Access & visibility
Allow support.UpsertContactChannel on your API key. Resource read permissions: core:ContactChannel. Resource write permissions: core:ContactChannel.
Workspace access by default. Private member data requires approved member delegation through Brigg-Act-As; the key supplies permissions while private ownership and project boundaries remain enforced.
Request fields
Send a JSON object with the following fields. Required fields must be included; omit optional fields you do not need.
dataContactChannelRequiredThe record's fields.
ContactChannel
Contact identity3 fields
kindstringRequiredChannel identity type: email, phone, web_cookie, sms or other.
Allowed: "email", "phone", "web_cookie", "sms", "other".
addressstringRequiredChannel address: a normalized email address, international phone number or channel-specific identifier. This is not a postal address.
person_refstringRequiredID of a core:Person record. Find it with customers.ListPeople and use the top-level id. This is not an account ID or a display name.
privatebooleanOptionalDefaults to false: the record is shared with the workspace. True assigns private ownership to the approved acting member and requires member delegation. This is independent of created_by provenance.
external_refobjectRequiredPermanent, case-sensitive source identity within this workspace, resource type and private/workspace scope. It is independent of API key rotation and retry receipt expiry.
Nested fields
namespacestringRequiredA stable name for the source system, such as crm-production.
At least 1 character.
idstringRequiredThe record ID in that source system.
At least 1 character.
Sync with a permanent external reference
Choose a stable external_ref.namespace for your source system and put its record ID in external_ref.id. Matching is case-sensitive and scoped to this workspace, resource type and private/workspace ownership. The reference survives API key replacement and the 30-day retry receipt window. It does not match records by email or name.
Send the required create fields each time. A missing reference creates a record; an existing reference updates only supplied fields and preserves everything else. created tells you which happened. Use the same idempotency key when retrying a lost response and a new key for a later source change. Concurrent calls cannot create duplicate records. A deleted or inaccessible match is refused; the operation does not restore it or make a replacement.
Use the returned item.id with the regular update operation when you need unset or a conditional expected edit. Changing private chooses a different ownership scope; it does not transfer an existing record.
Response
Returns 200 OK with a JSON body.
Record metadata sits outside data. Timestamps created_at and updated_at are Unix milliseconds. Optional business fields may be absent; absence does not mean false or zero. A field accepts null only when its type includes null.
A contact channel links a communication identity to a Person record; it does not create an inbox or send a message. Use a Person record ID, not a workspace account ID. Supply an email address or international phone number in the channel's canonical form.
Creating or linking a channel is not proof that the person controls that address. verified_at is maintained by the verification workflow and is not writable through these record operations.
itemContactChannelRecordRequiredThe requested record, including its metadata and data fields.
ContactChannelRecord
idstringRequiredStable core:ContactChannel record ID. Keep this top-level value when reading or referring to this record. Available actions are linked under Next steps; an ID does not imply the resource can be edited.
created_atnumberRequiredTime the record was created, in Unix milliseconds.
updated_atnumberRequiredTime the record most recently changed, in Unix milliseconds. Use with overlapping windows for incremental reads.
created_bystring or nullRequiredAccount that originally created the record, or null for a workspace/system-originated record. This is provenance, not its current owner or a Person record ID.
privatebooleanRequiredTrue for a member-owned private record. An API key needs approved delegation to that owner; false alone does not bypass resource grants or other access rules.
dataContactChannelRequiredThe record's fields.
ContactChannel
Contact identity3 fields
kindstringRequiredChannel identity type: email, phone, web_cookie, sms or other.
Allowed: "email", "phone", "web_cookie", "sms", "other".
addressstringRequiredChannel address: a normalized email address, international phone number or channel-specific identifier. This is not a postal address.
person_refstringRequiredID of a core:Person record. Find it with customers.ListPeople and use the top-level id. This is not an account ID or a display name.
Verification1 fields
verified_atnumberOptionalTime control of this channel address was verified, in Unix milliseconds. May be absent when verification has not been recorded.
createdbooleanRequiredTrue when this external reference created a record; false when it matched an existing record.
Errors & retries
Set BRIGG_REQUEST_ID once for each logical action. The samples send it as Idempotency-Key. Reuse the same value and body on retries, including after a timeout; a missing response does not prove the action failed.
