The API key is masked by default for security. Click Reveal to show the full key value. If you're still having trouble, try refreshing the page—you may need to wait for the key to load.
Lead Intake
Lead Intake provides two ways to capture potential customers from your website or external systems: a hosted public form page you can link to or embed, and an API endpoint for programmatic lead submission. All captured leads flow directly into your Pipeline for tracking and follow-up.
Accessing Lead Intake
From the admin dashboard, navigate to Settings in the left navigation, then select Lead Intake from the Workspace section. The page displays your hosted form URL, intake API key, and code snippets for integration.
Hosted Form URL
The hosted form URL is a publicly accessible page that captures lead information with your organization's branding. This is the simplest way to start collecting leads—no coding required.
The form URL is displayed in a read-only field with two controls:
Copy — Copies the URL to your clipboard for pasting into emails, social media posts, or other channels.
Open form — Opens the hosted form in a new browser tab so you can preview what customers will see.
The hosted form includes your organization's name, logo, brand color, and contact information. When someone submits the form, Chisel Tide creates a new lead in the first stage of your pipeline automatically.
Using the Hosted Form
You can use the hosted form URL in several ways:
Direct link — Share the URL in emails, text messages, or social media posts. Customers click the link and fill out the form directly.
Website link — Add a "Get a Quote" or "Contact Us" button on your website that links to the hosted form.
Embed — If you have control over your website, you can embed the form using an iframe for a seamless experience.
API Key Management
For programmatic lead submission—such as capturing leads from your own website forms, integrating with marketing tools, or building custom workflows—you'll use the Intake API. Authentication is handled via your API key.
The API key section shows:
API key field — Displays your current intake key, masked by default for security.
Reveal / Hide — Toggle to show or hide the full key value. The key is masked by default to prevent accidental disclosure if someone is viewing your screen.
Copy — Copies the key to your clipboard.
Rotate — Generates a new API key and invalidates the old one immediately.
Below the key field, you'll see Last updated with the timestamp of when the key was last rotated.
Using the API Key
Your API key authenticates requests to the Intake API. Include it in the Authorization header as a Bearer token:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTAKE_KEYTreat your API key like a password. Keep it secure and never commit it to public repositories. If you suspect the key has been compromised, rotate it immediately to revoke access.
Rotating the API Key
When you rotate the API key:
A new key is generated immediately.
The old key stops working right away—any systems still using it will receive authentication errors.
The new key is displayed on screen and ready to use.
Your hosted form URL does not change.
After rotating, update any systems or scripts that use the API key with the new value. Plan for key rotation during low-traffic periods if you have live integrations.
Quickstart Code Snippets
The Lead Intake page provides ready-to-use code examples for submitting leads programmatically. Two formats are available:
cURL — For testing from the command line or integrating with backend systems.
JavaScript — For client-side website integration.
Each snippet includes the API endpoint, required headers, and a sample request body with the key field placeholders filled in.
Example cURL Request
curl -X POST "https://your-domain.com/api/v1/intake/leads" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTAKE_KEY" \
-d '{
"customer": {
"name": "Jane Smith",
"email": "[email protected]",
"phone": "555-123-4567"
}
}'AI Integration Tools
Two AI-assisted integration options help you implement lead intake quickly:
Build it with AI
Click Build it with AI to launch an AI assistant that guides you through setting up lead capture on your website. This feature helps generate integration code tailored to your specific use case.
Copy LLM Prompt
Click Copy LLM prompt to copy a pre-written prompt to your clipboard. Paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI assistant to get context-aware help implementing the Intake API. The prompt includes your API endpoint structure and authentication details, so the AI can generate accurate integration code.
Lead Data Fields
When submitting leads via the API, include customer information in the request body. The following fields are available:
Required Fields
customer.name — The contact's name (required).
Contact Information
customer.email — The contact's email address. You must provide at least one of email or phone.
customer.phone — The contact's phone number. You must provide at least one of email or phone.
Property Information
serviceAddress — The service address for the potential job, including street, city, state, and postal code.
poolType — The type of pool (inground, above ground, etc.).
estimatedSize — Estimated pool size.
Lead Details
serviceInterest — What services the prospect is interested in.
estimatedValue — Estimated deal value for the lead.
notes — Additional notes or context from the prospect.
Attribution Fields
referrer — How the prospect found your business.
landingPage — The landing page URL where the lead was captured.
campaign — Marketing campaign identifier.
utmSource — UTM source parameter for tracking.
utmMedium — UTM medium parameter for tracking.
utmCampaign — UTM campaign parameter for tracking.
utmContent — UTM content parameter for tracking.
utmTerm — UTM term parameter for tracking.
How Leads Enter the Pipeline
When a lead is submitted—either through the hosted form or the API—Chisel Tide automatically creates a new lead record:
A customer record is created with the submitted contact information.
A lead is created in the first stage of your Pipeline.
The lead appears on your Pipeline board, ready for follow-up.
From the Pipeline, you can assign the lead, track its progress through stages, and convert it to a customer when the deal closes.
Duplicate Prevention
If someone submits a lead for a customer who already has an open lead in your pipeline, Chisel Tide returns a duplicate error instead of creating a duplicate record. This prevents your pipeline from cluttering with duplicate entries for the same prospect.
Troubleshooting
Why can't I see my API key?
What happens after I rotate my API key?
Rotating the API key generates a new key and invalidates the old key immediately. Any integrations using the old key will start receiving authentication errors until you update them with the new key. Your hosted form URL does not change—only the API key for programmatic access.
After rotating, copy the new key and update any scripts, Zapier integrations, or other systems that submit leads programmatically.
Why is my API request returning 401 Unauthorized?
The most common causes are:
Missing Authorization header — Include the key as
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_INTAKE_KEY.Old API key after rotation — If you recently rotated the key, your integration may still be using the old key. Update it with the current key from the Lead Intake settings page.
Malformed key — Ensure the key was copied completely without extra spaces or line breaks.
Why is my API request returning 409 Conflict?
This means a lead already exists for this customer. Chisel Tide prevents duplicate open leads for the same customer. Check your Pipeline for an existing lead with the same email or phone number, and update that lead instead of creating a new one.
Why is my API request returning 400 Bad Request?
Verify that your request body includes the required fields:
customer.nameis required.At least one of
customer.emailorcustomer.phoneis required.
Also check that your JSON is valid and the Content-Type: application/json header is included.
Is there a rate limit on the Intake API?
The Intake API has rate limiting to protect against abuse. If you receive a 429 Too Many Requests response, wait briefly before retrying. For high-volume lead capture scenarios, contact support to discuss your needs.
Next steps
Review and manage your leads in the Pipeline.
Customize your pipeline stages to match your sales process.