Creating Custom Apps

Custom Apps in Workbird allow you to connect with external services, private APIs, or internal tools that are not available in the public App Registry. This guide walks you through the process of creating, configuring, and setting up triggers and actions for your custom app.

---

1. Creating an App

1. Navigate to the App Registry in your Workbird dashboard.

2. Click Create New App.

3. Fill out the required details:

   • App Name

   • Description

   • Category

   • Logo/Icon

4. Submit your app to save it. You can edit details later if needed.

Once created, you can configure authentication, triggers, and actions.

---

2. Configuring Authentication

Workbird supports three authentication types for custom apps:

1. No Auth

   • Use when your integration does not require authentication.

   • Suitable for public APIs or services that do not require credentials.

2. Nango Auth

   • Use to set up authentication via Nango, a service that manages OAuth 2.0 and other authentication flows.

   • Recommended for integrations with services that require secure token-based authentication (e.g., Google, Slack).

3. API Auth

   • Use to configure authentication directly via API keys, access tokens, or custom headers.

   • Suitable for services that have straightforward API authentication without an OAuth flow.

Choose the authentication type based on the requirements of the service you’re integrating with.

---

3. Triggers

What They Are Triggers listen for events in an external service and start a workflow in Workbird when those events occur.

Examples

• “New lead created” in a CRM

• “New order placed” in an e-commerce store

• “File uploaded” to a cloud storage service

How to Use Them

• Define the event that will initiate a workflow.

• Specify any required input fields for configuration (e.g., channel ID, folder path).

• Use triggers to automatically initiate workflows without manual intervention.

---

4. Actions

What They Are Actions perform tasks in an external service when invoked from a workflow.

Examples

• Send a message to a chat app

• Create a calendar event

• Update a database record

Recommendation While Workbird supports actions, we recommend using AI Agents and MCP Servers for more powerful and flexible automation capabilities.

• AI Agents can reason about data, adapt to changes, and perform multi-step tasks.

• MCP Servers offer more robust integration handling, especially for large or complex workflows.

---

5. System Fields

When building triggers and actions, you have access to two system objects that simplify development:

1. authField

   • An object containing all authentication fields provided during app configuration.

   • Example:

     authField.api_key  
     authField.access_token  
     authField.user_id  

   • Use these values to authenticate API calls or set up triggers and actions.

2. inputField

   • An object containing all input fields you define in the Input Fields section of your trigger or action.

   • Example:

     inputField.folder_id  
     inputField.channel_name  

   • Use these to access user-provided inputs when executing a trigger or action.

These system fields are available in every trigger and action, ensuring you can easily access both authentication and input data without hardcoding values.

---

Next Steps

• Test your triggers and actions to confirm they work as expected.

• Share your app privately, across organizations, or submit it for public approval if you want it listed in the Workbird App Registry.

---