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Overview

The Haystack API provides programmatic access to all content management, media processing, search, and analytics features. This reference documents all available endpoints with request/response schemas.

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Base URLs

Haystack provides two APIs with different base URLs:

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Private API (Authenticated Endpoints)

All authenticated endpoints (content management, media, analytics) use: 
https://api.thehaystack.ai/v2/bevly

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Search API (Public, No Authentication)

The search endpoint uses a church-specific base URL: 
https://{your-church-shortname}.thehaystack.ai/api
To find your Search API base URL:
  1. Log in to your Haystack Dashboard
  2. Navigate to Developer → API
  3. Copy your Search API Base URL from the Search API section

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Authentication

Most endpoints require Bearer token authentication. Include your API token in the Authorization header: 
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN
Important: The Search endpoint does NOT require authentication and should be called without an API token from public-facing applications. See the Authentication guide for details.
See the Authentication guide for complete details on obtaining and managing API tokens.

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API Structure

The Haystack API is organized into the following resource groups:

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Content Management

Items

Create, read, update, and delete content items

Collections

Organize items into top-level collections

Speakers

Manage people who deliver content

Topics

Tag content with topical categories

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Media

Media Assets

Upload and manage video/audio files

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Discovery

Search

Semantic search across content

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Analytics

Logging

Track user interactions and events

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Request Format

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HTTP Methods

  • GET - Retrieve resources
  • POST - Create new resources
  • PATCH - Update existing resources
  • DELETE - Remove resources

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Content Type

All POST and PATCH requests should include: 
Content-Type: application/json
Media file uploads use a two-step process: first create a media asset via the API to receive a signed upload URL, then PUT the file directly to that URL. See the Media Management guide for details.

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Query Parameters

Use query parameters for filtering, sorting, and pagination: 
GET /items?collectionId=1&status=published&_orderBy=date,DESC&_limit=20&_offset=0
Common parameters:
  • _limit - Maximum number of records to return (default: 50, max: 100)
  • _offset - Number of records to skip for pagination (default: 0)
  • _orderBy - Sort order as array of strings in format ‘fieldName,direction’ (e.g., ‘title,ASC’)
  • _expand - Related entities to include in the response (can specify multiple)

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Response Format

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Success Response

Successful requests return a JSON object with the requested data: 
{
  "item": {
    "id": 42,
    "title": "Example Item",
    "date": "2025-01-15"
  }
}
List endpoints include pagination metadata: 
{
  "items": [...],
  "limit": 50,
  "offset": 0,
  "page": 0,
  "totalRecords": 150,
  "totalPages": 3,
  "hasMore": true
}

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Error Response

Errors return a standardized format: 
{
  "result": "error",
  "error": {
    "type": "ValidationError",
    "message": "Title is required"
  }
}

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HTTP Status Codes

CodeMeaning
200Success
201Created
400Bad Request - Invalid parameters
401Unauthorized - Invalid or missing token
403Forbidden - Insufficient permissions
404Not Found - Resource doesn’t exist
422Unprocessable Entity - Validation failed
500Internal Server Error

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Pagination

List endpoints support pagination using _limit and _offset: 
// Get 50 items starting from offset 50 (second page)
const response = await fetch(
  `${API_URL}/items?_limit=50&_offset=50`,
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`
    }
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(`Page ${data.page + 1} of ${data.totalPages}`);
console.log(`Showing ${data.items.length} of ${data.totalRecords} total items`);
console.log(`Has more: ${data.hasMore}`);
Use _expand to include related data in a single request: 
# Get item with related data
GET /items/42?_expand=collection&_expand=series&_expand=speakers&_expand=mediaAssets
Available expansions:
  • Items: collection, series, speakers, mediaAssets, scriptures
  • Series: collection, items
  • Collections: items, series

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Filtering

Most list endpoints support filtering by fields: 
# Filter items by multiple criteria
GET /items?collectionId=1&seriesId=5&status=published

# Using filter operators
GET /items?date.gt=2025-01-01&status.ne=draft
Available filter operators:
  • No operator - Exact match (e.g., collectionId=1)
  • .eq - Equal to (e.g., status.eq=published)
  • .ne - Not equal to (e.g., status.ne=draft)
  • .in - In array (e.g., id.in=1,2,3)
  • .lt - Less than (e.g., date.lt=2025-01-01)
  • .le - Less than or equal
  • .gt - Greater than
  • .ge - Greater than or equal
  • .bt - Between two values (e.g., date.bt=2025-01-01,2025-12-31)
  • .nl - Is null (e.g., seriesId.nl=true)
  • .like - Pattern matching (e.g., title.like=%prayer%)

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Sorting

Sort results using _orderBy: 
# Get newest items first
GET /items?_orderBy=date,DESC

# Get topics by display order
GET /topics?_orderBy=displayOrder,ASC

# Multiple sort fields
GET /items?_orderBy=date,DESC&_orderBy=title,ASC