Toolcribr Documentation

What is Toolcribr?

Toolcribr is a cloud-based tool and asset management platform built specifically for contractors, field service companies, and skilled trade businesses. It replaces clipboards, spreadsheets, and guesswork with a real-time system that tracks every tool from the moment it leaves the warehouse to the moment it comes back.

Core Benefits

Who It's For

Toolcribr is built for businesses where people take tools and equipment to job sites and bring them back. If you manage a fleet of tools across multiple crews, vehicles, or locations, Toolcribr is for you.

How Toolcribr is Different

Many companies try to track tools with spreadsheets, whiteboards, or standalone barcode apps. Here is why those approaches fall short and what Toolcribr does instead:

Getting Started

You can be up and running in under 10 minutes. Here is the step-by-step process to go from zero to tracking your first tool.

Create Your Account

1. 1

   Go to the signup page

   Visit toolcribr.com/signup and enter your email address and a password. You can also sign up with a magic link sent to your email — no password needed.

2. 2

   Verify your email

   Check your inbox for a verification email. Click the link to confirm your account. If you used a magic link, this step happens automatically.

3. 3

   Choose your subscription plan

   Select a plan and enter your payment information via Stripe, our secure payment processor. You can start with a free trial — no credit card required.

Set Up Your Organization

After creating your account, you will set up your organization. An organization is the top-level container for everything in Toolcribr — your tools, locations, users, and settings all live inside it.

1. 1

   Name your organization

   Enter your company name. This appears throughout the app and on reports.

2. 2

   Choose a URL slug

   Pick a short identifier for your organization (for example, "acme-electric"). This is used internally to keep your data separate from other customers.

Add Your First Location

Locations represent the physical places where your tools live. Common location types include:

To add a location, go to Inventory > Locations in the sidebar. Click Add Location, choose a type, give it a name, and optionally enter an address. Locations can be nested — for example, a shelf inside a warehouse.

Add Your First Tool

Tools are the core of Toolcribr. Each tool is a serialized, individually tracked asset with its own unique identifier (called an asset tag).

Invite Your Team

Toolcribr has three roles for your organization. Each role determines what a person can see and do inside the app:

To invite team members, go to Settings > Users. Click Invite User, enter their email address, and select a role. They will receive an email invitation to create their account and join your organization.

Daily Workflows

Once your organization is set up with tools, locations, and team members, your daily workflow revolves around four core actions: checking out tools, returning them, transferring between crew members, and monitoring consumable levels.

Checking Out Tools

A checkout is the act of assigning one or more tools to a person for a specific job. There are three ways to start a checkout:

During checkout, you will be asked to enter a Job Reference (such as a work order number or project code). This ties the tool usage to a specific job for cost tracking and reporting. You can type it manually or it can be populated automatically by an external system via the API.

Finally, confirm the checkout using your chosen verification method (PIN entry, biometric, or signature). The system records the checkout with a timestamp, GPS location, and the identity of the person who confirmed it.

Returning Tools

Returning tools is just as important as checking them out. The return process ensures that every tool is accounted for and its condition is documented.

1. 1

   Start a return

   Go to the Return page. You will see a list of all tools currently checked out to you. Select the tools you are returning.

2. 2

   Report condition for each tool

   For every tool, select its condition: Good, Needs Service, Damaged, or Lost. This is mandatory — you cannot skip it.

3. 3

   Add photos for damaged tools

   If you mark a tool as damaged or needing service, you must attach at least one photo showing the issue. Add notes describing what happened. This documentation helps your shop or service team understand the problem.

4. 4

   Report consumables used

   If consumables were part of your checkout (wire, fittings, tape, etc.), enter how many you used. The system automatically deducts the quantity from inventory.

5. 5

   Confirm the return

   Verify with your PIN, biometric, or signature. The system records the return with a timestamp and GPS location, updates the tool status back to "Available" (or "Needs Service" if flagged), and writes an immutable entry to the audit log.

