export const COOKBOOK_WEBHOOKS_MD = `# Cookbook: set up webhooks and verify signatures end-to-end > Subscribe a receiver to invoice events, verify HMAC signatures correctly, handle the at-least-once retry semantics, and build idempotency around the delivery id. This is the operational companion to the [Webhooks concept page](/docs/api/webhooks): that page explains *what* webhooks are; this one walks through *how* to wire one up correctly the first time. ## What you'll need - A test API key with \`webhooks:manage\` scope (and \`payroll:read\` if you intend to subscribe to payroll events). - A receiver URL that Accounted can POST to. For local development use [smee.io](https://smee.io) or \`ngrok\`: Accounted refuses webhook URLs that resolve to private IPs (SSRF protection), so localhost won't work directly. - HTTPS only: \`http://\` URLs are rejected at registration. ## 1. Register the webhook The response includes the HMAC signing secret **exactly once**. Capture it immediately and store it on the receiver side as an environment variable. \`\`\`bash curl "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/companies/$COMPANY_ID/webhooks" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \\ -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \\ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \\ -d '{ "event_type": "invoice.paid", "webhook_url": "https://my-receiver.example.com/gnubok", "name": "CRM sync: invoice paid" }' \`\`\` Response: \`\`\`json { "data": { "id": "a8f1e4c2-3b5d-4e6f-8a90-1b2c3d4e5f60", "name": "CRM sync: invoice paid", "event_type": "invoice.paid", "webhook_url": "https://my-receiver.example.com/gnubok", "active": true, "api_version_pinned": "2026-05-12", "secret": "whsec_b3a7c9e2...", "created_at": "2026-05-15T12:00:00Z" }, "meta": { "request_id": "req_...", "api_version": "2026-05-12" } } \`\`\` > ⚠️ The \`secret\` field is returned only on creation. Subsequent GETs never include it. If you lose it, mint a fresh one with \`POST /api/v1/companies/{companyId}/webhooks/{id}/rotate-secret\`: it re-issues the signing secret in place (returned exactly once, like creation) without deleting the webhook or its delivery history. Rotation invalidates the old secret immediately — there is no grace period — so stage the new value on the receiver first (or \`PATCH active=false\` to pause delivery while you swap), then re-deploy the receiver with the new value. **Store the secret in a secrets manager** (AWS Secrets Manager, GCP Secret Manager, HashiCorp Vault, Doppler, 1Password Connect, ...) rather than a plaintext \`.env\` file or a config commit. The secret is signing material: anyone who reads it can forge events that will pass your signature check. Treat it with the same care as a database password. ## 2. Implement signature verification Use the [Node](https://app.gnubok.se/docs/api/webhooks#nodejs) or [Python](https://app.gnubok.se/docs/api/webhooks#python) sample on the concept page. The critical detail: capture the **raw request body** before any framework JSON-parses it. Re-serialising the body produces different bytes and the signature won't match. For an Express handler, that means \`express.raw({ type: 'application/json' })\`: NOT the default \`express.json()\` middleware. For FastAPI / Flask use \`request.get_data()\`. For Cloudflare Workers use \`await request.text()\` BEFORE \`request.json()\`. ## 3. Send a test event The \`:test\` verb enqueues a synthetic \`webhook.test\` delivery without driving real state. The dispatcher sends it on the next per-minute cron tick. \`\`\`bash curl -X POST "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/companies/$COMPANY_ID/webhooks/$WEBHOOK_ID/test" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \`\`\` Response: \`\`\`json { "data": { "webhook_delivery_id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479", "status": "pending" }, "meta": { "request_id": "req_...", "api_version": "2026-05-12" } } \`\`\` Wait up to 60s, then check the receiver logs. The delivery should arrive with: \`\`\` POST /gnubok HTTP/1.1 Content-Type: application/json X-Gnubok-Signature: t=1778846400,v1=2f5c... X-Gnubok-Event: webhook.test X-Gnubok-Delivery: f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479 X-Gnubok-Api-Version: 2026-05-12 {"id":"f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479","type":"webhook.test","api_version":"2026-05-12","created":1778846400,"data":{"object":{"hello":"from Accounted","tested_at":"2026-05-15T12:00:00Z"}},"previous_attributes":null} \`\`\` If