Adjust stock for an item by a delta with a reason

POST /items/{sku}/adjust

Adjust stock for an item by a delta with a reason — non-zero, except that a recount may carry 0: a count that matched the shelf moves nothing but still records when the location was last counted (GET /stock/attention).

Appends an inventory.stock-adjusted event; rejected with 409 InsufficientStock if the delta would take available stock below zero. reference is required and is the idempotency key: a retry with the same reference is acknowledged with the current document and appends nothing.

Access

Requires stock:write.

How scopes come from roles: Scopes and roles. Getting a token: Authentication and app tokens.

Retries

reference is required and is the idempotency key: a retry with the same reference is acknowledged with the current document and appends nothing.

A retry with the same key answers 200, with what the first call recorded.

Why every write carries a key: Idempotency and retries.

Facts appended

inventory.stock-adjusted

What a fact is: Facts and the journal.

AI agent tool

Agents call this as inventory_adjust_stock (Inventory: Adjust stock), in the stock toolset.

Connecting an agent: AI agents.

Example

A recount at Main found three fewer than the system held.

curl

curl -X POST 'https://inventory.getmanifold.io/items/WIDGET-BLUE/adjust' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MANIFOLD_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "locationId": "loc_019cadd3-8330-7e12-aa44-2cd5f05da74a",
  "delta": -3,
  "reason": "recount",
  "reference": "recount-main-2026-10-22-aisle-3"
}'

JavaScript (fetch)

const response = await fetch("https://inventory.getmanifold.io/items/WIDGET-BLUE/adjust", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.MANIFOLD_TOKEN}`, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "locationId": "loc_019cadd3-8330-7e12-aa44-2cd5f05da74a",
    "delta": -3,
    "reason": "recount",
    "reference": "recount-main-2026-10-22-aisle-3"
  }),
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
const answer = await response.json();

Request body · application/json

{
  "locationId": "loc_019cadd3-8330-7e12-aa44-2cd5f05da74a",
  "delta": -3,
  "reason": "recount",
  "reference": "recount-main-2026-10-22-aisle-3"
}

Response · 200 · application/json

{
  "id": "itm_019cd543-e6f8-7bec-b392-ec0ac6b812ed",
  "sku": "WIDGET-BLUE",
  "name": "Widget, blue",
  "tracking": "none",
  "costingMethod": "fifo",
  "kind": "stock",
  "counted": true,
  "sellable": true,
  "barcodes": [
    {
      "value": "9300000000019",
      "type": "gtin"
    }
  ],
  "hsCodes": [
    {
      "country": "AU",
      "code": "39269000"
    }
  ],
  "countryOfOrigin": "AU",
  "weightGrams": 240,
  "packedSize": {
    "lengthMm": 120,
    "widthMm": 80,
    "heightMm": 60
  },
  "ownPackaging": false,
  "accounts": {
    "inventory": "1400",
    "revenue": "4000",
    "expense": "5000"
  },
  "taxClass": "standard",
  "stock": [
    {
      "locationId": "loc_019cadd3-8330-7e12-aa44-2cd5f05da74a",
      "onHand": 137,
      "reserved": 10,
      "damaged": 2,
      "awaitingIdentification": 0,
      "inTransit": 0,
      "incoming": 24
    },
    {
      "locationId": "loc_019cd06e-3b38-7e92-b496-c92f8184a3aa",
      "onHand": 18,
      "reserved": 0,
      "damaged": 0,
      "awaitingIdentification": 0,
      "inTransit": 6,
      "incoming": 0
    }
  ],
  "backordered": 0,
  "cost": {
    "costCents": 1250,
    "source": "receipt",
    "at": "2026-10-22T01:20:03.000Z"
  },
  "createdAt": "2026-03-10T01:02:03.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-10-22T06:30:00.000Z"
}

The panel writes this call in other languages. It does not send it: Manifold's APIs do not take calls from a web page on another site, so run the call from your own code or terminal. The whole API as OpenAPI: inventory-manager.openapi.json. Base URL https://inventory.getmanifold.io.

Errors

Every refusal is a status and a JSON body whose _tag names it. A refused call changes nothing.

`401`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`Unauthorized` reason	The token is missing, expired or not one Manifold issued.	Get a fresh token and send the call again.
`TokenAlreadyUsed` tokenId	A single-use app token was already spent.	Mint a new token for this call.

`402`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`SubscriptionRequired` status	The organization's subscription has lapsed, so writes are refused.	An owner settles billing. Reads still work meanwhile.

`403`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`TenantRequired` userId	The token names no organization.	Choose the organization, then get a new token.
`ScopeRequired` required	The token's roles do not grant the scope this call needs.	Ask an owner or admin for a role that grants it.

`404`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`ItemNotFound` sku	No such record in this organization.	Check the id in the path or the body.
`LocationNotFound` locationId	No such record in this organization.	Check the id in the path or the body.

`409`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`LocationArchived` locationId	The location is archived, and an archived location takes no changes or stock.	Use an active location.
`InsufficientStock` sku, available, requested, locationId	Fewer units are free than the call needs. `available` and `requested` say how many.	Receive or move stock in first, or ask for fewer.
`MirroredFromSource` source	This area is fed by your source system until the organization goes live.	Make the change in the source system, or go live first.

`503`

Refusal	What it means	What to do
`RequestLogUnavailable` tokenId, reason	The service could not record the request, so it did nothing.	Send the same request again, with the same key.

How refusals work everywhere: Errors.