Transferring Tools

Sometimes tools need to change hands in the field without going back to the warehouse first. Toolcribr supports peer-to-peer transfers between crew members.

1. 1

   Initiate the transfer

   Go to Transfers and tap New Transfer. Select the tool you want to hand off and choose the crew member receiving it. Add an optional condition note.

2. 2

   Other person accepts

   The receiving crew member gets a notification (push notification or in-app). They review the tool details and tap Accept or Reject.

3. 3

   Chain of custody updates

   Once accepted, the tool's current assignee is updated. Both the sender and receiver are logged in the audit trail with GPS coordinates from both locations. The full chain of custody is preserved.

Checking Consumable Levels

Consumables are non-serialized items tracked by quantity — things like wire spools, fittings, tape rolls, or fasteners. Toolcribr tracks their stock level and can automatically alert you when supplies run low.

View your consumable inventory at Inventory > Consumables. Items below their reorder threshold are highlighted so you can act quickly.

Management Features

Toolcribr provides managers and admins with powerful tools to oversee operations, generate insights, and configure the system to match your business needs.

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is your home screen after logging in. It is role-aware — Admins and Managers see organization-wide metrics, while Crew members see their personal tool assignments.

Dashboard widgets include:

• Inventory summary — total tools by status (available, checked out, needs service, etc.)
• Overdue returns — tools checked out beyond expected return windows
• Upcoming certifications — tools with certifications expiring in the next 30 days
• Calibration due — tools approaching or past their calibration date
• Low-stock consumables — items below their reorder threshold
• Rental deadlines — rented equipment approaching return dates
• Recent activity — latest checkouts, returns, and transfers across the organization
• Unacknowledged alerts — critical and warning alerts waiting for response

Reports and Analytics

Toolcribr includes 14 built-in report types that cover every aspect of your tool operations. Reports can be exported as JSON, CSV, or PDF, and can be scheduled for automatic weekly or monthly delivery via email.

Access reports from the Reports page in the sidebar. Select a report type, set your date range and filters, and generate the report. Admins can schedule recurring reports under Reports > Scheduled.

Alert Configuration

Alerts notify your team when something needs attention. Toolcribr supports 12 alert types covering certification expiry, calibration due dates, low stock, overdue returns, rental deadlines, damage flags, and more.

For each alert type, Admins can configure:

• Severity — Info, Warning, or Critical
• Recipients — specific users or roles
• Channels — push notification, SMS, email, or any combination
• Escalation path — if the alert is not acknowledged within a set time (default 30 minutes), it escalates to the next person in the chain

Configure alerts at Settings > Notifications.

Certification and Calibration Gates

Manage certification types at Settings > Certifications. Upload crew certifications on each user's profile.

Kit Templates

Each kit template includes:

• Required tools — must be checked out (by category or specific tool)
• Suggested tools — recommended but optional
• Consumable defaults — standard consumable quantities for this type of job

Manage kit templates at Settings > Kits.

Rental Tracking

Manage rentals at Inventory > Rentals. Overdue rentals appear as critical alerts on the dashboard.

API Integration

Toolcribr includes a full REST API that allows external systems to read and write data programmatically. This is how you integrate Toolcribr with your ERP, field service management platform, accounting software, or custom internal tools.

Getting an API Key

1. 1

   Navigate to API settings

   Go to Settings > API Keys in the sidebar. Only Admins can access this page.

2. 2

   Create a new key

   Click Create API Key. Give it a descriptive name (for example, "FieldKeepr Integration") and select the permissions: read-only, read-write, or custom.

3. 3

   Copy your key

   The API key is shown once. Copy it immediately and store it securely. It cannot be retrieved later — only regenerated. The key starts with tc_ followed by a unique string.

