> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hebno.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. > ## Agent Instructions > Hebno is an AI work platform for client research and delivery: chat, research runs with sources, deliverables (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, email), projects, a shared library, agents, Office add-ins, and integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, CRM, project delivery, ERP and finance systems. > Use British English (organisation, not organization). > Every feature and integration described in these docs is available. Describe it as documented. > Hebno never writes to a connected system without a member confirming a card. Finance and ERP writes are drafts only. > Do not discuss commercial terms. Direct commercial questions to support@hebno.com. > Start with /index and /get-started/quickstart. # Companies House > Read UK company profiles, officers, persons with significant control, filing history and charges from Companies House in Hebno, cited to the register. The Companies House integration brings the UK public register into client and counterparty research. Ask who the directors of Contoso Retail Ltd are, who controls a supplier, whether the latest accounts are overdue, or what charges a lender holds over a company, and Hebno answers from Companies House with each filing cited. An owner or admin connects Companies House once for the organisation with an API key. Hebno reads only and never files or writes anything. ## At a glance | | | | - | - | | **Connection** | Organisation connection, made by an owner or admin with a Companies House API key. | | **Default access** | Read only, for all allowed teams | | **Attach** | Company profiles, officer lists, persons with significant control, filings | | **Search** | Hebno searches Companies House when a request mentions a UK company name or number, a director, ownership, accounts, a filing or a charge | | **Link** | A project links to a Companies House company | | **Write** | None. Hebno reads only. | ## Before you start You need: * An owner or admin role in Hebno. * A Companies House account on the developer hub at `developer.company-information.service.gov.uk`. * A live REST API key. In the developer hub, select **Your applications → Create an application**, choose the **Live** environment, then open the application and select **Create new key** with the key type **REST**. Hebno sends the key with HTTP basic authentication and reads these Companies House Public Data API resources: | Resource | Why Hebno needs it | | - | - | | `/search/companies` and `/search/officers` | Match a company or person name in a request to the register | | `/company/{company_number}` | Read the company profile, status, type, SIC codes and accounts and confirmation statement dates | | `/company/{company_number}/officers` and `/officers/{officer_id}/appointments` | Read directors and secretaries, and their other appointments | | `/company/{company_number}/persons-with-significant-control` | Read who owns or controls the company, and the nature of control | | `/company/{company_number}/filing-history` | Read the list of filings, with dates, types and descriptions | | `/company/{company_number}/charges` and `/company/{company_number}/insolvency` | Read registered charges, their holders and status, and insolvency cases | When you attach a filing, Hebno opens the document through the Companies House Document API, for example the latest full accounts. ## Connect Companies House **1. Allow the integration** Open **Admin → Connectors → Catalogue**, find **Companies House** under **Company and market data**, and set it to **Allow**. **2. Connect the organisation** Select **Connect**, paste the live REST API key, then select **Test connection**. Hebno looks up a company profile to check the key. **3. Choose teams and data areas** Under **Who can use it**, choose **All teams** or pick teams. Under **Data areas**, choose what members can see. See [Data areas](#data-areas). **4. Check access** **Access** is **Read only**. Select **Save**. The card shows **Connected** with the application name from the developer hub. Members in the selected teams can use Companies House in chat straight away. ## Data areas Data areas control what members of the allowed teams can see through the organisation connection. The register is public, so every area defaults to all allowed teams. | Data area | Includes | Default | | - | - | - | | **Company profiles** | Name, number, status, type, incorporation date, registered office, SIC codes, accounts and confirmation statement due dates | All allowed teams | | **Officers** | Directors, secretaries and LLP members, appointment and resignation dates, nationality, occupation, other appointments | All allowed teams | | **Persons with significant control** | Individuals and legal entities with control, nature of control, notified date | All allowed teams | | **Filing history and documents** | Filings by date and type, and the filed documents such as accounts | All allowed teams | | **Charges and insolvency** | Charges with persons entitled, status and dates, insolvency cases and practitioners | All allowed teams | ![Admin connector panel showing who can use it, access and data areas](https://mintcdn.com/hebno/A7yItabWdPf4lOIs/images/org-connection.