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Webhooks Plugin: Authenticated TaskFlow Ingress for External Automation

Learn how to configure the Webhooks plugin to let trusted external systems create and drive managed TaskFlows over HTTP. This guide is for developers integrating Zapier, n8n, CI jobs, or internal services.

Read this when

  • You want to trigger or drive TaskFlows from an external system
  • You are configuring the bundled webhooks plugin

The Webhooks plugin adds authenticated HTTP routes so a trusted external system (Zapier, n8n, a CI job, an internal service) can create and drive managed OpenClaw TaskFlows over HTTP, without writing a custom plugin.

The plugin runs inside the Gateway process. For a remote Gateway, install and configure it on that host, then restart the Gateway. It ships with no routes configured, so it is a no-op until you add at least one route.

Configure routes

Set config under plugins.entries.webhooks.config:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      webhooks: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          routes: {
            zapier: {
              path: "/plugins/webhooks/zapier",
              sessionKey: "agent:main:main",
              secret: {
                source: "env",
                provider: "default",
                id: "OPENCLAW_WEBHOOK_SECRET",
              },
              controllerId: "webhooks/zapier",
              description: "Zapier TaskFlow bridge",
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Route fields:

FieldRequiredDefaultNotes
enablednotrue
pathno/plugins/webhooks/<routeId>Must be unique across routes.
sessionKeyyes-Session that owns the bound TaskFlows.
secretyes-Plain string or a SecretRef (below).
controllerIdnowebhooks/<routeId>Used as the default create_flow controller.
descriptionno-Operator note only.

secret accepts a plain string or a SecretRef: { source: "env" | "file" | "exec", provider: "default", id: "..." }.

SecretRefs resolve into the Gateway's startup config snapshot. When one route's secret cannot resolve, the Gateway keeps running and that exact route stays registered but cold: requests receive a generic authentication failure (401). Other routes remain available. Fix the SecretRef source, then reload or restart the Gateway to activate the new snapshot. SecretRef values are never resolved on the public request path.

Security model

Each route acts with the TaskFlow authority of its configured sessionKey: it can inspect and mutate any TaskFlow owned by that session. TaskFlow access always goes through api.runtime.tasks.managedFlows.bindSession(...), so a route can never act outside its bound session. To limit blast radius:

  • Use a strong, unique secret per route.
  • Prefer a SecretRef over an inline plaintext secret.
  • Bind routes to the narrowest session that fits the workflow.
  • Expose only the specific webhook path you need.

Request handling order for each path: HTTP method (POST only) and Content-Type: application/json checks, then fixed-window rate limiting (120 requests per 60-second window per path+client-IP key, up to 4,096 tracked keys), then in-flight request limiting (8 concurrent requests per key, up to 4,096 tracked keys), then shared-secret authentication, then a 256 KB / 15-second JSON body read. Requests that fail an earlier check never reach later ones.

Request format

Send POST requests with Content-Type: application/json and either Authorization: Bearer <secret> or x-openclaw-webhook-secret: <secret>:

curl -X POST https://gateway.example.com/plugins/webhooks/zapier \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SHARED_SECRET' \
  -d '{"action":"create_flow","goal":"Review inbound queue"}'

Supported actions

ActionPurpose
create_flowCreate a managed TaskFlow for the route's session.
get_flowFetch one TaskFlow by id.
list_flowsList TaskFlows for the route's session.
find_latest_flowFetch the most recently updated TaskFlow.
resolve_flowResolve a TaskFlow by opaque token.
get_task_summaryFetch the task summary for a TaskFlow.
set_waitingMark a TaskFlow waiting, with optional state/wait data.
resume_flowResume a waiting/blocked TaskFlow.
finish_flowMark a TaskFlow finished.
fail_flowMark a TaskFlow failed.
request_cancelRequest cooperative cancellation.
cancel_flowCancel a TaskFlow (may return 202 if children are still active).
run_taskCreate a managed child task inside an existing TaskFlow.

Mutating actions (set_waiting, resume_flow, finish_flow, fail_flow, request_cancel) require flowId and expectedRevision for optimistic concurrency; a stale revision returns 409 revision_conflict.

create_flow

{
  "action": "create_flow",
  "goal": "Review inbound queue",
  "status": "queued",
  "notifyPolicy": "done_only"
}

run_task

Allowed runtime values: subagent, acp. startedAt, lastEventAt, and progressSummary are only valid when status is "running"; sending them with any other status returns 400 invalid_request.

{
  "action": "run_task",
  "flowId": "flow_123",
  "runtime": "acp",
  "childSessionKey": "agent:main:acp:worker",
  "task": "Inspect the next message batch"
}

Response shape

{
  "ok": true,
  "routeId": "zapier",
  "result": {}
}

{
  "ok": false,
  "routeId": "zapier",
  "code": "not_found",
  "error": "TaskFlow not found.",
  "result": {}
}

Flow and task views never include owner/session metadata, so responses cannot leak the route's bound sessionKey. code values include not_found, not_managed, revision_conflict, persist_failed, cancel_requested, cancel_pending, terminal, invalid_request, request_rejected, and action-specific fallback codes (mutation_rejected, create_rejected, task_not_created, cancel_rejected) when a mutation is rejected for a reason not covered by the named codes above.