Authentication

All API requests require authentication via a Bearer token in the Authorization header. You can either use your API key directly or exchange it for a short-lived JWT token:

# Option 1: Use API key directly
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tc_your_api_key_here" \
  https://www.toolcribr.com/api/v1/tools

# Option 2: Exchange for JWT (recommended for high-frequency use)
curl -X POST https://www.toolcribr.com/api/v1/auth/token \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"api_key": "tc_your_api_key_here"}'

# Response: { "token": "eyJ...", "expires_at": "..." }

Available Endpoints

The API base URL is https://www.toolcribr.com/api/v1. All responses return JSON. Here is a summary of available endpoints:

Webhook Setup

Webhooks let Toolcribr push real-time event notifications to your systems instead of you having to poll the API. When an event occurs (like a tool checkout or alert), Toolcribr sends an HTTP POST to your specified URL.

1. 1

   Register a webhook

   POST to /api/v1/webhooks with your callback URL and the events you want to receive.

2. 2

   Store the secret

   The response includes a secret for HMAC-SHA256 signature verification. Store this securely.

3. 3

   Verify incoming webhooks

   Each webhook delivery includes an X-Toolcribr-Signature header. Compute HMAC-SHA256 of the request body with your secret and compare to verify authenticity.

Available webhook events include:

Example: Integrating with Your FSM Platform

A common integration pattern is connecting Toolcribr with a field service management (FSM) platform like FieldKeepr, ServiceTitan, or a custom ERP. Here is how a typical integration works:

1. 1

   When a work order is created in your FSM

   Your FSM system calls the Toolcribr API to create a checkout, passing the work order number as the job_ref, the assigned technician as the user_id, and the required tools.

2. 2

   When tools are returned

   Subscribe to the tool.return webhook. When Toolcribr sends the return event, your FSM system can update the work order with the actual tools used and their conditions.

3. 3

   For cost reporting

   Call the /api/v1/job-costs?job_ref=WO-1234 endpoint to pull depreciation, rental, and consumable costs for a work order. Import these into your accounting system.

# Example: Create a checkout via API
curl -X POST https://www.toolcribr.com/api/v1/checkouts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tc_your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "user_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "job_ref": "WO-2026-0342",
    "items": [
      { "tool_id": "7c9e6679-7425-40de-944b-e07fc1f90ae7", "quantity": 1 },
      { "consumable_id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479", "quantity": 10 }
    ],
    "confirmed_via": "pin"
  }'

Mobile App

Toolcribr offers a native iOS app designed for field crews. The mobile app focuses on the daily workflows crew members need most: checking out tools, returning them, and transferring between team members.

Download and Setup

1. 1

   Download from the App Store

   Search for "Toolcribr" in the Apple App Store on your iPhone or iPad. The app supports iOS and iPadOS.

2. 2

   Sign in with your existing account

   Use the same email and password (or magic link) that you use on the web. Your organization, tools, and permissions are the same across both platforms.

3. 3

   Enable permissions

   The app will request access to your camera (for QR scanning and damage photos) and location (for GPS logging on checkouts and returns). Both are required for full functionality.

QR Code Scanning

Offline Mode

While offline, a banner at the top of the app shows "Offline — X actions pending sync." Once the device reconnects, the banner disappears and all actions are uploaded. If there is a conflict (for example, the tool was already returned by someone else), the app surfaces the issue and lets you resolve it.

Push Notifications

Billing & Plans

Toolcribr uses a simple subscription model powered by Stripe. Your subscription determines the limits of your account — how many tools, users, and consumables you can manage.

Subscription Management

Manage your subscription at Settings > Billing. This opens the Stripe Customer Portal where you can:

• View your current plan and billing cycle
• Update your payment method
• Download invoices and receipts
• Cancel or pause your subscription

Plan Limits

Each plan includes limits for key resources. These limits are enforced at the database level — you will receive a clear error message if you hit a limit.

Upgrading

If you hit a plan limit, you will see a notification indicating which limit was reached. To upgrade:

1. 1

   Go to Settings > Billing

   Only Admins can access the billing page.

2. 2

   Click Manage Subscription

   This opens the Stripe Customer Portal where you can view available plan upgrades.

3. 3

   Select a higher plan

   Choose a plan with higher limits. The change takes effect immediately. You will be prorated for the remainder of your current billing cycle.