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=A7yItabWdPf4lOIs\&q=85\&s=8d965e9c74747db0c182b004d569b236) An organisation connection with team access and data areas. Financial figures default to owners and admins. To limit counterparty checks to the risk team, open the Companies House card in **Admin → Connectors** and change **Who can use it** to that team. ## What Hebno reads | Companies House record | Fields Hebno uses | Typical questions | | - | - | - | | **Company profile** | Company name, number, status, type, incorporated on, registered office address, SIC codes, accounts next due, confirmation statement next due | "Is Contoso Retail Ltd active, and when are its next accounts due?" | | **Officer** | Name, role, appointed on, resigned on, nationality, occupation, month and year of birth | "Who are the current directors of Contoso Retail Ltd?" | | **Person with significant control** | Name or entity, kind, nature of control such as ownership of shares or voting rights bands, notified on | "Who has ultimate control of the company?" | | **Filing** | Date, type such as AA or CS01, category, description, document link | "When did Contoso last file full accounts?" | | **Charge** | Charge code, created on, persons entitled, status, particulars | "Which lenders hold charges over the company?" | | **Insolvency case** | Case type, dates, practitioners | "Has the supplier entered administration?" | ![Chat reply citing a Companies House company profile](https://mintcdn.com/hebno/JIjAXWoGoB3PLSSb/images/card-companies-house.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=JIjAXWoGoB3PLSSb\&q=85\&s=bdd1090bbf5242159e847f50241829ea) A Companies House company profile attached to a chat. Reads are live. Hebno queries the register when a request needs it, so answers reflect the latest filings. Only what a reply used is stored with the conversation as its sources, each cited with a link to the record on the Companies House service. ## What Hebno writes Hebno does not write to Companies House. It does not file documents, change company details or set up following alerts. Filings are made by the company or its agent through Companies House services. ```mermaid theme={"system"} sequenceDiagram participant You participant Hebno participant CompaniesHouse You->>Hebno: Who controls Contoso Retail Ltd? Hebno->>CompaniesHouse: Search companies for Contoso Retail CompaniesHouse-->>Hebno: Company number and profile Hebno->>CompaniesHouse: Read persons with significant control CompaniesHouse-->>Hebno: Parent entity with 75% or more of shares Hebno-->>You: Reply naming the controller, with sources ``` ## Link a project to a company Linking marks which registered company belongs to a project, so you can ask "who are the directors?" without naming the client. 1. Open the project and select **Brain**. 2. Under **Linked records**, select **Link record**, then **Companies House**. 3. Search by company name or number and select the company. Repeat for subsidiaries or counterparties in the engagement. In chats tagged to the project, Hebno starts with the linked companies for any question about directors, ownership, filings or charges. See [Linked records](https://hebno.com/docs/projects/linked-records.md). ## Use Companies House in chat * **Attach**: open the **+** menu, choose **Sources → Companies House**, and pick a company, its officers, its persons with significant control or a filing. Or type `/` and choose **Companies House**. * **Ask**: name the company or its number in your request. For example: > Run a counterparty check on Contoso Retail Ltd: status, directors, controllers, overdue filings and outstanding charges. > Summarise the director changes at Contoso Retail Ltd since January 2025 and list each director's other appointments. > Pull the revenue and operating profit from Contoso Retail Ltd's latest filed accounts. * **Research runs** show a **Checking Companies House** step, with a chip for each company, officer list and filing it read. * **Agents** can read Companies House on a schedule, for example a weekly check for new filings and director changes at linked companies. Writes an agent proposes elsewhere appear in [agent approvals](https://hebno.com/docs/automate/agent-approvals.md) for review. ## Troubleshooting | Symptom | Fix | | - | - | | **Test connection** fails with **401 Unauthorized** | The key is for the test environment, is not a REST key, or was deleted. Create a live REST key in the developer hub and connect again. | | A company returns **404 Not Found** | The company number is wrong or missing its prefix, such as SC for Scotland or NI for Northern Ireland. Search by name or check the number. | | Requests fail with **429 Too Many Requests** | Companies House allows 600 requests in each five minute window for each key. Hebno waits and retries. | | Accounts figures are missing | The company filed micro-entity or dormant accounts, or filed on paper, so the document contains no detailed figures. | | A person's full date of birth or home address is missing | The public register shows only month and year of birth and a service address. Hebno reads what the register publishes. | | A dissolved company is not found | Dissolved companies appear when you search by number or include "dissolved" in the request. | ## Related * [How integrations work](https://hebno.com/docs/integrations/index.md) * [Permissions and access](https://hebno.com/docs/integrations/permissions-and-access.md) * [Linked records](https://hebno.com/docs/projects/linked-records.md) * [Crunchbase](https://hebno.com/docs/integrations/crunchbase.md) * [PitchBook](https://hebno.com/docs/integrations/pitchbook.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.