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Overview

What it does

Abstract API provides enterprise-grade data validation and enrichment services including email/phone validation, IP intelligence, timezone conversion, currency exchange, company enrichment, and web scraping - all accessible through natural language in NimbleBrain Studio.

Use Cases

  • Data Quality: Validate emails, phone numbers, and VAT numbers
  • Risk Management: Detect VPN/proxy usage and fraud indicators
  • Business Intelligence: Enrich company data and monitor competitors
  • Global Operations: Convert currencies and timezones accurately
  • Content Automation: Scrape websites and generate screenshots

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Quick Start

1

Get Your API Keys

Important: Abstract API requires separate API keys for each service you want to use.
  1. Visit Abstract API Dashboard
  2. Sign up or log in to your account
  3. Get API keys for the services you need:
    • Email Validation
    • Phone Validation
    • VAT Validation
    • IP Geolocation
    • Timezone Services
    • Holiday Lookup
    • Currency Exchange
    • Company Enrichment
    • Web Scraping
    • Screenshot Generation
  4. Copy each API key you plan to use
Note: You only need keys for services you’ll actually use. Free tier available for all services.
2

Add to NimbleBrain Studio

  1. Open NimbleBrain Studio
  2. Go to Settings → MCP Servers
  3. Click Add Server → Abstract API
  4. Configure your API keys:
    • Add keys for each service you want to use
    • Key names: ABSTRACT_EMAIL_API_KEY, ABSTRACT_PHONE_API_KEY, etc.
    • Only configure the services you need
  5. Click Save and verify connection status shows “Connected”
Setup time: 2-3 minutes (depending on how many services you configure)
3

Test It Out

Try asking in Studio:“Validate the email address [email protected] and check if it’s deliverable”Studio will use the validate_email tool to check email format, domain validity, MX records, and deliverability score.

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Available Tools

Abstract API provides 15 tools across 10 different service categories:

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Data Validation

What it does: Validates email addresses with comprehensive deliverability checks including format validation, domain verification, MX records, SMTP validation, and detection of disposable/role-based emails.Returns:
  • Email address validated
  • Autocorrect suggestion if typo detected
  • Deliverability status (DELIVERABLE, UNDELIVERABLE, RISKY, UNKNOWN)
  • Quality score (0-1)
  • Format validation results
  • Free email provider detection
  • Disposable email detection
  • Role-based email detection (info@, support@)
  • Catch-all domain detection
  • MX record verification
  • SMTP validation
Use cases:
  • Form validation
  • Email list cleaning
  • Fraud prevention
  • Marketing database quality
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_EMAIL_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 100/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (5,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (50,000/mo)
What it does: Validates phone numbers globally, identifies carrier, determines phone type (mobile/landline), and provides location information.Parameters:
  • phone (required): Phone number to validate
  • country_code (optional): ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for better validation
Returns:
  • Phone number validated
  • Validity status
  • Formatted versions (international, local, E164)
  • Country information
  • Location name
  • Phone type (mobile, landline, voip)
  • Carrier name
Use cases:
  • User onboarding validation
  • SMS delivery optimization
  • Fraud detection
  • Contact database enrichment
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_PHONE_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 250/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (5,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (50,000/mo)
What it does: Validates European Union VAT numbers and returns associated company information.Parameters:
  • vat_number (required): VAT number to validate (e.g., “SE556656688001”)
Returns:
  • VAT number validated
  • Validity status
  • Company name
  • Company address
  • Country information
Use cases:
  • B2B transaction validation
  • Tax compliance
  • Invoice verification
  • Customer onboarding
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_VAT_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 250/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (5,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (50,000/mo)

