Transactions
Transaction Identification
Map merchant descriptors to readable brands and categories.
/v1/brand/transaction-identifier
What you get
Developer-ready output for Transaction Identification
How it works
Four steps from request to usable JSON
Normalize descriptor text
Score merchant candidates
Apply MCC and location hints
Return brand identity
API response
Fields developers usually wire first
Map merchant descriptors to real-world brands, categories and logo-ready company profiles.
curl.exe -H "X-API-Key: mh-localhost-dev-key" "http://127.0.0.1:8013/v1/brand/transaction-identifier"
Developer FAQ
Common questions about Transaction Identification
What is a merchant descriptor?
It is the short, messy text that appears on card statements. It often includes payment processor prefixes, terminal IDs or location fragments.
How does high-confidence mode work?
It only returns a match when the available signals are strong enough. Otherwise it reports no high-confidence match instead of guessing.
Can I use it for expense categorization?
Yes. Combine merchant identity, MCC and brand category to improve expense rules and reconciliation UX.
What endpoint should I call for Transaction Identification?
Use GET /v1/brand/transaction-identifier. Local development accepts the X-API-Key header with mh-localhost-dev-key, and production clients can use the same shape with their own key.
Can I call it from CLI, SDK, MCP and no-code tools?
Yes. The same endpoint can be called with curl, the TypeScript SDK, Python SDK, MCP server, Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets or Excel workflows where appropriate.
How does caching with maxAgeMs work?
When maxAgeMs is supported, a cached response can be reused if it is younger than the requested freshness window. Set maxAgeMs to 0 when you need a fresh scrape or extraction.
What happens when a page is blocked or requires login?
The API returns clear states such as blocked, verification_required, login_required, robots_disallowed or permission_required. It does not promise to bypass access controls.
Which response fields should I store?
Most integrations store merchant.name, brand.domain, confidence, category, plus source URL, status, confidence and timestamp fields when present. Keep source metadata so users can audit values later.
Can I batch this endpoint?
For local or small workflows, loop over a list of URLs or domains. For larger jobs, use crawl, batch workflow endpoints or a queue so failures and retries are tracked cleanly.
How should I handle errors in production?
Check success, HTTP status, error.type and retryable flags. Retry timeouts and temporary network failures, but do not retry robots, login or permission errors without changing input or authorization.
Does the API work with JavaScript-heavy sites?
The engine router starts with fast fetching and escalates when content quality is low. Browser-style rendering is used where available, while access-control barriers are reported explicitly.
Is this safe to use with customer data?
Send only domains, URLs or fields your workflow needs. Use retention controls for generated artifacts and avoid storing unnecessary raw HTML, screenshots or extracted personal data.
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