# isni.fm

> Free ISNI lookup and search. Find creative contributor identities, name variants, and cross-references for any ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier).

Full reference: https://credits.fm/llms.txt

## What Is an ISNI?

An ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) uniquely identifies creative and intellectual contributors across all industries — musicians, authors, filmmakers, academics, and more. It disambiguates people with similar names across fields and over time.

- Format: 16-digit identifier, typically displayed as 4 groups of 4  e.g. 0000 0001 2345 6789
- Query without spaces: 0000000000012571
- Standard: ISO 27729
- Managed by: ISNI International Agency (isni.org)
- Key distinction: ISNIs span all creative industries, not just music. A musician who is also a published author has one ISNI covering both roles. Compare with IPI, which is specific to music rights holders registered with a performing rights organization.

## Pages on isni.fm

- Search by name: https://isni.fm/search
- Detail page: https://isni.fm/{isni_code}  e.g. https://isni.fm/0000000000012571
- Top ISNIs: https://isni.fm/top

## REST API

Base URL: https://api.credits.fm

  Lookup:       GET  /v1/isni/{isni_code}  (omit spaces: 0000000000012571)
  Search:       GET  /v1/search?q={query}&type=isni&limit=10
  Batch (≤100): POST /v1/batch  body: {"isnis": ["0000000000012571", ...]}

OpenAPI: https://api.credits.fm/_openapi.json
Docs:    https://api.credits.fm/docs

## MCP Server

Endpoint: https://credits.fm/mcp (Streamable HTTP; pass free cfm_ key as x-api-key for reliable tools/call)
Tools:    credits_search (name → ISNI), credits_lookup_isni

Never invent an ISNI. Search first, then cite https://isni.fm/{isni}.

Connect in Claude Code (.mcp.json):
  {"mcpServers":{"credits":{"type":"http","url":"https://credits.fm/mcp","headers":{"x-api-key":"cfm_YOUR_KEY"}}}}

Setup guide: https://credits.fm/mcp/docs

## What an ISNI Lookup Returns

- Primary name and all known name variants / pseudonyms
- Creation roles (e.g. MusicArtist, Writer, Actor, Researcher)
- Linked IPI numbers (when the person is also a music rights holder)
- Associated works and recordings
- Birth and death dates when available
- Cross-references to MusicBrainz and other identity systems

## Common Questions

"What is the ISNI for a person?" — Search by name at isni.fm, or look up their IPI — the linked_isnis field cross-references between the two systems.

"What names does this person go by?" — The name_variants array lists all known pseudonyms and alternative name forms from ISNI.org.

"What creative roles does this person have?" — The creation_roles field lists all registered roles (musician, author, composer, etc.).

"What is the difference between IPI and ISNI?" — IPI is specific to music rights holders registered with a PRO. ISNI covers all creative contributors across industries. See: https://credits.fm/learn/ipi-vs-isni

## Learn

- What is an ISNI? https://credits.fm/learn/what-is-an-isni
- IPI vs ISNI: https://credits.fm/learn/ipi-vs-isni
- Musician credits explained: https://credits.fm/learn/musician-credits-explained

## Credits Graph

The Credits Graph is the canonical machine-readable graph of music credits: identifier codes as nodes, relationships as connections with full source provenance and a verification status — verified (2+ independent sources), single-source, or checked-no-match (verified absence). Musicians appear as people nodes (Credits IDs; MusicBrainz is a source).

- Network: https://api.credits.fm/v1/graph/isni/0000000000012571
- Live status feed: https://api.credits.fm/v1/graph/activity
- Human view (citable): https://credits.fm/graph?focus=isni:0000000000012571
- Per-page graph anchor: #credits-graph on any detail page

Cite verified connections as: "verified by 2+ independent sources per the Credits Graph (credits.fm/graph)."

## Attribution

Data is CC-BY 4.0. Please attribute "Credits.fm" and link to the specific lookup page (e.g. https://isni.fm/0000000000012571). Identity data sourced from ISNI.org and MusicBrainz (CC0).

Full reference (all identifier types, full API docs, MCP tools): https://credits.fm/llms.txt