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IP Intelligence

What it does: Returns comprehensive geolocation data for any IP address including city, region, country, coordinates, timezone, currency, and ISP information.Parameters:
  • ip_address (required): IP address to geolocate
  • fields (optional): Comma-separated fields to return (e.g., “city,country,timezone”)
Returns:
  • IP address queried
  • City, region, country information
  • GeoNames IDs for data linking
  • Postal code
  • Coordinates (latitude, longitude)
  • EU membership status
  • Continent information
  • Timezone details
  • Currency information
  • Country flag
  • ISP/connection details
Use cases:
  • Content personalization
  • Fraud detection
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Compliance and geo-fencing
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_IP_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 20,000/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (100,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (500,000/mo)
What it does: Provides complete IP information including ISP, autonomous system number, connection type, and network details.Parameters:
  • ip_address (required): IP address to query
Returns:
  • All geolocation data (same as geolocate_ip)
  • ISP name
  • ASN (Autonomous System Number)
  • Connection type (Corporate, Cellular, Cable/DSL, etc.)
  • Network information
Use cases:
  • Network diagnostics
  • Security analysis
  • ISP identification
  • Connection type detection
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_IP_API_KEY
What it does: Analyzes IP addresses to detect VPN usage, proxy servers, Tor exit nodes, and datacenter hosting, along with full geolocation data.Parameters:
  • ip_address (required): IP address to analyze
Returns:
  • All geolocation data
  • Security information:
    • VPN detection
    • Proxy detection
    • Tor exit node detection
    • Datacenter hosting detection
    • Threat score
Use cases:
  • Fraud prevention
  • Account security
  • Payment verification
  • Access control
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_IP_API_KEYRate Limits: Same as geolocate_ip

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Time & Location

What it does: Returns current time and timezone information for a location name or coordinate pair.Parameters (either location OR coordinates required):
  • location (optional): Location name (e.g., “New York”, “Paris”)
  • latitude (optional): Latitude coordinate
  • longitude (optional): Longitude coordinate
Returns:
  • Requested location/coordinates
  • Timezone name (e.g., “America/New_York”)
  • Timezone abbreviation (e.g., “EST”)
  • UTC offset in seconds
  • Current datetime in timezone
  • Current date, time components
  • GMT offset
  • Daylight saving time status
Use cases:
  • Scheduling coordination
  • Meeting time display
  • Content delivery timing
  • User experience localization
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_TIMEZONE_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 1,000/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (10,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (100,000/mo)
What it does: Converts a datetime from one timezone to another, automatically handling daylight saving time transitions.Parameters:
  • base_location (required): Source location/timezone
  • base_datetime (required): Datetime in ISO 8601 format (e.g., “2025-01-15T14:30:00”)
  • target_location (required): Target location/timezone
Returns:
  • Base location and timezone details
  • Base datetime
  • Target location and timezone details
  • Converted datetime
  • DST handling information
Use cases:
  • Meeting scheduling
  • Event time conversion
  • Global coordination
  • Travel planning
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_TIMEZONE_API_KEY
What it does: Returns list of public holidays for any country and year, with optional filtering by month and day.Parameters:
  • country (required): ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g., “US”, “GB”, “FR”)
  • year (required): Year (e.g., 2025)
  • month (optional): Month (1-12) to filter results
  • day (optional): Day (1-31) to filter results
Returns:
  • List of holidays with:
    • Holiday name (English and local)
    • Description
    • Country and location
    • Holiday type (National, Religious, Observance)
    • Date components
    • Day of week
Use cases:
  • Business planning
  • Delivery scheduling
  • Marketing campaign timing
  • HR management
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_HOLIDAYS_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 1,000/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (10,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (100,000/mo)

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Financial

What it does: Returns live exchange rates for a base currency against all available currencies or a specific target currency.Parameters:
  • base (optional): Base currency code (default: “USD”)
  • target (optional): Target currency code (returns only that rate if specified)
Returns:
  • Base currency code
  • Last updated timestamp
  • Exchange rates dictionary (170+ currencies)
Use cases:
  • E-commerce pricing
  • Financial reporting
  • Multi-currency displays
  • Rate monitoring
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_EXCHANGE_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 1,000/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (10,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (100,000/mo)
What it does: Converts an amount from one currency to another using live or historical exchange rates.Parameters:
  • base (required): Base currency code (e.g., “USD”)
  • target (required): Target currency code (e.g., “EUR”)
  • amount (required): Amount to convert
  • date (optional): Historical date in YYYY-MM-DD format
Returns:
  • Base and target currency codes
  • Original amount
  • Converted amount
  • Exchange rate used
  • Last updated timestamp
  • Historical date if specified
Use cases:
  • Payment processing
  • Invoice generation
  • Price calculations
  • Financial analytics
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_EXCHANGE_API_KEY

