The 15Five Public API supports a defined set of objects and endpoints. This article answers common questions about what the API supports, how rate limits work, and rules that govern specific fields and behaviors.
What objects and endpoints does the API support?
Direct Answer: The full list of supported objects and endpoints is published in the 15Five Public API Documentation.
Key Rules:
- Creating objects (e.g., check-ins, high fives) through the API is not supported.
- Sending vacation or time-off data from an HRIS is not supported via the API.
Does 15Five enforce API rate limits?
Direct Answer: Yes. Rate limits apply per server per IP address.
Key Rules:
- Current limits are IP-based, not account-based.
- More granular rate limiting is planned for a future release.
Does 15Five support SFTP?
Direct Answer: Yes.
Key Rules:
- See the SFTP Help Center article for setup details.
Are Objectives visible through the API regardless of privacy settings?
Direct Answer: Yes. All Objectives are fully available via the API.
Key Rules:
- Objectives are not masked by privacy settings when accessed through the API.
Do I need to create groups in 15Five before adding members via API?
Direct Answer: No. Groups can be created and populated simultaneously through your API import.
Key Rules:
- If 15Five detects a new group name in a group type column (e.g.,
grouptypeDepartment), it creates that group on import. - To enable automatic group creation, set the
create groups if they do not existflag when sending the import file — this requires code-level access.
Common Misunderstanding: You do not need to pre-create groups in the UI before referencing them in an import file.
Can I assign a group admin when creating groups via the API?
Direct Answer: No. The group admin field cannot be passed through the API.
Key Rules:
- The group admin field will be blank after an API push.
- Assign group admins manually in 15Five after the groups are created.
How does the API determine who the reviewer is?
Direct Answer: The reviewer is not auto-populated from any field — it must be explicitly included in the import.
Key Rules:
- All reviewers must be specified via the
reviewer_emailfield in the CSV. - Manager fields from third-party systems (e.g., UltiPro) do not auto-populate the reviewer field.
Should I use bulkuserimport for user updates?
Direct Answer: No. 15Five engineers recommend using the User — Update endpoint instead.
Key Rules:
-
bulkuserimportis not the recommended method for updating existing users. - Use for updates.
What are the CSV file specs for new and terminated users?
Direct Answer: New users are created automatically if their email is not already in 15Five. Terminated users are deactivated via a field value.
Key Rules:
- A new user is created when their email address does not match an existing 15Five account.
- To deactivate a user, set the
is_activecolumn toNfor that user's row. - New users require an email address even if you use employee ID as the unique identifier — employees must sign in with an email.
- After the initial upload, employee ID alone can serve as the unique identifier for subsequent imports.
- For all column headers and accepted values, visit your Bulk Import page in-app.
Why does the reviews endpoint return no results?
Direct Answer: Access to review data through the API requires specific admin permissions on the API key creator's account.
Key Rules:
- The API key creator must hold both company admin and review admin roles in 15Five.
- The key creator must have cycle administrator access for the relevant review cycle.
- Seeing review cycles in the UI does not guarantee API access to that data.
- Using an API key not limited to High Fives only does not grant review data access by itself.
Who can access the API key in the application?
Direct Answer: Only account admins can view or access the API key inside 15Five.
Key Rules:
- Admins may share the key with other team members, but key visibility in-app is restricted to account admins.