diff --git a/api/messaging/spec.json b/api/messaging/spec.json
index 11893f54a..35e9f4fdf 100644
--- a/api/messaging/spec.json
+++ b/api/messaging/spec.json
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@
                         {
                             "type": "string",
                             "name": "name",
-                            "required": true,
+                            "required": false,
                             "title": "Name of Channel"
                         },
                         {
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@
                             "title": "Channel type"
                         },
                         {
-                            "type": "[]string",
+                            "type": "[]uint64",
                             "name": "members",
                             "required": false,
                             "title": "Initial members of the channel"
diff --git a/api/messaging/spec/channel.json b/api/messaging/spec/channel.json
index 7cc112a79..582f58015 100644
--- a/api/messaging/spec/channel.json
+++ b/api/messaging/spec/channel.json
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
         "post": [
           {
             "name": "name",
-            "required": true,
+            "required": false,
             "title": "Name of Channel",
             "type": "string"
           },
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
             "name": "members",
             "required": false,
             "title": "Initial members of the channel",
-            "type": "[]string"
+            "type": "[]uint64"
           }
         ]
       }
diff --git a/docs/messaging/README.md b/docs/messaging/README.md
index dec14221f..42bfdfc20 100644
--- a/docs/messaging/README.md
+++ b/docs/messaging/README.md
@@ -117,10 +117,10 @@ A channel is a representation of a sequence of messages. It has meta data like c
 
 | Parameter | Type | Method | Description | Default | Required? |
 | --------- | ---- | ------ | ----------- | ------- | --------- |
-| name | string | POST | Name of Channel | N/A | YES |
+| name | string | POST | Name of Channel | N/A | NO |
 | topic | string | POST | Subject of Channel | N/A | NO |
 | type | string | POST | Channel type | N/A | NO |
-| members | []string | POST | Initial members of the channel | N/A | NO |
+| members | []uint64 | POST | Initial members of the channel | N/A | NO |
 
 ## Update channel details
 
diff --git a/messaging/rest/channel.go b/messaging/rest/channel.go
index e1ace58b8..8a6b959ee 100644
--- a/messaging/rest/channel.go
+++ b/messaging/rest/channel.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func (ctrl *Channel) Create(ctx context.Context, r *request.ChannelCreate) (inte
 		Name:    r.Name,
 		Topic:   r.Topic,
 		Type:    types.ChannelType(r.Type),
-		Members: payload.ParseUInt64s(r.Members),
+		Members: r.Members,
 	}
 
 	return ctrl.wrap(ctrl.svc.ch.With(ctx).Create(channel))
diff --git a/messaging/rest/request/channel.go b/messaging/rest/request/channel.go
index 627a7f53b..60219b44c 100644
--- a/messaging/rest/request/channel.go
+++ b/messaging/rest/request/channel.go
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ type ChannelCreate struct {
 	Name    string
 	Topic   string
 	Type    string
-	Members []string
+	Members []uint64 `json:",string"`
 }
 
 func NewChannelCreate() *ChannelCreate {
@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ func (cReq *ChannelCreate) Fill(r *http.Request) (err error) {
 		cReq.Type = val
 	}
 
+	cReq.Members = parseUInt64A(r.Form["members"])
+
 	return err
 }