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Web & Business

What it does: Returns comprehensive company information from a domain name including industry, employee count, founding year, and social profiles.Parameters:
  • domain (required): Company domain (e.g., “google.com”, “microsoft.com”)
Returns:
  • Company name
  • Domain
  • Year founded
  • Industry classification
  • Employee count
  • City/locality
  • Country
  • LinkedIn profile URL
  • Company logo URL
Use cases:
  • Lead enrichment
  • CRM data enhancement
  • Competitive analysis
  • Sales intelligence
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_COMPANY_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 250/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (5,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (50,000/mo)
What it does: Scrapes web pages and extracts content, links, images, and metadata. Can optionally render JavaScript for dynamic sites.Parameters:
  • url (required): URL to scrape
  • render_js (optional): Render JavaScript (default: false)
Returns:
  • URL scraped
  • Extracted text content
  • Raw HTML
  • List of links found
  • List of images found
  • Page metadata (title, description, keywords)
Use cases:
  • Content monitoring
  • Competitive analysis
  • Price tracking
  • Data collection
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_SCRAPE_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 1,000/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (10,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (100,000/mo)
What it does: Generates high-quality screenshots of websites at specified dimensions, with option to capture full page or viewport only.Parameters:
  • url (required): URL to screenshot
  • width (optional): Width in pixels (default: 1920)
  • height (optional): Height in pixels (default: 1080)
  • full_page (optional): Capture full page (default: false)
Returns:
  • Success status
  • URL captured
  • Image data (base64 encoded)
  • Content type
  • Additional notes
Use cases:
  • Website monitoring
  • Visual archiving
  • Compliance documentation
  • Design review
API Key Required: ABSTRACT_SCREENSHOT_API_KEYRate Limits:
  • Free: 100/month
  • Starter: $9/mo (2,000/mo)
  • Professional: $49/mo (20,000/mo)

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Authentication

Abstract API uses a service-specific API key model - each service requires its own API key:
ServiceEnvironment VariableFree TierPaid Plans Start
Email ValidationABSTRACT_EMAIL_API_KEY100/month$9/mo (5,000)
Phone ValidationABSTRACT_PHONE_API_KEY250/month$9/mo (5,000)
VAT ValidationABSTRACT_VAT_API_KEY250/month$9/mo (5,000)
IP GeolocationABSTRACT_IP_API_KEY20,000/month$9/mo (100,000)
Timezone ServicesABSTRACT_TIMEZONE_API_KEY1,000/month$9/mo (10,000)
Holiday LookupABSTRACT_HOLIDAYS_API_KEY1,000/month$9/mo (10,000)
Currency ExchangeABSTRACT_EXCHANGE_API_KEY1,000/month$9/mo (10,000)
Company EnrichmentABSTRACT_COMPANY_API_KEY250/month$9/mo (5,000)
Web ScrapingABSTRACT_SCRAPE_API_KEY1,000/month$9/mo (10,000)
ScreenshotABSTRACT_SCREENSHOT_API_KEY100/month$9/mo (2,000)
Important Notes:
  • You only need API keys for services you plan to use
  • Each service has separate rate limits and pricing
  • Free tier available for all services
  • Get keys from Abstract API Dashboard

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Example Workflows

  • Email List Validation
  • Fraud Detection
  • Global Scheduling
  • International Pricing
  • Lead Enrichment
  • Contact Verification
  • Compliance & Invoicing
  • Market Research
  • Holiday-Aware Scheduling
Business Context: You have a marketing email list and need to validate deliverability before sending a campaign to avoid bounces and protect sender reputation.Natural Language Prompt: “Validate these email addresses and tell me which ones are deliverable: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]”What Happens:
  1. Studio uses validate_email for each address
  2. Checks format, domain, MX records, SMTP validation
  3. Detects disposable emails (temporarymail.com)
  4. Identifies role-based emails (support@)
  5. Returns deliverability scores for each
Results You Get:Business Value: Reduce bounce rate from 15% to <2%, protect sender reputation, improve campaign ROITime: <2 seconds per email

