# Update a candidate

Update a curated set of candidate fields. Scope: candidates:write.

Updates a curated subset of a candidate's fields. **Scope:** `candidates:write`. Requires employer-write authority in one of the candidate's organizations (admins bypass; hiring managers are read-only). Send only the fields you want to change — unknown fields are ignored, wrong-typed fields return `400`.

## Path parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | The candidate id. |

## Request body

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `fullName` | string | Candidate's full name. |
| `status` | string | Candidate status. |
| `email` | string \| null | Email (validated). |
| `phone` | string \| null | Phone (validated). |
| `summary` | string \| null | Free-text summary. |

## Example request

```bash
curl -X PATCH https://app.talent-ray.com/api/v1/candidates/cand_1 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tr_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "status": "Active", "phone": "+905551112233" }'
```

## Response

`200 OK` — the updated candidate (same shape as [Get a candidate](/docs/api/pipeline/candidates-get/)).

## Status codes

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `200` | Updated. |
| `400` | `bad_request` — invalid or empty body. |
| `401` | No valid API key. |
| `403` | `insufficient_scope` (missing `candidates:write`) or `forbidden` (no write authority in the candidate's org). |
| `404` | Not found, or not visible to the key. |
| `429` | Rate limit exceeded. |