Webhooks for social media scheduling, in plain terms#
A webhook is SkedCast telling your system something happened, the moment it happens — instead of your system asking SkedCast over and over ("is it published yet? is it published yet?"). You give SkedCast a URL; when a post publishes, fails, or a channel needs reconnecting, SkedCast sends that URL a small JSON message describing it.
When to use a webhook instead of polling#
If you're building something that reacts to outcomes — updating a dashboard when a post goes live, alerting a Slack channel when one fails, syncing your own database once analytics refresh — a webhook is faster and cheaper than polling on a timer. Polling still has its place for a one-off check ("did that post I just made publish?") where standing up a receiving endpoint isn't worth it.
Common events#
| Event | Fires when |
|---|---|
target.published | A post went live on one destination account. |
target.failed | A post permanently failed on one destination. |
account.reauth_required | A connected channel's credential died and needs reconnecting. |
approval.decided | A reviewer approved or rejected a post. |
report.completed | A scheduled report export finished and is ready to download. |
Is it secure?#
Every delivery is signed with HMAC-SHA256 so your endpoint can verify it genuinely came from SkedCast and wasn't tampered with — the same pattern Stripe popularized. SkedCast also sends the newer, spec-standard Standard Webhooks headers alongside it, so you can verify with an off-the-shelf library instead of hand-rolling the check. You can test your signature verification with the free webhook signature tester.
Setting one up#
In the Agency Console, go to Settings → Developer → Webhooks, register a URL and pick which events to receive. Programmatically, it's POST /webhooks (or /v1/webhooks with an API key) — the full request/response shape, retry behavior, and signature verification code are on the technical reference.
FAQ
- Do I need to write code to use webhooks?
- Yes — a webhook needs a URL on your own server (or a no-code automation tool like Zapier/Make/n8n configured to receive one) that can accept a POST request and verify its signature. If that's more than you need, polling the REST API or connecting an MCP client are both code-light alternatives.
- What's the difference between this page and the developer webhooks reference?
- This page explains what webhooks are and when to reach for one. The developer reference documents the exact request shape, the HMAC signature scheme, retry behavior, and all 40 subscribable events for someone implementing a receiver.