🚨 Not seeing this feature? It’s on its way! Spectora Webhooks is currently in early access. Learn more at Spectora Labs or join the waitlist here. 🚨
Webhooks let Spectora automatically notify your other tools the moment something happens in your account — no manual exports, no waiting, no constantly checking for updates.
What is a webhook?
What is a webhook?
A webhook is a way for Spectora to proactively notify another system the moment something happens — instead of that system having to repeatedly ask "did anything change?"
Think of it like this: polling is checking your phone every five minutes to see if you got a text. A webhook is your phone buzzing the second a text arrives.
When a subscribed event occurs in Spectora, it sends a small notification to a URL you've configured. That URL belongs to whatever tool you're using — a CRM, an automation platform, a custom app. The receiving tool then knows something happened and can pull more detail via the API if needed.
Webhooks are configured in the developer portal at developer.spectora.com.
API Webhooks vs. Advanced Automation Webhooks — What's the Difference?
API Webhooks vs. Advanced Automation Webhooks — What's the Difference?
If you're a Spectora Advanced user, you may already be familiar with webhooks through Advanced Automations. Both do similar things. They notify another system when something happens in Spectora. But they're set up differently and serve different purposes.
Advanced Automation webhooks are configured inside Spectora under Advanced Automations. They're designed for no-code workflows and connect Spectora to tools like Zapier, which then routes your data to other apps. If you're already using Zapier to automate workflows, this is likely what you're using today.
API webhooks are configured in the developer portal at developer.spectora.com. They're designed for custom integrations built by a developer, and give you more control over exactly what happens when an event fires.
In short: if you're using Zapier or another no-code tool, Advanced Automations webhooks are your path. If you're working with a developer to build a custom integration, API webhooks are the right choice.
What events are available?
What events are available?
Event | When it fires |
| Any time an inspection is created, confirmed or not |
| When an inspection is confirmed — whether at creation or later |
| When an inspection is canceled |
| When an inspection is deleted |
| When a report is published — does not fire on quick publish |
| When an agent record is created |
| When an agent record is updated |
| When an agent record is deleted |
| When a client record is created |
| When a client record is updated |
| When a client record is deleted |
⚠️ Note on inspection.published: This event does not fire when using quick publish. If your webhook isn't triggering after publishing a report, check whether quick publish was used.
What is a payload?
What is a payload?
A payload is the data Spectora sends to your connected tool when a webhook fires. Think of it like a notification on your phone — it tells you something happened and gives you just enough information to act on it.
In Spectora's case, that means the event type (e.g., inspection.confirmed) and the ID of the record that was affected. Your connected system can then use that ID to pull the full details via the API.
What's in the payload?
What's in the payload?
Webhook payloads are intentionally lightweight. They contain the event type and the ID of the affected record — not the full record itself. Your connected system uses that ID to make a follow-up API call to retrieve the full details.
This keeps webhooks fast and reliable, and ensures your connected tools always pull the most current data rather than relying on a snapshot.
Why use webhooks instead of just calling the API?
Why use webhooks instead of just calling the API?
Without webhooks, a developer would have to call the API on a timer to check for changes, burning through your request quota even when nothing has changed. Webhooks eliminate that waste. The API call only happens when there's actually something new to retrieve.
Setting up a webhook
Setting up a webhook
Webhooks are configured in the developer portal at developer.spectora.com:
Click + Add Endpoint
Enter the destination URL
Add an optional description
Select one or more events to subscribe to
Click Create
For testing, you can use Svix Play — a free tool that lets you see exactly what the payload looks like without needing a real receiving endpoint. When setting up your endpoint, click Configure an endpoint or test with Svix Play to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to code to use webhooks?
Webhooks are a developer feature. Setting them up and handling the incoming data requires technical knowledge or a developer's help. If you're looking for a no-code way to automate workflows with Spectora, check out the Zapier integration or the MCP Server.
Can I subscribe to multiple events with one webhook?
Yes. When setting up an endpoint, you can select as many events as you need. You can also create multiple endpoints if you want different events routed to different tools.
Why isn't my webhook firing after I publish a report?
If you used quick publish, that's the likely cause. The
inspection.publishedevent does not fire on quick publish. Try publishing through the standard publish flow and check whether the webhook fires as expected.
What happens if my receiving system is down when a webhook fires
Spectora uses Svix to deliver webhooks, which includes automatic retry logic. If your endpoint is temporarily unavailable, delivery will be retried — so you shouldn't lose events due to brief downtime on your end.
If you have any questions or feedback, write into our chat bubble or email support@spectora.com!