For rate limits, follow the server’s retry guidance and back off. See HTTP errors and safe retries and limits.
| HTTP status | Code | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | invalid_json |
Send a JSON object with Content-Type: application/json. |
| 400 | invalid_input |
Check the request fields and types. Supply a stable Idempotency-Key containing 1–200 characters. |
| 401 | invalid_key |
The workspace API key is missing, invalid or revoked. |
| 403 | forbidden |
Check the key’s operation and resource grants. If Brigg-Act-As is supplied, the key must be authorized to delegate to that member. |
| 404 | not_found |
The requested operation or resource is not available to this credential. |
| 429 | rate_limited |
Wait for Retry-After before retrying. Reuse the original Idempotency-Key. |
Next steps
JSON schemas
Use the complete schemas for validation or client generation.
Full request JSON schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"kind": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"email",
"phone",
"web_cookie",
"sms",
"other"
],
"description": "Channel identity type: email, phone, web_cookie, sms or other."
},
"address": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Channel address: a normalized email address, international phone number or channel-specific identifier. This is not a postal address."
},
"person_ref": {
"type": "string",
"description": "ID of a `core:Person` record. Find it with [customers.ListPeople](/developers/reference/customers/ListPeople) and use the top-level `id`. This is not an account ID or a display name."
}
},
"required": [
"kind",
"address",
"person_ref"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"description": "The record's fields.",
"title": "ContactChannel"
},
"private": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "Defaults to false: the record is shared with the workspace. True assigns private ownership to the approved acting member and requires member delegation. This is independent of created_by provenance."
},
"external_ref": {
"type": "object",
"description": "Permanent, case-sensitive source identity within this workspace, resource type and private/workspace scope. It is independent of API key rotation and retry receipt expiry.",
"properties": {
"namespace": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"description": "A stable name for the source system, such as crm-production."
},
"id": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"description": "The record ID in that source system."
}
},
"required": [
"namespace",
"id"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
},
"required": [
"external_ref",
"data"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"examples": [
{
"external_ref": {
"namespace": "crm-production",
"id": "customer-1042"
},
"data": {
"kind": "email",
"address": "alex@example.org",
"person_ref": "e_person_alex"
}
}
]
}Full response JSON schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"item": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"id": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Stable core:ContactChannel record ID. Keep this top-level value when reading or referring to this record. Available actions are linked under Next steps; an ID does not imply the resource can be edited."
},
"created_at": {
"type": "number",
"description": "Time the record was created, in Unix milliseconds."
},
"updated_at": {
"type": "number",
"description": "Time the record most recently changed, in Unix milliseconds. Use with overlapping windows for incremental reads."
},
"created_by": {
"type": [
"string",
"null"
],
"description": "Account that originally created the record, or null for a workspace/system-originated record. This is provenance, not its current owner or a Person record ID."
},
"private": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True for a member-owned private record. An API key needs approved delegation to that owner; false alone does not bypass resource grants or other access rules."
},
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"kind": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"email",
"phone",
"web_cookie",
"sms",
"other"
],
"description": "Channel identity type: email, phone, web_cookie, sms or other."
},
"address": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Channel address: a normalized email address, international phone number or channel-specific identifier. This is not a postal address."
},
"person_ref": {
"type": "string",
"description": "ID of a `core:Person` record. Find it with [customers.ListPeople](/developers/reference/customers/ListPeople) and use the top-level `id`. This is not an account ID or a display name."
},
"verified_at": {
"type": "number",
"description": "Time control of this channel address was verified, in Unix milliseconds. May be absent when verification has not been recorded."
}
},
"required": [
"kind",
"address",
"person_ref"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"description": "The record's fields.",
"title": "ContactChannel"
}
},
"required": [
"id",
"created_at",
"updated_at",
"created_by",
"private",
"data"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"description": "The requested record, including its metadata and data fields.",
"title": "ContactChannelRecord"
},
"created": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True when this external reference created a record; false when it matched an existing record."
}
},
"required": [
"item",
"created"
],
"additionalProperties": false,
"examples": [
{
"item": {
"id": "e_contactchannel_example",
"created_at": 1791276900000,
"updated_at": 1791280800000,
"created_by": "a_jamie",
"private": false,
"data": {
"kind": "email",
"address": "alex@example.org",
"person_ref": "e_person_alex"
}
},
"created": true
}
]
}