# Get your AESDirect filings and ITNs through an API > Read the Shipment Manager, look up a shipment's ITN and AES responses, or file an EEI from a saved template, with one API call each. A workflow can check each morning's filings for rejections and pass new ITNs to the system that prepares your bills of lading. Page: https://fous.com/automate/ace-aesdirect Updated: 2026-11-12 Works with your own ACE AESDirect account. Fous is an independent product. ## What you can build on AESDirect ### Get shipments from the Shipment Manager Reads the Shipment Manager list, narrowed with Show Filters by USPPI, consignee, country of destination, port of export or Filings Updated in. - Takes: Optional: USPPI name or ID, consignee, country of destination, port of export, updated within - Returns: Filer ID, shipment reference number, count, state, last action, ITN, last updated, last updated by, export date, USPPI, consignee, destination ### Get a shipment's ITN and AES responses Finds one filing by its Shipment Reference Number in the Shipment Manager and reads its Count (History view): every action on it, its state and its ITN. - Takes: Shipment reference number - Returns: Shipment reference number, ITN, current state, each action in its history ### File an EEI from a saved template Selects Create from Template in the Shipment Manager, loads the named template, fills in the fields a template does not keep and selects Submit Filing. - Takes: Template name, SRN, TRN, departure date, origin state, first and second quantity, value, gross weight - Returns: Shipment reference number, state, ITN or rejection response ### Cancel an EEI filing Finds a filing in the Shipment Manager by its Shipment Reference Number and selects Cancel EEI in its Shipment Actions. - Takes: Shipment reference number - Returns: Shipment reference number, ITN, state, last action ## Automate AESDirect with a workflow A [workflow](/product/workflows) runs your methods as one process, with nobody at the screen. A schedule or a call from your own system starts it, the steps run in order, and the result arrives in your inbox or in the systems you already use. ### Rejected EEI filings, every morning Starts: Every weekday at 8:00 1. Get shipments from the Shipment Manager updated in the last 3 days. 2. Keep the filings whose state is rejected and that were not on the last run. 3. Email you each one with its shipment reference number, USPPI, consignee, destination and last action. ### New ITNs, posted to your shipping system Starts: Every hour 1. Get shipments from the Shipment Manager updated in the last day. 2. Keep the shipments with an ITN that was not there on the last run. 3. Post shipment reference number, ITN, export date, USPPI, consignee and destination to your webhook. ### Weekly EEI summary by USPPI Starts: Every Monday at 7:00 1. Get shipments from the Shipment Manager updated in the last 7 days. 2. Group them by USPPI and count the filings in each state with an AI step. 3. Email you the summary with the open rejections listed by shipment reference number. You can run a workflow by hand on every plan, Free included. Schedules and webhook triggers come with the paid plans, from $29 a month. ## Once built, one call from your code Once you have built a [method](/product/methods), it is one POST to /v1/runs from your backend, or a tool an AI agent calls over MCP. This is what “Get shipments from the Shipment Manager” would look like. Example request: ``` curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "method": "ace.cbp.gov/get_shipments", "input": { "consignee": "Northwind", "updated_within_days": 7 } }' ``` Example response: ``` { "status": "completed", "data": { "shipments": [ { "filer_id": "123456789", "shipment_reference_number": "ACME-26-1108", "count": 2, "state": "Accepted", "last_action": "Add", "itn": "X20261110482913", "last_updated": "2026-11-10 14:22", "last_updated_by": "Acme export desk", "export_date": "2026-11-12", "usppi": "Acme Tooling Inc", "consignee": "Northwind Industrial GmbH", "destination": "DE" } ] } } ``` An example with invented data, not a ready-made endpoint. The method exists in your organization once you build it, and its name, inputs and fields follow your request. ## AESDirect’s own options AESDirect is the filing screen inside the ACE Portal, and it has no web API that returns your filings. Systems file EEI to AES through EDI or sFTP, from your own or a certified vendor's software after a Letter of Intent and certification testing, and AESWebLink passes shipment data from another application into AESDirect. | Option | What it covers | What it takes | | --- | --- | --- | | AES EDI or sFTP | Sends EEI to AES from software and receives the AES response, with the ITN when a filing is accepted. | A Letter of Intent to CBP and certification testing, or a certified service center or software vendor. | | AESWebLink | Passes shipment data from an enabled application into AESDirect by HTTP POST, where the user can edit missing or incorrect data. | An AESWebLink enabled application that sends the shipment data. | | Your forwarder or air courier | Files the EEI on your behalf