API Connections

Overview

API connections let you sync data from any external service that has a REST API. Pull guests from your booking system, invoices from your accounting tool, or contacts from your CRM — using an API key, bearer token, or basic authentication.

A guided 5-step wizard walks you through configuration, tests the connection before saving, and lets you preview the data you'll receive.

What You Can Do

Feature	Description
Connect to any REST API	Enter a base URL, endpoint path, and authentication credentials
Multiple auth methods	Bearer token, API key header, basic auth, or custom header
Test before saving	Preview live data from the API before committing
Auto-detect data paths	Automatically find nested data arrays in API responses
Schedule syncs	Manual sync or automatic schedules (hourly, daily, custom)
Map to tables	Route API data into Commander Tables with field mapping
Monitor health	Track events, errors, and success rates

Quick Start

1. Open your Connection Canvas
2. Click "+" and select API
3. Follow the 5-step setup wizard
4. Test the connection and preview your data
5. Save — syncing starts immediately

Setup Wizard (5 Steps)

Step 1: Name Your Connection

Give your connection a descriptive name (e.g., "Xero Invoices" or "Newbook Guests").

Step 2: API Endpoint

Enter the API details:

• Base URL — the root URL of the API (e.g., https://api.xero.com)
• Endpoint Path — the specific resource to fetch (e.g., /api.xro/2.0/Invoices)

Step 3: Authentication

Choose your authentication method:

Method	How It Works	Common Services
Bearer Token	Sends Authorization: Bearer <token> header	Xero, Stripe, HubSpot
API Key Header	Sends X-API-Key: <key> header	SendGrid, Mailchimp
Basic Auth	Sends base64-encoded username:password	Jira, Freshdesk
Custom Header	Sends any custom header name and value	Services with non-standard auth

Enter your credentials. API keys are encrypted at rest and never displayed again after saving.

Step 4: Test Connection

Click Test Connection to make a live request to the API. The wizard:

1. Sends a request with your configuration
2. Shows the response status and data
3. Detects nested data structures and suggests the correct data path
4. Previews the first few records

Data path tells Commander where your data array lives in the response. For example, if the API returns { "data": { "results": [...] } }, the data path is data.results. The wizard auto-detects this — you can also set it manually.

Step 5: Save Connection

Review your configuration and save. The connection appears on your canvas and starts syncing based on your schedule.

Sync Options

Option	Behaviour
Manual	Click "Sync Now" to pull data on demand
Scheduled	Automatic sync at intervals you choose (e.g., every hour, every day)

Each sync creates events in the Event Log. If field mapping is configured, data is automatically written to your destination table.

Monitoring

The overview tab shows real-time health:

• Events today — number of events received in the last 24 hours
• Errors — count of failed events
• Success rate — percentage of successful events
• Last error — the most recent error message, if any

CLI and MCP

API connections can be managed from the CLI and MCP. See the Command Reference for all available commands.

Next Steps

• Field Mapping — Map incoming data to Commander Tables (same mapping system for all connection types)
• Event Log — View and manage events from your API connection
• Connection Canvas — Organise connections on your workspace