your receiver returns 2xx, the delivery moves to \`delivered\`. If it returns 4xx (other than 410) or 5xx, it goes to \`failed\` and retries on the schedule \`1m / 5m / 30m / 2h / 12h / 24h / 48h\`. ## 4. Inspect the delivery \`\`\`bash curl "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/companies/$COMPANY_ID/webhooks/$WEBHOOK_ID/deliveries?delivery_id=$DELIVERY_ID" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \`\`\` Response carries the captured response status and body (truncated to 4 KB), which is invaluable when debugging a 4xx from the receiver: \`\`\`json { "data": [{ "id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479", "event_type": "webhook.test", "status": "delivered", "attempts": 1, "next_attempt_at": "2026-05-15T12:00:00Z", "response_status": 200, "response_body": "ok", "error": null, "request_id": "req_...", "created_at": "2026-05-15T12:00:00Z", "delivered_at": "2026-05-15T12:00:01Z" }] } \`\`\` ## 5. Drive a real event Now mark a real invoice paid (or use any of the [event-emitting endpoints](/docs/api/webhooks#event-types)). The webhook handler picks up the emission and enqueues a delivery within the same request cycle. \`\`\`bash curl -X POST "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/companies/$COMPANY_ID/invoices/$INVOICE_ID/mark-paid" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \\ -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \\ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \\ -d '{ "payment_date": "2026-05-22" }' \`\`\` The next dispatcher tick (within 60s) delivers an \`invoice.paid\` event to your receiver carrying the full invoice payload + payment details. ## Idempotency on the receiver side Deliveries are at-least-once. The same \`X-Gnubok-Delivery\` may arrive twice when the network drops a 200 response or your receiver times out after processing. Build idempotency around that header: \`\`\`javascript // Pseudo-code: adapt to your storage layer. async function handleEvent(event) { const inserted = await db.processedDeliveries.insertIfMissing({ delivery_id: event.id, event_type: event.type, received_at: new Date(), }) if (!inserted) { console.log('duplicate delivery, skipping', event.id) return } await processBusinessLogic(event) } \`\`\` This pattern: a unique constraint on \`delivery_id\`, an INSERT-on-conflict-do-nothing, and short-circuit when nothing was inserted. Every Accounted delivery passes through that gate at most once even if the dispatcher retries. ## Replaying a dead delivery When a delivery exhausts its retries it's marked \`dead\`. After fixing the receiver, replay individual deliveries with: \`\`\`bash curl -X POST "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/webhook-deliveries/$DELIVERY_ID/retry" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \`\`\` The retry creates a fresh delivery row pointing at the same payload: the original audit row stays in place. Receivers see a new \`X-Gnubok-Delivery\` (the new row's id, not the original's), so the idempotency table needs no special handling. ## Auto-disable After: - HTTP 410 Gone from your receiver, OR - HTTP 3xx redirect (refused to follow: SSRF policy), OR - The webhook URL resolves to a private/loopback/link-local/cloud-metadata IP at dispatch time …the webhook is automatically disabled (\`active=false\`, \`disabled_reason\` set). Re-enable with: \`\`\`bash curl -X PATCH "https://app.gnubok.se/api/v1/companies/$COMPANY_ID/webhooks/$WEBHOOK_ID" \\ -H "Authorization: Bearer gnubok_sk_test_..." \\ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \\ -d '{ "active": true }' \`\`\` This clears \`disabled_at\` and \`disabled_reason\` but does NOT replay the deliveries that died while disabled: replay them individually with the retry endpoint. ## Common pitfalls - **Re-serialising the body.** \`JSON.parse(rawBody); JSON.stringify(parsed)\` produces different bytes than Accounted sent. Always sign-check against the raw bytes. - **Forgetting the timestamp window.** Without a \`t\` check, an attacker who captured one signed payload can replay it forever. 5 minutes is the recommended tolerance. - **Returning 5xx for application errors.** A 5xx triggers the full retry schedule (~87h, roughly 3.6 days). If a payload is malformed-but-stable, return 200 and queue for internal investigation. - **Treating \`failed\` as terminal.** \`failed\` rows will retry; only \`delivered\` and \`dead\` are terminal. Don't alert on \`failed\`: alert when retries exhaust to \`dead\`. `