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GlossaryAgentsIntermediate

Webhooks

Also written: Webhook-based tasks, Web hooks, Webhook triggers, Webhook-based

Automated messages sent between apps when a specific event occurs, enabling real-time data exchange.

In plain terms

Webhooks are like a doorbell for your apps. When something specific happens in one app, like a new user signing up, it can automatically send a notification (a webhook) to another app.

This allows different software to talk to each other instantly without needing to constantly check for updates. For example, if a customer makes a purchase on your website, a webhook could immediately tell your inventory system to update stock levels.

The expert version

Webhooks are HTTP callbacks that allow an application to provide real-time information to other applications automatically. When a predefined event occurs in the source application, it sends an HTTP request (typically POST) containing event data to a specified URL (the webhook endpoint) in the receiving application.

This mechanism enables event-driven architectures and real-time data synchronization between disparate systems. Compared to polling, webhooks are more efficient as they avoid unnecessary requests and provide immediate data updates.

Why it matters now

Webhooks are appearing in AI news as labs develop tools that integrate AI agents with external services. These automated messages allow AI systems to react to events in real-time, enabling more dynamic and responsive applications. This is crucial for tasks like managing AI sandboxes or automating business processes.

Where it shows up 9 items, newest first
How each company uses it
Google Gemini
Google Gemini's API testing is being enhanced with features that calibrate execution timeouts and rules, likely involving webhook-like mechanisms for real-time feedback during testing.
Meta Meta AI
Meta AI is using webhooks to allow AI agents to manage features on its developer platform and simplify business setup on WhatsApp, enabling automated communication between AI and business services.
OpenAI ChatGPT
OpenAI is providing examples in its cookbook that demonstrate how to use webhooks to manage AI sandboxes, suggesting their use for real-time control and event handling in AI development.
Related terms

APIsEvent-driven architectureReal-time dataWebSocketsCallbacksIntegrations

Often confused with
API
An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software appli
Polling
Polling involves a client repeatedly asking a server if there is new da
Origin

The term 'webhook' was popularized by Ben Satterfield in 2007, drawing an analogy to 'web' and 'hook' to describe a user-defined HTTP callback. Source ↗

Try this about 5 minutes

Explore the developer documentation for a service you use, like GitHub or Slack. Look for sections on 'webhooks' or 'event notifications'. You can often set up a simple webhook to send a notification to a custom URL when a specific event happens, like a new commit to a repository.

Try it: Playbook entries that use thisPlaybook →

The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.

Questions people ask

How are webhooks different from APIs?
APIs are general interfaces for software communication, often requiring requests. Webhooks are a specific type of API interaction where an application automatically sends data to another when an event occurs.
Are webhooks secure?
Webhooks transmit data over HTTP, so security depends on using HTTPS. Verifying the source of incoming webhooks is also important to prevent unauthorized actions.

First seen on Subvolts Jul 1, 2026. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.