Source: https://sprinto-test.docs-staging.pageloop.ai/api-reference/sprinto-cookbooks/mark-staff-member-account-not-in-scope

# Mark staff member account Not-In-Scope

This cookbook explains how to mark a staff member account as **not-in-scope** using the Sprinto Developer API.

When staff accounts are added to Sprinto through HRMS or email provider integrations, they are included in the audit scope by default. Marking a staff member as not-in-scope excludes them from compliance activities such as policy acknowledgements, training assignments, and automated checks.

This operation is performed using a GraphQL **mutation**.

---

### Before you begin

Ensure that you have:

- A valid **API key**
- Access to the Sprinto API Playground (if using the playground)
- The **email address** of the staff member to mark as not-in-scope

If the provided email address is invalid or does not belong to an active staff member, the API returns an error.

---

### API status

The Sprinto Developer API is currently in beta.

- Endpoints and schema fields may change as new functionality is introduced.

---

### Mutation: `markStaffAsNotInScope`

This mutation marks a staff member as not-in-scope using their email address. You can optionally provide a reason for auditing or tracking purposes.

#### Input arguments

| Argument | Type   | Required | Description                                                  |
| -------- | ------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `email`  | String | Yes      | Email address of the staff member to mark as not-in-scope    |
| `reason` | String | No       | Optional reason for marking the staff member as not-in-scope |

---

### Example mutation

#### Query

```graphql
mutation MarkStaffAsNotInScope($email: String!, $reason: String) {
  markStaffAsNotInScope(email: $email, reason: $reason) {
    user {
      fullName
    }
  }
}
```

#### Response

```python
{
  "email": "example@abc.com",
  "reason": "Testing the API call"
}
```

**Try yourself**: [United States](https://app.sprinto.com/dev-api/explorer): [Europe](https://eu.sprinto.com/dev-api/explorer): [India](https://in.sprinto.com/dev-api/explorer)

---

### How the mutation works

- The request starts with the `Mutation` root type.
- The `markStaffAsNotInScope` mutation identifies the staff member using the `email` argument.
- The optional `reason` argument records why the staff member is excluded from scope.
- On success, the API returns the updated `user` object.

---

### Response fields

You can request the following fields from the returned `user` object:

| Field       | Type   | Description                       |
| ----------- | ------ | --------------------------------- |
| `firstName` | String | First name of the staff member    |
| `lastName`  | String | Last name of the staff member     |
| `fullName`  | String | Full name of the staff member     |
| `email`     | String | Email address of the staff member |

---

### Response codes and errors

The following response codes may be returned for this mutation:

| Status code | Status            | Message                                               | Reason                                                                        |
| ----------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 200         | Success           | The account is marked as not-in-scope.                | The staff member was successfully updated.                                    |
| 200         | Error             | Invalid email address or a non-staff account.         | The email does not belong to a valid staff account or is marked as non-staff. |
| 200         | Error             | The email was assigned to an offboarded staff member. | Offboarded staff members cannot be marked as not-in-scope.                    |
| 401         | Unauthorized      | Invalid or expired API token.                         | The API key is invalid or disabled.                                           |
| 429         | Too many requests | Too many requests. Please try again later.            | The API rate limit has been exceeded.                                         |

---

### Next steps

After marking a staff member as not-in-scope, you can:

- Review in-scope and not-in-scope staff using paginated queries
- Re-include staff members by marking them **in-scope**
- Automate staff scoping as part of onboarding and offboarding workflows