Webhook lead intake (Zapier & Make)

Webhook lead intake pipes system-to-system leads into ArborBuddy’s AI draft engine. Zapier, Make, or n8n POST JSON to your company URL; ArborBuddy flattens the payload, runs the same LLM parse as Magic Paste, and lands a draft in your review queue.

Set up in ArborBuddy

Sign in as Owner or Dispatcher.
Open Settings → Integrations.
Copy the Webhook URL (includes your company_id and secret key).
Click Test webhook to verify auth — this does not use a lead intake credit.
Paste the URL into your automation tool’s Webhooks action.

Owners can Regenerate key if the URL leaks. Update every Zap after regenerating.

Webhook URL format

https://app.arborbuddy.com/api/webhooks/intake?company_id={uuid}&key={webhook_secret}

Method: POST
Body: JSON (any shape — ArborBuddy flattens keys into text for the AI)
Auth: The key query param must match your company’s webhook_secret

Example Zapier payload:

{
  "from": "[email protected]",
  "subject": "Oak removal quote",
  "body": "Hi, we need the big oak in the backyard removed. 123 Oak Lane."
}

Zapier quick start

Create a Zap: Gmail → New Email (or Webhooks by Zapier → Catch Hook).
Add Webhooks by Zapier → POST.
Paste your ArborBuddy webhook URL.
Set Payload Type to JSON and map email fields into the body.
Turn the Zap on. Each new email creates an AI draft for dispatcher review.

Make and n8n follow the same pattern — any tool that can POST JSON works.

Lead intake credits

Each successful webhook parse uses one monthly lead intake — the same quota as Magic Paste and voice. See Plans & tiers for monthly limits by tier (Autopilot is effectively unlimited).

Test webhook in Settings does not consume a credit.
Duplicate retries from Zapier are ignored automatically via idempotency keys.

Idempotency & retries

ArborBuddy deduplicates webhook deliveries so Zapier retries do not create duplicate drafts:

Send Idempotency-Key or X-Idempotency-Key header, or
Zapier’s X-Zapier-Request-Id is recognized automatically.

If the same key arrives twice, the second request returns success without a new draft or extra credit.

Rate limits

Limit	Behavior
Monthly lead intakes	Shown on Settings → Billing capacity meter
Per-minute burst	Returns `429` if too many requests in a short window
Per-hour safety cap	Internal loop protection (not shown in UI) — returns `hourly_rate_limited`

If you hit a limit, wait and retry. For high-volume shops, contact support before wiring a firehose.

Role access

Role	Integrations tab
Owner	Copy URL, test, regenerate key
Dispatcher	Copy URL, test
Field Lead	No access (field view only)

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to do
`401 Unauthorized`	Regenerate key in Settings and update Zapier; check `company_id` and `key` in URL
`403` tier gate	Upgrade to Autopilot — webhooks are not on Foreman
`429` quota or rate limit	Check billing capacity meter; slow down Zap frequency
Empty or bad draft	Map more fields in Zapier (subject, body, address); review in Review queue
Zap fires but no draft	Check Zapier task history for HTTP status; verify JSON body is not empty

Privacy

Webhook payloads may contain customer PII from your forms or inbox. ArborBuddy processes them under the same AI intake rules as Magic Paste — see our Privacy Policy. You are responsible for only sending leads you are permitted to process.