---
title: po.create | Doing Work API
description: Start a purchase order (draft) for parts for a job from a supplier. Nothing counts as job cost until po.receive. Owner or office.
url: https://doingwork.work/docs/reference/po-create/
---

# po.create

Start a purchase order (draft) for parts for a job from a supplier. Nothing counts as job cost until po.receive. Owner or office.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Who | Agents can call this |
| REST | `POST /v1/purchase-orders` |
| MCP tool | `po_create` |
| Writes | yes, send an Idempotency-Key |
| Area | [Shop](https://doingwork.work/docs/reference/#shop) |

## When to use it

Start a purchase order (draft) for parts for a job from a supplier. Nothing counts as job cost until po.receive.

## What to tell the owner

Say what you did in plain words and what happens next.

## Input

| Field | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| `job_id` | string (uuid) | yes |
| `vendor_id` | string (uuid) | yes |
| `note` | string | no |
| `lines` | array | yes |
| `lines[].name` | string | yes |
| `lines[].unit` | string | no |
| `lines[].quantity` | number | yes |
| `lines[].unit_cost_minor` | integer | yes |
| `lines[].unit_price_minor` | integer | no |
| `lines[].taxable` | boolean | no |

## Example

```http
POST https://doingwork.work/v1/purchase-orders
content-type: application/json
Idempotency-Key: 3f1c...

{
  "job_id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000000",
  "vendor_id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000000",
  "lines": [
    {
      "name": "Ruiz Plumbing",
      "quantity": "...",
      "unit_cost_minor": 50000
    }
  ]
}
```

## Output

JSON. The response shape isn't published yet; read the fields you need and ignore the rest. Errors are `{code, message, status}`.

## Errors

| Code | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `invalid_input`, `invalid_token`, `rate_limited` |  | Can happen on any call. See [errors](https://doingwork.work/docs/errors/). |