Webhook

A webhook is an HTTP callback that automatically sends data to a specified URL when a specific event occurs. Unlike APIs where you repeatedly ask "has anything happened?" (polling), webhooks push data to you in real-time when something happens — it's the difference between refreshing your inbox and getting push notifications.

How webhooks work: you configure a URL endpoint to receive notifications, when a trigger event occurs, an HTTP POST request is sent to your URL, the request body contains event data (usually JSON), and your endpoint processes the data and responds with a 2xx status code.

In AI agent ecosystems, webhooks enable: real-time notifications (agent qualified a lead — notify sales), event-driven workflows (customer purchased — trigger onboarding), third-party integrations (new message — update CRM), billing events (subscription changed — update access), and monitoring (error occurred — alert team).

Webhook best practices: always verify webhook signatures (ensure they're from the claimed sender), respond quickly (process asynchronously if work is slow), implement idempotency (handle duplicate deliveries gracefully), log everything (for debugging delivery issues), and handle failures (retry logic for temporary failures).

On platforms like Chipp, webhooks are used both internally (Stripe webhooks for billing events, WhatsApp webhooks for incoming messages) and externally (builders can configure webhook endpoints to receive events from their AI agents). Custom actions can also call external webhooks during conversations, enabling real-time integration with any system.