# Contact Management Guide

This guide explains how to create, list, and delete contacts using the Meow API. Contacts are essential for sending USDC transactions securely.

## Prerequisites

- A Meow account with contacts management capabilities
- An API key with the `contacts:read` and `contacts:write` permissions


## Understanding Cryptocurrency Contacts

Cryptocurrency contacts store blockchain addresses that you frequently send USDC to. Each contact includes:

- A friendly nickname for easy identification
- A cryptocurrency address for a specific blockchain network
- A static memo ID used when creating transactions


## Creating Cryptocurrency Contacts

### Step 1: Prepare Contact Information

Before creating a contact, gather the following information:

- A nickname for the contact
- The cryptocurrency address
- The blockchain network the address belongs to (Ethereum, Solana, Base)


Ensure the cryptocurrency address is valid for the selected blockchain network.

### Step 2: Create the Contact

Use the following API call to create a new USDC contact:


```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.meow.com/v1/contacts/usdc" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "nickname": "Lion",
    "crypto_address": {
      "address": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
      "payment_rail": "ethereum"
    }
  }'
```

Replace:

- `Lion` with your preferred nickname
- The address with the actual cryptocurrency address
- `payment_rail` with either `ethereum`, `solana`, or `base` depending on the blockchain network


### Step 3: Review the Response

A successful response will include details about the created contact:


```json
{
  "id": "cont_987654321",
  "nickname": "Lion",
  "static_memos": {
    "ethereum": {
      "id": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6",
      "destination_address": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
      "destination_payment_rail": "ethereum"
    }
  }
}
```

**Important:** Note the `static_memos` object, which contains the `id` you'll need when creating USDC transactions. Each blockchain network the contact supports will have its own entry in the `static_memos` object.

## Listing Cryptocurrency Contacts

To view all your existing contacts, use the following API call:


```bash
curl -X GET "https://api.meow.com/v1/contacts" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

You can optionally filter contacts by nickname using the `nickname_query` parameter:


```bash
curl -X GET "https://api.meow.com/v1/contacts?nickname_query=Lion" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Example response:


```json
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "cont_987654321",
      "nickname": "Lion",
      "static_memos": {
        "ethereum": {
          "id": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6",
          "destination_address": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678",
          "destination_payment_rail": "ethereum"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "cont_123456789",
      "nickname": "Lion 2",
      "static_memos": {
        "solana": {
          "id": "7bc85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66abc8",
          "destination_address": "8xDc123456789abcdef123456789abcdef123456789abcdef",
          "destination_payment_rail": "solana"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

## Deleting Cryptocurrency Contacts

If you no longer need a contact, you can delete it using the following API call:


```bash
curl -X DELETE "https://api.meow.com/v1/contacts/{contact_id}" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Replace `{contact_id}` with the ID of the contact you want to delete.

A successful deletion will return a `204 No Content` status code with no response body.

## Best Practices for Contact Management

1. **Verify Addresses Carefully**: Always double-check cryptocurrency addresses before creating contacts. Blockchain transactions cannot be reversed if sent to the wrong address.
2. **Use Descriptive Nicknames**: Choose clear, descriptive nicknames that help you identify the purpose or owner of each contact.
3. **Test with Small Amounts**: Before sending large transactions to a new contact, verify the address works correctly by sending a small test amount.
4. **Audit Regularly**: Periodically review your contacts list to remove any that are no longer needed or have outdated information.
5. **Document Static Memo IDs**: Keep a secure record of contact IDs and their corresponding static memo IDs for ease of creating transactions.


## Understanding the Contact Response

When creating or listing contacts, the API response contains several important fields:

| Field | Description |
|  --- | --- |
| `id` | Unique identifier for the contact |
| `nickname` | User-friendly name you assigned to the contact |
| `static_memos` | Contains blockchain-specific information |
| `static_memos.[network].id` | The static memo ID used when creating transactions |
| `static_memos.[network].destination_address` | The cryptocurrency address for this network |
| `static_memos.[network].destination_payment_rail` | The blockchain network identifier |


The `static_memos` object may contain multiple entries if the contact has addresses on different blockchain networks.

## Support

If you need help or have questions:

- Email: support@meow.com
- Support Portal: https://support.meow.com
- API Status: https://status.meow.com