> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usejuiced.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Adding Fields to a Lead Category
> How to add custom fields to a lead category so your schema captures exactly the data you need.
Every lead category starts with a set of [basic fields](/features/lead-categories#basic-fields)—name, email, phone, address, and so on. But your leads almost certainly carry more information than that. A home insurance lead might include property type and current coverage amount. A solar lead might include roof age and electric bill.
Custom fields let you extend a lead category's schema so you can capture, validate, and deliver that extra data.
## Prerequisites
* You need an existing lead category. If you don't have one yet, create one from **Lead Categories** → **New lead category**, or use a template.
* Admin role access to your tenant.
## Step 1: Open the lead category
Navigate to **Lead Categories** in the left sidebar (under the **Ingest** group) and click **Edit** on the lead category you want to add fields to.
The edit page shows the category's name and description at the top, and the **Fields** table below it. You'll see the 10 default fields already attached—first\_name, last\_name, email, and so on. These appear in gray because they're locked and can't be renamed or deleted.
## Step 2: Click New field
Click the **New field** button in the top-right corner of the Fields section. This opens the Create Field modal.
## Step 3: Fill in the field details
The modal has two required fields and several optional settings:
### Title
Enter a name for your field. This is the identifier that sources will use when submitting lead data via the API, so keep it machine-friendly:
* Must start with a letter or underscore
* Can only contain letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes
* Must be unique within this lead category
Good examples: `property_type`, `coverage_amount`, `roof_age`, `electric_bill`
### Type
Select the data type from the dropdown. Types are organized into searchable groups—you can type to filter. The type you choose determines how the field's value is validated when leads are submitted. See [field types](/features/lead-categories#field-types) for the full list.
Choose your type carefully—it affects validation. A field typed as **Phone (US)** will reject values that don't match actual US phone number patterns, not just any 10-digit string.
### Toggle settings
Four toggles control how the field behaves across the system:
| Toggle | What it does |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Required for post** | The field must be present when a lead is submitted via the API. Missing it returns a `422` error. |
| **Required for ping** | The field must be present during the [ping phase](/features/ping-post) of ping-post. |
| **Deliverable** | The field is included in lead data sent to customers—visible in the customer portal and included in webhook payloads. |
| **Hidden from api spec** | The field won't appear on your public API specification page. Useful for internal tracking fields you don't want sources to see. |
### Values (List of Values type only)
If you selected **List of Values** as the type, a **Values** input appears. Type each allowed value and press Enter to add it as a tag. Any submitted value not in this list will fail validation.
### Description
An optional text description of what this field captures. This is for your own reference—it appears in the fields table to help your team understand what each field is for.
## Step 4: Create the field
Click **Create** to add the field and close the modal. If you have several fields to add, click **Create & create another** instead—it saves the current field and immediately reopens a fresh form.
A green **Created** notification confirms the field was added successfully.
Your new field now appears at the bottom of the fields table. Unlike the locked default fields, custom fields show **Edit** and **Delete** actions on hover.
## Editing and deleting custom fields
You can update a custom field's properties at any time by clicking **Edit** on its row. The same modal opens with the current values pre-filled.
To remove a field, click **Delete**. If the field is used in an operator condition (for example, in a lead type or distribution rule), deletion will fail with an error message explaining the dependency. You'll need to remove the field from those conditions first.
Deleting a field is permanent. Any historical lead data for that field is preserved, but the field will no longer appear in the schema or be validated on new submissions.
## Quick-toggling field properties
You don't always need to open the edit modal. The **Required for post**, **Required for ping**, **Deliverable**, and **Hidden from api spec** columns in the fields table are all toggle switches. Click any of them to flip the value instantly—no modal, no save button needed.
The **Required for post** and **Required for ping** toggles are disabled for the **zip** field. ZIP code is always required at the system level because all routing is geographically based.
## What happens next
Once a field is added to a lead category, it immediately takes effect:
* **API validation** starts enforcing the field's type and required rules on new submissions
* **Deliverable fields** start appearing in the customer portal and webhook payloads
* **Lead type conditions** can now use the field to route leads to more specific types
* **Sources** should be updated to include the new field in their submissions—especially if you marked it as required for post