# Create vendors

URL: https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi/books/post-books-vendors

> Creates or updates one vendor in the org's vendor book, keyed by its canonical name — writing a canonical name that already exists REPLACES that row's aliases and default category.

`POST /v1/books/vendors`

> [Books →](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi/books) · [All API references →](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi) · [Get started →](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/guides)

|               |                                         |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Address**   | `https://api.hanzo.ai/v1/books/vendors` |
| **Method**    | `POST`                                  |
| **Operation** | `post_books_vendors`                    |
| **Auth**      | `Authorization: Bearer $HANZO_API_KEY`  |

Creates or updates one vendor in the org's vendor book, keyed by its
canonical name — writing a canonical name that already exists REPLACES that row's
aliases and default category. A category given as a slug ("software") is normalized to
its real COA expense account, and anything unrecognized becomes 5900 Uncategorized
rather than a guessed real account. It answers the row exactly as stored, so the caller
sees the normalization. Recording a vendor is what makes future bills from it
self-classify instead of asking again.

## Request

3 fields, body `application/json` (required).

| Field             | In   | Type      | Required | Description                                                                                                                |
| ----------------- | ---- | --------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `aliases`         | body | string\[] | —        | Aliases are the other spellings a receipt may print the vendor under; a scan matching any of them resolves to this vendor. |
| `canonical`       | body | string    | —        | Canonical is the vendor's one true name, and the key an upsert writes by.                                                  |
| `defaultCategory` | body | string    | —        | DefaultCategory is the COA expense account new bills from this vendor book to.                                             |

## Response

| Status    | Body            | Meaning |
| --------- | --------------- | ------- |
| `200`     | books.VendorRow | ok      |
| `default` | problem-details | refused |

`200` body — 3 fields.

| Field             | In   | Type      | Always | Description                                                                                                                |
| ----------------- | ---- | --------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `aliases`         | body | string\[] | —      | Aliases are the other spellings a receipt may print the vendor under; a scan matching any of them resolves to this vendor. |
| `canonical`       | body | string    | —      | Canonical is the vendor's one true name, and the key an upsert writes by.                                                  |
| `defaultCategory` | body | string    | —      | DefaultCategory is the COA expense account new bills from this vendor book to.                                             |

Failure carries the platform error shape — see [Errors](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/errors).

## Examples

**CLI**

```bash
hanzo books vendors create
```

**SDK**

**.ts**

```ts
import { Configuration, BooksApi } from 'hanzoai';

const api = new BooksApi(new Configuration({ accessToken: process.env.HANZO_API_KEY }));
const { data } = await api.postBooksVendors({ aliases: ["<aliases>"], canonical: "<canonical>" });
```

**.py**

```python
from hanzoai.cloud import ApiClient, Configuration
from hanzoai.cloud.api import BooksApi

client = ApiClient(Configuration(access_token=os.environ["HANZO_API_KEY"]))
result = BooksApi(client).post_books_vendors(aliases=["<aliases>"], canonical="<canonical>")
```

**.go**

```go
cfg := hanzoai.NewConfiguration()
cfg.AddDefaultHeader("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("HANZO_API_KEY"))
client := hanzoai.NewAPIClient(cfg)

resp, _, err := client.BooksAPI.PostBooksVendors(context.Background()).Execute()
if err != nil {
	return err
}
```

**.rs**

```rust
use hanzo_client::apis::{configuration::Configuration, books_api};

let mut cfg = Configuration::new();
cfg.bearer_access_token = std::env::var("HANZO_API_KEY").ok();

let result = books_api::post_books_vendors(&cfg, Default::default()).await?;
```

**.java**

```java
import ai.hanzo.cloud.ApiClient;
import ai.hanzo.cloud.api.BooksApi;

ApiClient client = new ApiClient();
client.setBearerToken(System.getenv("HANZO_API_KEY"));

var result = new BooksApi(client).postBooksVendors();
```

**HTTP**

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.hanzo.ai/v1/books/vendors \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HANZO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
       "aliases": [
         "<aliases>"
       ],
       "canonical": "<canonical>"
     }'
```

**MCP**

MCP reaches **books** through the `books` tool, which names its 20 operations with its own verbs — this one among them, under a name only MCP declares. `describe` explains any of them:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.hanzo.ai/v1/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
       "jsonrpc": "2.0",
       "id": 1,
       "method": "tools/call",
       "params": {
         "name": "describe",
         "arguments": {
           "op": "list_book_accounts"
         }
       }
     }'
```

---

[Books API](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi/books) · [All Hanzo APIs](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi) · [Interactive reference](https://docs.hanzo.ai/docs/openapi/reference)