· 9 min read · API
Names help too: How optional full name improves lookup requests
Names help too: how optional full name improves lookup requests – URL remains primary; name is a soft hint; empties stay empty under coverage.
Profile URL is the primary key for honest contact lookup. Optional full name is a hint, not a license to invent. When desks send both LinkedIn URL and the person's name as written on the brief, coverage matching can improve – without changing empty-means-not-found.
Invenitor is a people search and lookup API, not a sales cloud. Coverage varies; we do not publish hit-rate percentages. Hub: LinkedIn or GitHub Profile URL → Contact Lookup API. Primer: What Is a LinkedIn Profile URL Lookup?. GitHub: GitHub Profile URL Contact Lookup. Primary fields: One Primary Contact, Never Invented.
Request shape that stays honest
| Field | Required? | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Profile URL | Yes (primary) | Canonical find key |
| Full name | Optional | Disambiguation hint |
| Company / title | Optional | Context only – not invent fuel |
| Source CRM id | Optional | Your correlation |
Keys: Rate Limits and Keys. Errors: Error Codes Buyers Should Expect.
Why names help (without guaranteeing finds)
Names reduce collisions when URLs are truncated, rewritten, or pasted from mobile. They do not authorize guessing @company.com. Honesty: Empty Means Not Found. Billing: Credits, Empty Results, and Timeouts. Marketing: When We Have Them.
UX: collect name without dark patterns
In Add person, keep name for the person record anyway – then pass it optionally on enrich.
Agents and MCP
Agent tools should accept optional full_name beside profile_url. Prompt: if empty, do not invent. MCP: /mcp.md, Agent-Readable Docs, Claude / Cursor Agents,
Credits unchanged
Optional name does not change found-only billing. 1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Empty completed finds are free. Timeouts and errors do not spend. Primer: What Are API Credits. Pay-per-lookup: What Is Pay-Per-Lookup Pricing?. Packs: /pricing, 25 to 1,000 Credits.
What should you do next?
Add optional full name to your enrich payload. Keep empty UI honest. Verify against /docs and /pricing.
Procurement one-liner
We send profile URL plus optional full name to a soft-mesh lookup – empties stay empty; credits remain found-only.
Request examples (conceptual)
URL only: coverage find. URL + full name: same found-only billing; better disambiguation when the URL is noisy. Name only: insufficient – do not invent. Honesty: Empty Means Not Found. Primary: One Primary Contact, Never Invented. Billing: Credits, Empty Results, and Timeouts. Primer: What Are API Credits. Pay-per-lookup: What Is Pay-Per-Lookup Pricing?. Trust: Trust Checklist. Marketing: When We Have Them. Hub: LinkedIn or GitHub Profile URL → Contact Lookup API. LinkedIn: What Is a LinkedIn Profile URL Lookup?. GitHub: GitHub Profile URL Contact Lookup. Keys: Rate Limits and Keys. Errors: Error Codes Buyers Should Expect. Agents: /mcp.md, llms.txt for Contact APIs. Packs: 25 to 1,000 Credits. /docs · /pricing.
Sheet column tip
Keep full_name and profile_url separate; never overwrite empty phone with a guessed string from the name.
Questions
Is full name required for lookup?
No. Profile URL is primary. Full name is an optional matching hint.
Can name alone trigger inventing an email?
Never. Empty means not found even when a name is present.
Does sending a name spend an extra credit?
No. Found-only billing is about found email/phone outcomes – not about optional hint fields.
Where should CRM builders put the name field?
On the person record and optionally in the enrich request beside the URL.
How should agents treat optional name?
Pass it when known; if lookup returns empty, stop – do not fabricate contacts.
What docs cover request shape?
/docs, OpenAPI hygiene, and LinkedIn/GitHub hub posts.
How does Invenitor frame this?
Reaching people; a lookup API that accepts honest hints without inventing fills.
