## Search contacts

`POST /v1/contacts/search`

Search contacts by conditions in the request body. Accepts the same filters as the contact list and is designed for compound conditions and large result sets.

## Request fields (body)

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|----------|-----|-----------|---------|
| `filter` | object | — | Filtering by `GET /v1/contacts/fields` fields.<br>[Filtering syntax](/docs/filtering). Example: `{ "companyId": 15 }` |
| `limit` | number | `50` | Number of records (up to 5000) |
| `offset` | number | `0` | Skip N records. Together with a date-range filter wider than 14 days it is rejected — see `UNSTABLE_OFFSET_PAGINATION` in the "Errors" section |
| `order` | object | — | Sorting: `{ "lastName": "asc" }` |
| `select` | string[] | — | Field selection: `["id", "name", "lastName", "phone"]` |

## Examples

### curl — personal key

```bash
curl -X POST "https://vibecode.bitrix24.com/v1/contacts/search" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "filter": { "companyId": 15 },
    "limit": 10,
    "order": { "lastName": "asc" }
  }'
```

### curl — OAuth app

```bash
curl -X POST "https://vibecode.bitrix24.com/v1/contacts/search" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_APP_KEY" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer USER_SESSION_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "filter": { "companyId": 15 },
    "limit": 10,
    "order": { "lastName": "asc" }
  }'
```

### JavaScript — personal key

```javascript
const res = await fetch('https://vibecode.bitrix24.com/v1/contacts/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-Api-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    filter: { companyId: 15 },
    limit: 10,
    order: { lastName: 'asc' },
  }),
})

const { success, data } = await res.json()
```

### JavaScript — OAuth app

```javascript
const res = await fetch('https://vibecode.bitrix24.com/v1/contacts/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-Api-Key': 'YOUR_APP_KEY',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer USER_SESSION_TOKEN',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    filter: { companyId: 15 },
    limit: 10,
    order: { lastName: 'asc' },
  }),
})

const { success, data } = await res.json()
```

## Response fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|------|-----|---------|
| `data` | array | Array of contacts (fields — see [Fields](/docs/entities/contacts/fields)) |
| `meta.total` | number | How many records matched the filter |
| `meta.hasMore` | boolean | Whether there is a next page |
| `meta.durationMs` | number | Request duration in milliseconds |

The `meta` fields sit next to `data`, not inside it. Pages must be walked by `meta.hasMore`: a `data` length equal to `limit` does not rule out the last page.

The card URL of any contact from the `data` array is built from its `id`:

```
https://<portal>.bitrix24.com/crm/contact/details/<id>/
```

`<portal>` — the Bitrix24 account domain. Access is restricted by the employee's permissions in Bitrix24.

## Response example

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 71,
      "name": "John",
      "lastName": "Brown",
      "phone": "12025550123",
      "companyId": 15,
      "assignedById": 1,
      "typeId": "CLIENT"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Error response example

403 — no scope:

```json
{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "SCOPE_DENIED",
    "message": "This endpoint requires 'crm' scope"
  }
}
```

## Errors

| HTTP | Code | Description |
|------|-----|---------|
| 400 | `UNSTABLE_OFFSET_PAGINATION` | `offset` greater than zero together with a date-range filter wider than 14 days. Two different retrieval algorithms produce inconsistent results, so the request is rejected. Take everything in a single request with `limit` up to 5000, or pass `autoWindow: false` with sorting by `id`, or split the date range into parts yourself |
| 403 | `SCOPE_DENIED` | API key lacks the `crm` scope |
| 401 | `TOKEN_MISSING` | API key has no configured tokens |

Full list of common API errors — [Errors](/docs/errors).

## Known specifics

**The phone filter is not suitable for every search.** A value without an operator is compared against the whole stored string: a contact whose number is stored as `+1 (202) 555-0123` matches that exact string, but not `12025550123`, because the plus sign, spaces, parentheses, and hyphens are part of the value. The filter also checks only the first number stored on a record: if both a work number and a mobile number are stored, searching by the mobile one returns an empty list. To find a contact by phone number in any format and by any of its numbers, use [Duplicate search](/docs/duplicates). The `$contains` operator does work here — it matches a substring inside the value, which makes it a practical approach for email: `{ "email": { "$contains": "@example.com" } }`.

## See also

- [List contacts](/docs/entities/contacts/list)
- [Duplicate search](/docs/duplicates)
- [Filtering syntax](/docs/filtering)
- [Batch](/docs/batch)
- [Limits and optimization](/docs/optimization)