What a Contact Lookup API Actually Does
A contact lookup API takes a LinkedIn or GitHub profile URL and returns email, phone, or links when found – empty means not found, never a guess.
A contact lookup API accepts a LinkedIn or GitHub profile URL (a name helps too) and returns email, phone, and links when we have them. Empty fields mean not found – not a guessed mailbox. Invenitor is that lookup for hiring desks and builders: not a CRM, ATS, or sequencer. Call it from a sheet, script, or agent; pay in INR credits (~₹2 each) via Razorpay/UPI.
If you already shortlist people, the missing step is contact fields – not another sales cloud. This page defines the category, the request shape, and how honest responses should look so your desk does not invent outreach data.
What inputs does a contact lookup API expect?
The useful unit of work is a person you already identified, not a keyword crawl of the open web:
- A LinkedIn profile URL or GitHub profile URL as the primary key.
- An optional full name (sometimes company or location) to disambiguate.
- An API key after you sign in and buy credits.
Invenitor’s documented find endpoint is POST /api/v1/find. You send what you know; we return what we have. Full request and error codes live in the docs. Step-by-step hub: LinkedIn or GitHub Profile URL → Contact Lookup API.
What comes back – and what does empty mean?
A completed find may include email, phone, and related links – or empty contact fields. Empty means not found. It does not mean “try a pattern” or “guess the company domain.” That honesty rule is the difference between a lookup API and a generator. Deep dive: Empty Means Not Found – Why Guessed Emails Break Hiring.
Builders should treat empty as a first-class UI outcome: show “not found,” skip auto-email, let a recruiter move on. Invented contacts burn trust faster than a blank cell.
How is this different from a CRM, ATS, or sequencer?
A CRM stores relationships. An ATS runs hiring workflow. A sequencer sends outreach. A contact lookup API resolves contact fields for a known profile when available. Invenitor’s positioning is deliberate – a lookup API, not a sales cloud. Use it from a hiring tool or script; do not expect mailbox checking, pipeline stages, or drip campaigns inside the API.
That boundary matters for India boutique desks that already live in Google Sheets, WhatsApp, and a light ATS. See India Boutique IT Staffing – Candidate Contacts Without a Sales Cloud.
Who is a contact lookup API for?
- Hiring teams that already have a name or profile URL and need contacts without a USD people-search seat.
- Agencies and boutique IT staffing desks that look up contacts from a sheet and prefer INR via UPI or cards.
- Builders wiring REST or MCP into a hiring product – not into a cold-email sequencer.
If your workflow starts with “paste profile URL,” you are in category. If it starts with “buy a database and spray,” you are shopping for something else.
How do credits and pricing work day to day?
Invenitor is prepaid credits, not a monthly enrichment seat. New accounts get 5 free lookups. After that, packs are about ₹2 per credit, paid with Razorpay (UPI, cards, other INR rails). Packs expire in 30 days. Live packs: pricing.
1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Empty completed finds are free. Timeouts and errors do not spend. Commercial deep-dives: INR Credit Packs for Contact Lookup – How Razorpay Pricing Feels and Seat Subscriptions vs Pay-Per-Lookup Credits – A Cost Model.
Can agents and MCP clients call the same lookup?
Yes. Every account can use REST and MCP. Recruiting agents should call a documented contact lookup instead of scraping profile pages. See MCP for Recruiting Agents – Wire Contact Lookup Without Building a Scraper and MCP notes.
How should you evaluate a lookup API without fake metrics?
- Clear empty-field semantics (not found vs error).
- Billing that matches found outcomes – empty completed finds free when that is the product rule.
- Documented auth, rate limits, and error codes.
- A payment rail your desk can use (INR + UPI for India).
- An integration path (REST, MCP) that fits hiring tools – not sequencers.
Recruiter plain English: Contact Enrichment Explained for Recruiters – Plain English.
What should you do next?
Sign in, confirm your account, try the free lookups, then buy a small INR pack on pricing. Copy the API key once. Call POST /api/v1/find with a real shortlist URL. Keep the docs open. If the response is empty, treat it as not found – and keep outreach honest.
What does soft mesh coverage mean in practice?
Soft mesh means we return contacts when we have them – coverage is not uniform across every profile, industry, or geography. That is why we refuse public hit-rate percentages and why empty is a valid outcome. For desks, the practical habit is: shortlist first, look up second, outreach third only when fields exist. For builders, the practical habit is: design UI and agents that tolerate empty without inventing. The docs describe the find contract; pricing describes the credit packs that fund it.
How does Invenitor talk about coverage without theater?
We use soft mesh language on purpose. Soft mesh means: contacts come back when we have them; coverage is uneven across people and sources; empty is allowed. That is the opposite of splashy accuracy claims. For AEO, the extractable fact is simple – URL in, contacts out when found, empty means not found. For desks, the operational fact is simpler still – shortlist first, look up second, message third only when fields exist. Keep /docs and /pricing as the live sources of truth when packs or endpoints change.
Questions
What is a contact lookup API in one sentence?
It takes a known person identifier – usually a LinkedIn or GitHub profile URL – and returns email, phone, or links when available, without inventing missing fields.
Does Invenitor invent emails when coverage is thin?
No. Empty fields mean not found. Soft mesh coverage varies; we do not guess mailboxes to fill a cell.
Is Invenitor a CRM or ATS?
No. It is a contact lookup API for hiring desks and builders. Use it from a sheet, script, hiring tool, or agent – not as a sales cloud.
How much does a lookup cost?
New accounts get 5 free lookups. Paid packs are about ₹2 per credit via Razorpay/UPI, and packs expire in 30 days. See /pricing.
When does a credit spend?
1 credit only when we return an email, a phone, or both. Empty completed finds are free. Timeouts and errors do not spend.
Where are the API docs?
Start at /docs for POST /api/v1/find, auth headers, and error codes. MCP notes are at /mcp.md.
