> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.meter.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Manifest Comparison
> Compare a known list of items against scrape results to detect additions and removals
# Manifest Comparison
**Manifest comparison** lets you submit a list of known items (a "manifest") and compare it against your scrape results using fuzzy matching. Meter identifies which items were added, removed, or still present — even when names don't match exactly.
## When to use manifest comparison
* Track portfolio companies on a firm's website — detect when new companies are added or removed
* Monitor team pages for personnel changes
* Compare a known product catalog against a competitor's current listings
* Verify that a list of partners or clients on a website matches your records
## How it works
1. You scrape a page using a strategy (e.g., extract company names from a portfolio page)
2. You submit your manifest — a JSON list of items you already know about
3. Meter fuzzy-matches each manifest item against the scraped results
4. You get back three lists: **matched**, **added**, and **removed**
```
Manifest (12 items) Website (13 items)
├── Acme Corp ←→ Acme Corporation ✓ matched (90%)
├── Beta Industries ✗ (not found) ✗ removed
├── Gamma Solutions ←→ Gamma Solutions Inc ✓ matched (95%)
│ ... ...
└── Delta Partners + added
```
### Fuzzy matching
Meter uses fuzzy string matching to handle common variations:
| Manifest | Website | Score |
| --------------- | ------------------- | ----- |
| Acme Corp | Acme Corporation | 90 |
| Beta Inc | Beta Industries | 86 |
| JP Morgan | JPMorgan Chase | 85 |
| Gamma Solutions | Gamma Solutions Inc | 95 |
The default threshold is **80** (out of 100). Items scoring below the threshold are treated as non-matches. You can adjust this per request.
Fuzzy matching handles abbreviations ("Corp" → "Corporation"), word order differences, and minor spelling variations. It does **not** handle semantic equivalence like "Facebook" → "Meta Platforms" or "IBM" → "International Business Machines". For those cases, consider lowering the threshold or using exact field matches on other identifiers (like URLs).
### Match fields
You choose which field(s) to match on via `match_fields`. For example, if your scrape results have `name` and `website` fields, you can match on `["name"]` or `["name", "website"]`.
When multiple match fields are provided, Meter takes the **best score** across fields. This means an exact URL match will count even if the name is slightly different.
## Quick example
```bash theme={null}
# Compare your manifest against the latest results for a strategy
curl -X POST https://api.meter.sh/api/strategies/{strategy_id}/compare-manifest \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"manifest": [
{"name": "Acme Corp"},
{"name": "Beta Industries"},
{"name": "Gamma Solutions"}
],
"match_fields": ["name"],
"threshold": 80
}'
```
### Response
```json theme={null}
{
"matched": [
{
"manifest_item": {"name": "Acme Corp"},
"scraped_item": {"name": "Acme Corporation", "website": "acme.com"},
"score": 90.0,
"matched_on": "name"
},
{
"manifest_item": {"name": "Gamma Solutions"},
"scraped_item": {"name": "Gamma Solutions Inc", "website": "gamma.com"},
"score": 95.0,
"matched_on": "name"
}
],
"added": [
{"name": "Delta Partners", "website": "delta.com"}
],
"removed": [
{"name": "Beta Industries"}
],
"summary": {
"matched": 2,
"added": 1,
"removed": 1,
"manifest_count": 3,
"scraped_count": 3
},
"threshold_used": 80.0,
"match_fields_used": ["name"]
}
```
## Typical workflow
### 1. Create a strategy with an output schema
Define the exact fields you want extracted:
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.meter.sh/api/strategies/generate \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"url": "https://example-vc.com/portfolio",
"description": "Extract portfolio company names and websites",
"name": "Portfolio Tracker",
"output_schema": {
"name": "string",
"website": "string"
}
}'
```
### 2. Schedule regular scrapes
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.meter.sh/api/schedules \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"strategy_id": "STRATEGY_ID",
"url": "https://example-vc.com/portfolio",
"interval_seconds": 86400
}'
```
### 3. Compare your manifest whenever you need
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.meter.sh/api/strategies/STRATEGY_ID/compare-manifest \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"manifest": [
{"name": "Company A", "website": "companya.com"},
{"name": "Company B", "website": "companyb.com"}
],
"match_fields": ["name"],
"threshold": 80
}'
```
## Tuning the threshold
| Threshold | Use case |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **90-100** | Strict matching — names must be nearly identical |
| **80** (default) | Balanced — handles "Corp" vs "Corporation", "Inc" vs "Industries" |
| **60-70** | Loose — catches more variations but may produce false positives |
Start with the default threshold of 80. If you see items incorrectly showing as "removed" that are actually on the site with a slightly different name, lower the threshold. If you see false matches, raise it.
## Endpoints
There are two ways to compare a manifest:
| Endpoint | Description |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `POST /api/strategies/{id}/compare-manifest` | Compare against the **latest completed job** for a strategy |
| `POST /api/jobs/{id}/compare-manifest` | Compare against a **specific job's** results |
The strategy endpoint is the most common choice — it automatically uses the most recent results. Use the job endpoint when you need to compare against a specific point in time.
See the full API reference: [Jobs REST API](/api-reference/rest/jobs#compare-manifest) and [Strategies REST API](/api-reference/rest/strategies#compare-manifest).
## Best practices
Define an `output_schema` when creating your strategy so that field names are predictable and consistent across scrapes. This makes `match_fields` reliable.
Company names are usually the best match field. URLs can be a good secondary field. Avoid matching on generic fields like "description" where content varies significantly.
If you have both `name` and `website` fields, use `match_fields: ["name", "website"]`. Meter takes the best score across fields, so an exact URL match will work even if the name format differs.
Your manifest items only need to contain the fields listed in `match_fields`. Extra fields are preserved in the response but ignored during matching.
## Next steps
Define consistent extraction shapes
Automatic change tracking between scrapes
Automate regular scrapes
Full endpoint documentation
## Need help?
Email me at [mckinnon@meter.sh](mailto:mckinnon@meter.sh)