Add HIN OCR to Your App using Cursor in 5 Minutes

The problem: AI coding assistants can't parse weathered fiberglass

Tools like Cursor are remarkable at writing code — but they stop at the boundary of complex vision tasks. You can instruct Cursor to build a beautiful marina management interface in minutes, yet the actual extraction of a Hull Identification Number (HIN) from a reflective gel coat, painted-over metal plate, or weathered transom requires a dedicated HIN OCR API. Standard vision models routinely fail to distinguish shallow engravings from background noise.

The solution: Marine-grade precision and parsing

StructOCR's /v1/hin endpoint accepts a photo and returns a clean JSON object with the validated HIN, plus it automatically breaks down the code into the Manufacturer Identity Code (MIC), serial number, and production dates. Because it speaks plain HTTP, Cursor can easily generate the client or server-side fetch logic to wire it up.

Integrate StructOCR using Cursor (3 Steps)

1. 1

   Open your project in Cursor and use Composer

   Open your web or mobile marine project in cursor.com. Hit Cmd+I (or Ctrl+I) to open the Composer. Describe the marine tool UI you want to build.

   💬Try this prompt: "Build a mobile-friendly HIN scanner UI component using shadcn. Users can upload a photo of a boat's transom, and the app will display the extracted HIN, manufacturer code, and production year in a clean card."
2. 2

   Tell Cursor to call the StructOCR API

   Once Cursor scaffolds the component, paste the follow-up prompt below. Cursor will write the fetch call, handle the form data, and wire the response to your state variables.

   💬Follow-up prompt: "When a user uploads an image, send it as a multipart/form-data POST to https://api.structocr.com/v1/hin with an Authorization header containing my API key. Display the returned JSON fields in the UI."

   // Cursor generates something like this in your frontend framework const response = await fetch('https://api.structocr.com/v1/hin', { method: 'POST', headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STRUCTOCR_KEY}` }, body: formData, });
3. 3

   Add your StructOCR API key to your .env file

   Open your local .env or .env.local file in Cursor and securely add your StructOCR key. Restart your development server to see the live scanner.

   💬Variable name: NEXT_PUBLIC_STRUCTOCR_KEY — get your free key at structocr.com/dashboard

   NEXT_PUBLIC_STRUCTOCR_KEY=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What you can build in Cursor with this integration

• Boat dealership inventory: Let staff snap a photo of a vessel's transom to instantly log it into the inventory system, automatically decoding the model year and manufacturer without manual typing.
• Marine insurance claims: Add an upload step to a self-service claims flow: extract the HIN automatically from the policyholder's photos to verify the insured vessel. A perfect fit for marine automation.
• Marina & dock management: Build a mobile app for dockmasters to scan visiting boats to ensure they match registered tenant records and verify vessel age.
• Vessel registration portal: Create a tool that validates HIN formats on the fly for state or federal boat registration compliance.

The prompt and the code

Copy the follow-up prompt into Cursor's Composer (Cmd+I) to generate the integration. The code block shows the standard fetch logic Cursor will likely produce.

Prerequisite: A free StructOCR account — get your API key at structocr.com/dashboard (no credit card required)

I need to add HIN OCR to this component.

When a user uploads an image:
1. Send it as multipart/form-data to: POST https://api.structocr.com/v1/hin
2. Include the header: Authorization: Bearer ${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STRUCTOCR_KEY}
3. The response is JSON with fields: data.hin_number, data.is_valid, data.parsed.manufacturer_code, data.parsed.model_year
4. Display the extracted HIN and the decoded manufacturer/year in a clear, formatted profile card
5. Show a loading spinner while the request is in flight
6. Show an error message if the upload fails

Use the environment variable NEXT_PUBLIC_STRUCTOCR_KEY for the API key.

What the API returns

Not just the raw string—the API automatically decodes the manufacturer and production dates. Your UI built via Cursor can bind this directly to components.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "hin_number": "US-TNPD7474B899",
    "is_valid": true,
    "validation_error": null,
    "confidence": "High",
    "parsed": {
      "country_code": "US",
      "manufacturer_code": "TNP",
      "serial_number": "D7474",
      "production_month": "February",
      "production_year_short": "8",
      "model_year": "1999"
    }
  }
}