# Inbound webhooks

> Start an automation from another app with a secret web address. How the address works, how to read it, and how duplicates are handled.

Last updated: 2026-10-30. Source: https://docs.smartchat.marketing/en/webhooks/inbound-webhooks/

An automation can start when another app (Zapier, Make, n8n or your own software) calls a secret web address. This is the opposite direction of the webhooks on the other pages.

## The address

The address has the form `/public/automations/hook/<token>`. The token is secret. Anyone who knows the address can start the automation, so treat it like a password.

- The address is **not** under `/v1` and needs no API key.
- There is no required signature. The secret address is the protection.
- To read the address of an automation with a key, the key needs the permission `hooks:read_secret`. This permission is ticked on its own.

## Duplicates

If the same event arrives twice without an ID and with the same content within one to two hours, it is discarded and noted internally.

## Filters

A filter is set when the automation is created. It decides which events start the automation. See [Build an automation](https://docs.smartchat.marketing/en/guides/build-an-automation/).