Make.com Webhooks: Real-Time Automation Triggers

What Are Webhooks?

Webhooks are HTTP callbacks that trigger your Make.com scenarios in real-time. Instead of Make polling an app for changes every 15 minutes, the app pushes data to Make the moment something happens.

Think of webhooks as a doorbell: instead of checking if someone's at the door every few minutes, the doorbell rings the instant someone arrives. This makes automations faster and more efficient.

Webhooks vs Polling Triggers

Make.com offers two trigger types:

Polling triggers (Watch modules):

• Check for new data on a schedule (every 15 minutes on free plan)
• Simpler to set up—just connect your account
• May miss rapid changes between polls
• Consumes operations even when nothing changed

Webhook triggers:

• Receive data instantly when events occur
• Require configuration in the source app
• Never miss events—real-time delivery
• Only consume operations when data arrives

Creating a Webhook in Make

Follow these steps to set up a webhook trigger:

1. Create a new scenario
2. Add a trigger module: search for "Webhooks"
3. Select "Custom webhook" (most common)
4. Click "Add" to create a new webhook
5. Name your webhook descriptively (e.g., "Pipedrive New Deal")
6. Copy the generated URL
7. Paste the URL in your source application's webhook settings

Webhook Types in Make

Custom Webhook

The most flexible option. Accepts any JSON payload. Use this when connecting apps that Make doesn't have native modules for, or when you need custom data structures.

Custom Mailhook

Receives emails instead of HTTP requests. Useful for email parsing automations—forward emails to the mailhook address and Make extracts the content.

App-Specific Webhooks

Some Make modules include built-in webhook triggers (like "Watch Events" in Calendly). These handle authentication and data parsing automatically.

Determining Data Structure

Before your scenario can process webhook data, Make needs to understand the data structure. Two approaches:

Method 1: Send a Test Request

1. Click "Redetermine data structure"
2. Trigger a real event in your source app
3. Make captures the payload and maps the fields

Method 2: Manual Definition

If you can't trigger a test event, manually define the expected JSON structure. This is useful when building scenarios before the source app is fully configured.

Webhook Security

Webhooks are publicly accessible URLs. Protect them:

IP Restrictions

Make allows IP whitelisting for webhooks. Only accept requests from known IP ranges (check your source app's documentation for their IP ranges).

Secret Tokens

Include a secret token in webhook requests and verify it in Make using a filter. Reject requests without valid tokens.

Signature Verification

Some apps (like Stripe, GitHub) sign webhook payloads with HMAC. Use Make's crypto functions to verify signatures and reject tampered requests.

Common Webhook Patterns

CRM → Email Tool

Pipedrive sends a webhook when a deal is won → Make adds the contact to a Mailchimp list.

Form → CRM + Notification

Typeform sends form submission → Make creates a Pipedrive contact AND sends a Slack notification.

Payment → Fulfillment

Stripe sends payment webhook → Make creates order in fulfillment system and sends confirmation email.

Troubleshooting Webhooks

Webhook not triggering:

• Verify URL is correctly copied (no trailing spaces)
• Check source app's webhook logs for delivery errors
• Ensure scenario is active (not paused)

Data not mapping correctly:

• Redetermine data structure with a fresh test request
• Check for nested JSON that needs parsing
• Verify field names match between source and Make

Duplicate triggers:

• Some apps retry failed webhooks—use deduplication filters
• Check if source app is sending multiple events