as your authorized agent. | Written authorization to file for you. No ACE registration or Letter of Intent on your side. | | AESDirect by hand | The Shipment Manager, three months of filings at a time, with Show Filters for older ones, plus templates and party profiles. | An ACE Portal exporter account, or an exporter sub-account if you already use the ACE Portal. | Read on November 12, 2026: [ACE AESDirect resources (Census Bureau)](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/transitiontoace.html), [ACE AESDirect frequently asked questions](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/QandAforRefactoredAESDirect031220.pdf), [AESDirect WebLink submission API (CBP)](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/automated/aesdirect-weblink-submission-api). ## Signing in to AESDirect AESDirect opens from your ACE Portal account. You select Trade/PGA User Login at ace.cbp.gov, enter your email and password, then on the Two Factor Authentication page the six-digit Security Token emailed to your login address. With Fous you sign in once through ACE's own sign-in with your own account: the login is sealed with AES-256, the emailed code is handled, and an expired session is signed back in. ## Worth knowing - **Three months in the Shipment Manager**: The Shipment Manager shows three months of filings at a time. Show Filters searches back up to 5 years, 90 days per search, and older accepted filings open through Amend Accepted Filings with ITN, SRN and Filer ID. - **Only AESDirect filings appear**: The Shipment Manager lists only shipments filed through the AESDirect portal. EEI that your forwarder or your EDI software filed does not show there. - **Shipment reference numbers are used once**: Each EEI needs a Shipment Reference Number of 1 to 17 characters that may never be reused. A template keeps everything except the SRN, departure date, origin state, quantities, value, gross weight and TRN. - **Templates belong to the EIN**: Only users who file under your company's EIN see its templates and party profiles. AESDirect keeps up to 1000 templates per Filer ID. ## More in Logistics: forwarders, air cargo and customs - [Extensiv 3PL Warehouse Manager](https://fous.com/automate/extensiv-3pl-warehouse-manager.md) - [Air France KLM Martinair Cargo myCargo](https://fous.com/automate/air-france-klm-martinair-cargo-mycargo.md) - [e-SkyCargo](https://fous.com/automate/e-skycargo.md) - [Lufthansa Cargo eServices](https://fous.com/automate/lufthansa-cargo-eservices.md) - [ACE Secure Data Portal](https://fous.com/automate/ace-secure-data-portal.md) - [CARM Client Portal](https://fous.com/automate/carm-client-portal.md) - [Dubai Trade](https://fous.com/automate/dubai-trade.md) - [Customs Declaration Service](https://fous.com/automate/customs-declaration-service.md) - [douane.gouv.fr](https://fous.com/automate/douane-gouv-fr.md) - [myDHLi](https://fous.com/automate/mydhli.md) - [myDSV](https://fous.com/automate/mydsv.md) - [myKN](https://fous.com/automate/mykn.md) - [IPAFFS](https://fous.com/automate/ipaffs.md) - [DGFT portal](https://fous.com/automate/dgft-portal.md) Other industries: [Empower Plan Service Center](/automate/empower-plan-service-center), [myMSC](/automate/mymsc), [Kroger One Network portal](/automate/kroger-one-network-portal), [GM SupplyPower](/automate/gm-supplypower), [Collins Aerospace Customer Portal](/automate/collins-aerospace-customer-portal), [Rightmove Plus](/automate/rightmove-plus). ## Frequently asked questions ### Does ACE AESDirect have an API? Not one that returns your filings. AESDirect is a screen in the ACE Portal. Software files EEI to AES through EDI or sFTP after a Letter of Intent and certification testing, and AESWebLink passes data from another application into AESDirect. ### Why can I only see three months of filings in AESDirect? The Shipment Manager shows three months of shipment data at a time. Use Show Filters to search up to 5 years back, 90 days per search, or open an older accepted filing with Amend Accepted Filings and its ITN, SRN and Filer ID. ### Where do I find the ITN for an AESDirect filing? In the ITN column of the Shipment Manager and in the response email AES sends to the E-mail Response Address once the filing is accepted. A rejected filing gets a rejection statement instead. You cite the ITN as AES followed by the number on the bill of lading or air waybill. ### Can I cancel an EEI in AESDirect? Yes. Find the shipment in the Shipment Manager and select Cancel EEI in its Shipment Actions, or Delete for a draft. If the actions are hidden, the green plus sign on the left of the row shows them. ### Is Fous affiliated with US Customs and Border Protection or the US Census Bureau? No. Fous is an independent product. You use it with your own ACE Portal account, and a method reads and does only what that account can. Fous is an independent product: it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the operator of ACE AESDirect (US Customs and Border Protection and US Census Bureau). The name is used only to say which system this page is about. Something here wrong or out of date? Write to legal@fous.com.