diff --git a/stripe_to_invoice/app/api/stripe/webhook/route.ts b/stripe_to_invoice/app/api/stripe/webhook/route.ts
index 9612248..8d7255c 100644
--- a/stripe_to_invoice/app/api/stripe/webhook/route.ts
+++ b/stripe_to_invoice/app/api/stripe/webhook/route.ts
@@ -162,10 +162,10 @@ export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
 
   console.log("👤 [WEBHOOK] Customer name:", name);
 
-  // --- Contact (email-only is fine for v1)
+  // --- Contact resolution: email → name → create with ZWS retry (up to 5 times)
   console.log("🔍 [WEBHOOK] Looking for existing contact with email:", email);
 
-  const contactsResponse = await xero.accountingApi.getContacts(
+  let contactsResponse = await xero.accountingApi.getContacts(
     xeroConn.tenantId,
     undefined,
     `EmailAddress=="${email}"`
@@ -173,15 +173,75 @@ export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
 
   let contact = contactsResponse.body.contacts?.[0];
 
+  // If not found by email, search by name
+  if (!contact) {
+    console.log("🔍 [WEBHOOK] Email not found, searching by name:", name);
+    contactsResponse = await xero.accountingApi.getContacts(
+      xeroConn.tenantId,
+      undefined,
+      `Name=="${name}"`
+    );
+    contact = contactsResponse.body.contacts?.[0];
+
+    if (contact) {
+      console.log("✅ [WEBHOOK] Found existing contact by name:", contact.contactID);
+    }
+  } else {
+    console.log("✅ [WEBHOOK] Found existing contact by email:", contact.contactID);
+  }
+
+  // If still not found, create new contact (with retry logic for duplicate names)
   if (!contact) {
     console.log("➕ [WEBHOOK] Creating new contact");
-    const created = await xero.accountingApi.createContacts(
-      xeroConn.tenantId,
-      { contacts: [{ name, emailAddress: email }] }
-    );
-    contact = created.body.contacts?.[0];
-  } else {
-    console.log("✅ [WEBHOOK] Found existing contact:", contact.contactID);
+    let attempt = 0;
+    const maxAttempts = 5;
+
+    while (attempt < maxAttempts && !contact) {
+      let contactName = name;
+
+      // Add zero-width spaces for uniqueness on retries
+      if (attempt > 0) {
+        contactName = name + "\u200B".repeat(attempt);
+        console.log(`🔄 [WEBHOOK] Retry attempt ${attempt}/${maxAttempts - 1} with ${attempt} zero-width space(s)`);
+      }
+
+      try {
+        const created = await xero.accountingApi.createContacts(
+          xeroConn.tenantId,
+          { contacts: [{ name: contactName, emailAddress: email }] }
+        );
+        contact = created.body.contacts?.[0];
+
+        if (contact) {
+          console.log(`✅ [WEBHOOK] Contact created successfully on attempt ${attempt + 1}:`, contact.contactID);
+          break;
+        }
+      } catch (err: any) {
+        console.log(`⚠️  [WEBHOOK] Attempt ${attempt + 1} failed:`, err.message);
+
+        // Try to fetch existing contact by name
+        if (attempt < maxAttempts - 1) {
+          const existingByName = await xero.accountingApi.getContacts(
+            xeroConn.tenantId,
+            undefined,
+            `Name=="${name}"`
+          );
+
+          if (existingByName.body.contacts?.length) {
+            contact = existingByName.body.contacts[0];
+            console.log("✅ [WEBHOOK] Reusing existing contact with duplicate name:", contact.contactID);
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      attempt++;
+    }
+
+    if (!contact) {
+      console.error("❌ [WEBHOOK] Failed to create or reuse contact after 5 attempts");
+      throw new Error("Failed to create Xero contact after multiple attempts");
+    }
   }
 
   if (!contact?.contactID) {