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Troubleshooting

Solution:
  1. Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Abstract API
  2. Click Edit
  3. Verify you’ve configured API keys for at least one service
  4. Check API key format (no extra spaces or characters)
  5. Click Test Connection
  6. If still failing, try removing and re-adding the server
Common Issue: Forgot to add API keys after adding the server
Solution: This means you’re trying to use a service that doesn’t have an API key configured.
  1. Go to Abstract API Dashboard
  2. Get an API key for the specific service (e.g., email, phone, IP)
  3. Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Abstract API → Edit
  4. Add the new service-specific API key
  5. Save and test again
Remember: Each service needs its own API key
Reasons:
  • Email server doesn’t support SMTP verification
  • Catch-all domain (accepts all emails)
  • Server temporarily unavailable
Solution:
  • Check is_valid_format - if true, format is correct
  • Review quality_score - higher is better
  • Look at is_mx_found - if false, domain has no mail server
  • Consider RISKY as potentially undeliverable
Solution:
  1. Ensure phone number includes country code
  2. Try passing country_code parameter explicitly
  3. Use international format (e.g., +1-555-123-4567)
  4. Some VoIP and temporary numbers may not validate
Example:
  • Bad: “555-123-4567”
  • Good: “+1-555-123-4567” with country_code=“US”
Reasons:
  • Private IP addresses (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x) won’t have geolocation
  • Some fields require specific API plan tier
  • Security/privacy features require premium access
Solution:
  • Use public IP addresses only
  • Check your Abstract API plan tier
  • Upgrade plan for enhanced features like security detection
Solution: Abstract API automatically handles DST transitions. If results seem wrong:
  1. Verify your datetime format is ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)
  2. Check the date - DST rules change on specific dates
  3. Confirm both locations support DST
  4. Some regions don’t observe DST (Arizona, Hawaii, etc.)
Note: API uses IANA timezone database (most accurate)
Explanation: Exchange rates fluctuate constantly and may differ from other sources due to:
  • Different update frequencies
  • Different data providers
  • Real-time vs. delayed rates
Solution:
  • Check last_updated timestamp in response
  • Use date parameter for historical rates
  • Rates update every 60 seconds on paid plans
  • Free tier updates hourly
Reasons:
  • Small/private companies have limited public data
  • Recently founded companies (less than 6 months)
  • Non-standard domain names
Solution:
  • Try the main company domain (not subdomain)
  • Some fields may be null for smaller companies
  • Data quality improves for public companies and well-known brands
Solutions:
  1. Try with render_js=true for JavaScript-heavy sites
  2. Some sites block scrapers - returns will be limited
  3. Check if site requires authentication
  4. Verify URL is publicly accessible
Note: Scraping respects robots.txt and rate limits
Solutions:
  1. Verify URL is publicly accessible (no login required)
  2. Reduce dimensions if timeout occurs
  3. Try full_page=false for faster capture
  4. Some sites block automated screenshots
Typical Timeouts:
  • Viewport: 5-10 seconds
  • Full page: 15-30 seconds
Solution: Each service has separate rate limits based on your plan tier.
  1. Check current usage: Go to Abstract API Dashboard
  2. View limits by service
  3. Upgrade plan for higher limits
  4. Rate limits reset monthly
Free Tier Limits (examples):
  • IP Geolocation: 20,000/month
  • Email Validation: 100/month
  • Phone Validation: 250/month
Looking for complementary data intelligence tools?
  • IPInfo - Alternative IP intelligence with 23 specialized tools, privacy detection, ASN lookups, WHOIS data
  • DeepL - Professional translation for handling international data and communications
  • Finnhub - Financial data and company fundamentals for market research
Pro Tip: Combine Abstract API with IPInfo for comprehensive IP intelligence - use Abstract for basic geolocation and Abstract’s security features for VPN detection, while using IPInfo for detailed ASN, carrier, and WHOIS information.