOnlyFields - duplicateFields - invalidValues required: - code - message - details required: - error UnauthorizedError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: UNAUTHORIZED message: type: string examples: - Missing or invalid credentials. required: - code - message required: - error ForbiddenError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: FORBIDDEN message: type: string examples: - You don't have permission to do this. required: - code - message required: - error NotFoundError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: NOT_FOUND message: type: string examples: - Not found. required: - code - message required: - error EmailTakenError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: EMAIL_TAKEN message: type: string examples: - This email address already belongs to another contact. required: - code - message required: - error TooManyRequestsError: type: object properties: error: type: object properties: code: type: string const: TOO_MANY_REQUESTS message: type: string examples: - Too many requests. required: - code - message required: - error AccountRef: type: object properties: type: const: account id: type: string description: Its ID. name: type: string description: The account name. required: - type - id - name description: The account's type, ID, and name. securitySchemes: bearerAuth: type: http scheme: bearer description: A Parley API key. ```` This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.