API tool
Executes an HTTP call to any external endpoint. The most commonly used tool type for integrating Pulbot with external systems: CRMs, ERPs, proprietary databases, REST services.
When to use it
When you need to query or write data to an external system: fetch a customer profile, register an order, check stock, etc.
Steps
- 1Create a new tool or edit an existing one → choose type «API».
- 2Enter the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) and the endpoint URL.
- 3If the endpoint requires authentication, select a Connector with the credentials (Bearer, Basic, API Key, etc.).
- 4Configure the required headers (Content-Type, Accept, etc.).
- 5For POST/PUT, define the body. Use {{variable}} to inject flow data.
- 6Save and test the tool with sample data using the «Test» button.
Reference
- URL
- Can include variables: https://api.example.com/customers/{{customer_id}}
- Headers
- Key-value pairs. Support variables. E.g. Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
- Body
- JSON, form-data, or plain text. Fields support {{...}} expressions.
- Connector
- Stores credentials securely. The node references the connector, not the secret directly.
- Timeout
- Maximum wait time for the external response. Default: 30 s.
- Response
- The response is available in the node's output variable for downstream nodes.
Common errors
- 401 Unauthorized
- Credentials are wrong or the token expired. Check the associated connector.
- 404 Not Found
- The URL is wrong or the resource doesn't exist. Verify the endpoint and path params.
- Timeout
- The external service took longer than configured. Increase the timeout or check service availability.
- CORS error in test
- Tool tests run from Pulbot's backend, not the browser. A CORS error in production is not expected; if it appears, it's a misconfiguration on the external service.
Next step
Learn Tool Transform to map the response before passing it to the next node.