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Deploy with Webhooks

Make your agent react to the world in real time. Use SmythOS agents as event-driven webhooks to connect with external services like Discord, Google Chat, and any webhook-based platform.

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TL;DR: Deploy your agent with a public endpoint, secure it, and connect any platform that supports outbound HTTP requests.

Why Connect Webhooks to Your Agent?​

Webhooks let your SmythOS agent act like an event listener. When a trigger happens elsewhere... like a form being submitted, a database record changing, or a user message coming in... the source system instantly sends a payload to your agent’s webhook URL. This is ideal for:

  • Real-time message posting (e.g., Discord integration)
  • Task automation (e.g., Google Chat or Notion updates)
  • Event-based workflows with external triggers

Unlike polling, webhooks are instantaneous, efficient, and perfect for reactive agent workflows.

Prerequisites for Webhook Deployments​

Before you begin, make sure you:

  • Have an existing deployed SmythOS agent. If not, deploy your agent here.
  • Understand the webhook format of your target platform (e.g., Discord, Google Chat).
  • Have appropriate authentication set up via Vault → API Keys.

Step 1: Create a Webhook-Ready Endpoint​

  1. In your SmythOS Agent:

    • Add an Agent Skill component and name it something like WebhookReceiver.
    • Define the inputs your target service will send (e.g., event, message, timestamp).

  2. Follow it with a Code Component or LLM Component to process the input.

  3. End the workflow with an API Output component to format and return a valid HTTP response to the caller.

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You can also Deploy via MCP Server if you need additional authentication, throttling, or multi-agent routing.

Step 2: Secure the Webhook Endpoint​

Open webhooks are risky. Always protect your endpoints.

Use one of the following authentication options:

Bearer Token Authentication​

  • Generate your token in agent settings and store it in Vault.
  • Enable Bearer Token Auth in agent settings and provide your token.
  • All incoming requests must include:
Authorization: Bearer your-token

OAuth OIDC Authentication​

  • For SSO or email-domain restricted flows.
  • Set up via your SmythOS organization settings.

See Authentication Setup for full details.

Step 3: Connect Your Platform to the Webhook​

Once your agent has a public, secure endpoint:

  • Go to your selected third-party service
  • Navigate to their webhook configuration area (e.g., Discord Server Settings, Google Chat Space Settings)
  • Paste your agent’s endpoint URL
  • Map outgoing fields from the service to your agent’s expected inputs

Always consult the official platform docs to match formatting expectations.

Payload Format Examples​

Google Chat:

{
  "text": "Hello from SmythOS!"
}

Discord:

{
  "content": "Alert: New event triggered by your agent!"
}

Step 4: Process the Webhook Data in SmythOS​

Configure these components to handle incoming webhook data:

  • Webhook Handler (Agent Skill) – Receives the POST request
  • Code Component – Parses and validates the payload
  • LLM Prompt (Optional) – Adds AI logic or dynamic reasoning
  • API Output – Formats the final response for the external platform

Use defensive logic in the Code Component to handle missing or malformed inputs.

Step 5: Format and Return a Response​

Return a payload structured for the target platform:

Discord:

{
  "content": "Here’s your update!",
  "embeds": [{
    "title": "SmythOS Webhook Triggered",
    "description": "Workflow completed with output: ${data.output}"
  }]
}

Google Chat:

{
  "text": "Your request was processed successfully."
}

Always test using Postman, curl, or the platform’s native test tools.

Step 6: Register and Activate the Webhook​

Finally, register the webhook URL in your platform:

  • Discord: Server Settings → Integrations → Webhooks → Create
  • Google Chat: Space Settings → Add Incoming Webhook
  • Notion: Use Zapier or Make to trigger workflows
  • Zapier: Choose "Webhook" as the trigger/action and enter your agent’s URL

Once registered, your agent will begin receiving POST data from the platform in real time.

Example Integration: Zapier + SmythOS​

Use Zapier to trigger your agent from thousands of apps:

  1. Set a Zapier trigger (e.g., "New row in Google Sheet")
  2. Add a Webhook Action to POST data to your agent
  3. Your SmythOS agent processes and responds to the payload

What’s Next?​

Deploy your agent as a secure webhook and connect to platforms like Discord, Google Chat, or Zapier.